In:
Climate of the Past, Copernicus GmbH, Vol. 15, No. 2 ( 2019-04-02), p. 617-634
Abstract:
Abstract. To assess the regional multi-decadal to multi-centennial climate variability along the
southern Iberian Peninsula during the mid- to late-Holocene record of paleo-environmental
indicators from marine sediments were established for two sites in the Alboran Sea
(ODP-161-976A) and the Gulf of Cádiz (GeoB5901-2). High-resolution records of organic
geochemical properties and planktic foraminiferal assemblages are used to decipher
precipitation and vegetation changes as well as hydrological conditions with respect to
sea surface temperature (SST) and marine primary productivity (MPP). As a proxy for
precipitation change, records of plant-derived n-alkane composition suggest a series of
five distinct dry episodes in southern Iberia at 5.4±0.3 ka cal BP, from 5.1 to
4.9±0.1 ka cal BP, from 4.8 to 4.7±0.1 ka cal BP, from 4.4 to 4.3±0.1 ka cal BP, and at 3.7±0.1 ka cal BP. During each dry episode the
vegetation suffered from reduced water availability. Interestingly, the dry phase from
4.4 to 4.3±0.1 ka cal BP is followed by a rapid shift towards wetter conditions
revealing a more complex pattern in terms of its timing and duration than was described
for the 4.2 ka event in other regions. The series of dry episodes as well as closely
connected hydrological variability in the Alboran Sea were probably driven by NAO-like
(North Atlantic Oscillation) variability. In contrast, surface waters in the Gulf of
Cádiz appear to have responded more directly to North Atlantic cooling associated
with Bond events. In particular, during Bond events 3 and 4, a pronounced increase in
seasonality with summer warming and winter cooling is found.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1814-9332
DOI:
10.5194/cp-15-617-2019
DOI:
10.5194/cp-15-617-2019-supplement
Language:
English
Publisher:
Copernicus GmbH
Publication Date:
2019
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2217985-9
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