Cuban stalagmite suggests relationship between Caribbean precipitation and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation during the past 1.3 ka

Here we present the first high-resolution δ18O record of a stalagmite from western Cuba. The record reflects precipitation variability in the northwestern Caribbean during the last 1.3 ka and exhibits a correlation to the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). This suggests a relationship between...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Fensterer, Claudia (Author) , Scholz, Denis (Author) , Spötl, Christoph (Author) , Mangini, Augusto (Author)
Format: Article (Journal)
Language:English
Published: July 3, 2012
In: The Holocene
Year: 2012, Volume: 22, Issue: 12, Pages: 1405-1412
ISSN:1477-0911
DOI:10.1177/0959683612449759
Online Access:Verlag, Volltext: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0959683612449759
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Author Notes:Claudia Fensterer, Denis Scholz, Dirk Hoffmann, Christoph Spötl, Jesús M Pajón and Augusto Mangini
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Summary:Here we present the first high-resolution δ18O record of a stalagmite from western Cuba. The record reflects precipitation variability in the northwestern Caribbean during the last 1.3 ka and exhibits a correlation to the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). This suggests a relationship between Caribbean rainfall intensity and North Atlantic sea-surface temperature (SST) anomalies. A potential mechanism for this relationship may be the strength of the Thermohaline Circulation (THC). For a weaker THC, lower SSTs in the North Atlantic possibly lead to a southward shift of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and drier conditions in Cuba. Thus, this Cuban stalagmite records drier conditions during cold phases in the North Atlantic such as the ‘Little Ice Age’. This study contributes to the understanding of teleconnections between North Atlantic SSTs and northern Caribbean climate variability during the past 1.3 ka.
Item Description:Gesehen am 15.08.2019
Physical Description:Online Resource
ISSN:1477-0911
DOI:10.1177/0959683612449759