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Moist and warm conditions in Eurasia during the last glacial of the Middle Pleistocene Transition

The end of the Middle Pleistocene Transition (MPT, ~ 800-670 thousand years before present, ka) was characterised by the emergence of large glacial ice-sheets associated with anomalously warm North Atlantic sea surface temperatures enhancing moisture production. Still, the direction and intensity of...

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Main Authors: Sánchez Goñi, María Fernanda (Author) , Extier, Thomas (Author) , Polanco-Martínez, Josué M. (Author) , Zorzi, Coralie (Author) , Rodrigues, Teresa (Author) , Bahr, André (Author)
Format: Article (Journal)
Language:English
Published: 2023
In: Nature Communications
Year: 2023, Volume: 14, Pages: 1-10
ISSN:2041-1723
DOI:10.1038/s41467-023-38337-4
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Author Notes:María Fernanda Sánchez Goñi, Thomas Extier, Josué M. Polanco-Martínez, Coralie Zorzi, Teresa Rodrigues, André Bahr
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Summary:The end of the Middle Pleistocene Transition (MPT, ~ 800-670 thousand years before present, ka) was characterised by the emergence of large glacial ice-sheets associated with anomalously warm North Atlantic sea surface temperatures enhancing moisture production. Still, the direction and intensity of moisture transport across Eurasia towards potential ice-sheets is poorly constrained. To reconstruct late MPT moisture production and dispersal, we combine records of upper ocean temperature and pollen-based Mediterranean forest cover, a tracer of westerlies and precipitation, from a subtropical drill-core collected off South-West Iberia, with records of East Asia summer monsoon (EASM) strength and West Pacific surface temperatures, and model simulations. Here we show that south-western European winter precipitation and EASM strength reached high levels during the Marine Isotope Stage 18 glacial. This anomalous situation was caused by nearly-continuous moisture supply from both oceans and its transport to higher latitudes through the westerlies, likely fuelling the accelerated expansion of northern hemisphere ice-sheets during the late MPT.
Item Description:Gesehen am 17.05.2023
Physical Description:Online Resource
ISSN:2041-1723
DOI:10.1038/s41467-023-38337-4

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