6533b831fe1ef96bd12990f3
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Speleothem records decadal to multidecadal hydroclimate variations in southwestern Morocco during the last millennium
Abdelfettah SifeddineAbdelfettah SifeddineAbdelfettah SifeddineNúria Pérez-zanónLhoussaine BouchaouEl Hassane BeraaouzJasper A. WassenburgJasper A. WassenburgMyriam KhodriMyriam KhodriJean-loup GuyotJames ApaésteguiKlaus Peter JochumHai ChengFrancisco W. CruzYassine Ait BrahimLijuan Shasubject
Atlantic Oscillation010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciencesHigh resolutionSpeleothem[PHYS.PHYS.PHYS-GEO-PH]Physics [physics]/Physics [physics]/Geophysics [physics.geo-ph]speleothem southwestern Morocco last millennium hydroclimate changes Atlantic Oscillation Sahara Low010502 geochemistry & geophysics01 natural scienceshydroclimate changesGeochemistry and PetrologyAtlantic multidecadal oscillationEarth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)Little ice agespeleothemComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS0105 earth and related environmental sciencesgeographygeography.geographical_feature_categoryAnomaly (natural sciences)MUDANÇA CLIMÁTICATrace elementSahara Lowsouthwestern MoroccoGeophysicslast millennium13. Climate actionSpace and Planetary ScienceNorth Atlantic oscillationClimatologyPeriod (geology)Geologydescription
Abstract This study presents the first well-dated high resolution stable isotope ( δ 18 O and δ 13 C ) and trace element (Mg and Sr) speleothem records from southwestern Morocco covering the last 1000 yrs. Our records reveal substantial decadal to multidecadal swings between dry and humid periods, consistent with regional paleorecords with prevailing dry conditions during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA), wetter conditions during the second part of the Little Ice Age (LIA), and a trend towards dry conditions during the current warm period. These coherent regional climate signals suggest common climate controls. Statistical analyses indicate that the climate of southwestern Morocco remained under the combined influence of both the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) over the last millennium. Interestingly, the generally warmer MCA and colder LIA at longer multidecadal timescales probably influenced the regional climate in North Africa through the influence on Sahara Low which weakened and strengthened the mean moisture inflow from the Atlantic Ocean during the MCA and LIA respectively.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-10-01 | Earth and Planetary Science Letters |