6533b839fe1ef96bd12a6d59

RESEARCH PRODUCT

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

Christoph SpötlClaudia FenstererDenis ScholzDenis ScholzJesús M. PajónAugusto ManginiDirk L. Hoffmann

subject

ArcheologyGlobal and Planetary Changegeographygeography.geographical_feature_categoryEcologyδ18OPaleontologyStalagmiteOceanographyAtlantic Equatorial modeNorth Atlantic oscillationClimatologyAtlantic multidecadal oscillationPrecipitationGeologyEarth-Surface Processes

description

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.

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
2012-07-03The Holocene
https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683612449759