Observed intraseasonal and seasonal variability of the West India Coastal Current on the continental slope

We present current data from acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) moored on the continental slope off the west coast of India. The data were collected at four locations (roughly at Kanyakumari, Kollam, Goa, and Mumbai) extending from ～ 7° to ～ 20°N during 2008–2012. The observations show that a seasonal cycle, including an annual cycle, is present in the West India Coastal Current (WICC); this seasonal cycle, which strengthens northward, shows considerable interannual variability and is not as strongly correlated along the coast as in climatologies based on ship drifts or the altimeter. The alongshore decorrelation of the WICC is much stronger at intraseasonal periods, which are evident during the winter monsoon all along the coast. This intraseasonal variability is stronger in the south. A striking feature of the WICC is upward phase propagation, which implies an undercurrent whose depth becomes shallower as the season progresses. There are also instances when the phase propagates downward. At the two southern mooring locations off Kollam and Kanyakumari, the cross-shore current, which is usually associated with eddy-like circulations, is comparable to the alongshore current on occasions. A comparison with data from the OSCAR (Ocean Surface Currents Analyses Real-time) data product shows not only similarities, but also significant differences, particularly in the phase. One possible reason for this phase mismatch between the ADCP current at 48 m and the OSCAR current, which represents the current in the 0–30 m depth range, is the vertical phase propagation. Current products based on Ocean General Circulation Models like ECCO2 (Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean, Phase II) and GODAS (Global Ocean Data Assimilation System) show a weaker correlation with the ADCP current, and ECCO2 does capture some of the observed variability.     

Impact of stratification on internal waves and differential wearing of thermal inversions on the east coast of India

The surface layers of the Bay of Bengal along the east coast of India exhibit intricate stratification owing to the differential distribution of freshwaters. The winter (January–February) cooling of the salinity-induced stable layers results in the development of thermal inversions that deteriorate toward the end of the season. The study focuses on the behavior of the thermal inversions in the light of the variable stratification and the monsoon imposed reversing coastal current. To address the associated processes, a three-dimensional Princeton Ocean Model is applied for the east coast of India, and numerical experiments carried out to study the means by which the thermal inversions tend to perish with the passage of winter. The model domain with variable curvilinear grid uses input fields that comprise realistic bathymetry and initial temperature/salinity conforming to winter/specified stratification. The surface forcing comprises wind stress and diurnal pattern air–sea heat fluxes. The body forcing is derived from the periodic tidal elevations at the open boundaries. It has been found that the thermal inversions tend to sustain as the equator-ward flowing East India Coastal Current (EICC) traps the cool low saline waters between Paradip and Kakinada. The current off Paradip is weak and variable and is not a part of EICC. Consequently, in the absence of replenishment of cool and freshsurface waters, the temperature/salinity gradients get eroded steadily. No thermal inversions are noticed south of Kakinada because of relatively weak current with diminished vertical salinity gradient. As the nature of stratification encountered in the bay is highly variable due to diverse reasons, the behavior of internal waves under different stratification scenarios is also addressed. Numerical experiments indicate that the energy/amplitude of the internal waves are comparable in the surface layers for any stratification, where as it is certain orders exalted in the deeper waters of the strong stratification scenario. Further, it is found that the energies and pattern of the temperature oscillations conform to the nature of mixed tide at the corresponding latitude. The underneath stratification is found to be more responsible for the generation of internal waves compared to the local stratification. This implies that the body forcing emanating from below is the cardinal contributor for the generation of internal waves. The numerical experiment with a flat and uniform bottom showing weak manifestation of internal waves endorses the same. This connotes that the continental slopes are an effective generator of the internal waves and the energy flux conversion of the barotropic tide to internal waves seems to be heavily dependent on the shoaling bottom.     

Mesoscale modeling study of the oceanographic conditions off the southwest coast of India

A high resolution model, using the Miami Isopycnic Coordinate Ocean Model (MICOM), has been implemented for the first time to study the seasonal circulation and coastal upwelling off the southwest Indian coast during 1974. This model is part of a model and data assimilation system capable of describing the ocean circulation and variability in the Indian Ocean and its predictability in response to the monsoon system. Along the southwest coast of India the dominant coastal current is the reversing West Indian Coastal Current which is well simulated and described, in addition to the weaker undercurrent of the opposite direction. Upwelling of cold water, 4‡C lower than offshore temperatures appear in April. The upwelling intensifies with the southwest monsoon and is simulated in accordance within situ observations. Upwelling appears to be strongest off Cochin and Quilon, and the upwelling of cold water is seen together with a decrease in salinity in the model simulation.     

Comparison of ionospheric characteristic parameters obtained by GPS and ionosonde with IRI model over China

This paper presents a comparison of ionospheric characteristic parameters obtained by a GPS network and three ionosondes at Mohe (122.4^°E, 53.5^°N, dip angle 70.983^°N), Zuolingzhen (114.6^°E, 30.5^°N, dip angle 46.350^°N), and Fuke (109.1^°E, 19.5^°N, dip angle 27.083^°N) located in China with an IRI model in the year 2011. Observed NmF2 and hmF2 values at the three stations are compared with IRI2007 and IRI2012 predictions, respectively. The results show that there are clear linear correlations between the observed values and the IRI model predicted values. The IRI model gives overestimations at the three stations mostly in 2011. For the NmF2 and hmF2 values, most of the results show that the IRI2012 predicted values are closer to the observed values compared with those of IRI2007. Additionally, the GPS TEC values derived from the Crustal Movement Observation Network of China (CMONOC) are compared with the IRI2012 predictions. From the results, it is evident that the IRI2012 model predictions follow the normal trend of diurnal variation of GPS measured TEC monthly means but do not reproduce the measured data well. The IRI2012 model overestimates electron density in the latter part of spring as well as the first half of autumn and winter and underestimates electron density in early spring and the latter part of autumn. Referring to GPS TEC, the precision of the IRI2012 model predicted TEC values is ～5 TECU over China. It may also be noted that there are two discontinuities of IRI-TEC monthly means appearing in November and December of the year 2011. This brings a bias of ～3 TECU of TEC values between two adjacent months.     

Optical and radiative properties of aerosols over Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates

The present study is on the aerosol optical and radiative properties in the short-wave radiation and its climate implications at the arid city of Abu Dhabi (24.42 ^°N, 54.61 ^°E, 4.5 m MSL), in the United Arab Emirates. The direct aerosol radiative forcings (ARF) in the short-wave region at the top (TOA) and bottom of the atmosphere (BOA) are estimated using a hybrid approach, making use of discrete ordinate radiative transfer method in conjunction with the short-wave flux and spectral aerosol optical depth (AOD) measurements, over a period of 3 years (June 2012–July 2015), at Abu Dhabi located at the south-west coast of the Arabian Gulf. The inferred microphysical properties of aerosols at the measurement site indicate strong seasonal variations from the dominance of coarse mode mineral dust aerosols during spring (March–May) and summer (June–September), to the abundance of fine/accumulation mode aerosols mainly from combustion of fossil-fuel and bio-fuel during autumn (October–November) and winter (December–February) seasons. The monthly mean diurnally averaged ARF at the BOA (TOA) varies from ?13.2 Wm^?2 (～?0.96 Wm^?2) in November to ?39.4 Wm^?2 (?11.4 Wm^?2) in August with higher magnitudes of the forcing values during spring/summer seasons and lower values during autumn/winter seasons. The atmospheric aerosol forcing varies from + 12.2 Wm^?2 (November) to 28.2 Wm^?2 (June) with higher values throughout the spring and summer seasons, suggesting the importance of mineral dust aerosols towards the solar dimming. Seasonally, highest values of the forcing efficiency at the surface are observed in spring (?85.0 ± 4.1 W m^?2 τ ^?1) followed closely by winter (?79.2 ± 7.1 W m^?2 τ ^?1) and the lowest values during autumn season (?54 ± 4.3 W m^?2 τ ^?1). The study concludes with the variations of the atmospheric heating rates induced by the forcing. Highest heating rate is observed in June (0.39 K day ^?1) and the lowest in November (0.17 K day ^?1) and the temporal variability of this parameter is linearly associated with the aerosol absorption index.     

Equatorial Currents in the Indian Ocean Based on Measurements in February 2017

We analyze the results of measurements of the Tareev equatorial undercurrent in the Indian Ocean in February 2017. Sections from 3° S to 3°45′ N along 68° and 65° E crossed the current with measurements of the temperature, salinity, and current velocity at oceanographic stations. The maximum velocity of this eastward flow was recorded precisely at the equator. The velocity at a depth of 50 m was approximately 60 cm/s. The transport of the Tareev Current was estimated at 9.8 Sv (1 Sv = 10⁶ m³/s).     

Seasonal variability in the input of lead, barium and indium to Law Dome, Antarctica

Lead (Pb) isotopic compositions and concentrations, and barium (Ba) and indium (In) concentrations have been determined at monthly resolution in five Law Dome (coastal Eastern Antarctica) ice core sections dated from ∼1757 AD to ∼1898 AD. ‘Natural’ background Pb concentrations in ∼1757 AD average ∼0.2 pg g⁻¹ and can be attributed to mineral dust and volcanic emissions, with ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb ratios reaching up to 1.266 ± 0.002. From ∼1887 AD to ∼1898 AD, Pb concentrations reached ∼5 pg g⁻¹ and ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb ratios decreased to 1.058 ± 0.001 as a result of additional inputs of Pb from anthropogenic sources. Seasonal variability in the late 1880s has been investigated by decoupling volcanic Pb from the total measured Pb concentrations, revealing spring and autumn maxima, and consistent winter minima, in anthropogenic Pb and mineral dust (Ba) concentrations. We link this variability to the annual cycle in the position and strength of the Antarctic Circumpolar Trough and, the Southern Ocean westerly winds to the north of the trough region. During the autumn and spring seasons, these systems increase in strength, transporting more impurity laden air from the Southern Hemisphere continental regions to Eastern Antarctica and Law Dome. As this Pb is isotopically identical to that emitted from south-eastern Australia (Broken Hill, Port Pirie) this implies a relatively direct air trajectory pathway from southern Australia to Law Dome (Eastern Antarctica).     

Ionospheric response to X-class solar flares in the ascending half of the subdued solar cycle 24

The signature of 11 X-class solar flares that occurred during the ascending half of the present subdued solar cycle 24 from 2009 to 2013 on the ionosphere over the low- and mid-latitude station, Dibrugarh (27.5^°N, 95^°E; magnetic latitude 17.6^°N), are examined. Total electron content (TEC) data derived from Global Positioning System satellite transmissions are used to study the effect of the flares on the ionosphere. A nonlinear significant correlation (R² = 0.86) has been observed between EUV enhancement (ΔEUV) and corresponding enhancement in TEC (ΔTEC). This nonlinearity is triggered by a rapid increase in ΔTEC beyond the threshold value ～1.5 (×10¹⁰ ph cm^?2 s^?1) in ΔEUV. It is also found that this nonlinear relationship between TEC and EUV flux is driven by a similar nonlinear relationship between flare induced enhancement in X-ray and EUV fluxes. The local time of occurrence of the flares determines the magnitude of enhancement in TEC for flares originating from nearly similar longitudes on the solar disc, and hence proximity to the central meridian alone may not play the dominating role. Further, the X-ray peak flux, when corrected for the earth zenith angle effect, did not improve the correlation between ΔX-ray and ΔTEC.     

Gravity anomalies over the Central Indian Ridge between 3<Superscript>∘</Superscript>S and 11<Superscript>∘</Superscript>S,Indian Ocean: Segmentation and crustal structure

High-resolution shipboard geophysical investigations along the Indian Ocean ridge system are sparse especially over the Carlsberg and Central Indian ridges. In the present study, the shipboard gravity and multibeam bathymetry data acquired over a 750 km long section of the Central Indian Ridge between 3 ^°S and 11 ^°S have been analysed to understand the crustal structure and the ridge segmentation pattern. The mantle Bouguer anomalies (MBA) and the residual mantle Bouguer anomalies (RMBA) computed in the study area have shown significant variations along the ridge segments that are separated by transform and non-transform discontinuities. The MBA lows observed over the linear ridge segments bounded by well-defined transform faults are attributed to the thickening of the crust at the middle portions of the ridge segments. The estimates of crustal thickness from the RMBA shows an average of 5.2 km thick crust in the axial part of the ridge segments. The MBA and relative RMBA highs along the two non-transform discontinuities suggests a thinner crust of up to 4.0 km. The most significant MBA and RMBA highs were observed over the Vema transform fault suggesting thin crust of 4 km in the deepest part of the transform fault where bathymetry is more than 6000 m. The identified megamullion structures have relative MBA highs suggesting thinner crust. Besides MBA lows along the ridge axis, significant off-axis MBA lows have been noticed, suggesting off-axis mantle upwelling zones indicative of thickening of the crust. The rift valley morphology varies from the typical V-shaped valley to the shallow valley floor with undulations on the inner valley floor. Segments with shallow rift valley floor have depicted well-defined circular MBA lows with persistent RMBA low, suggesting modulation of the valley floor morphology due to the variations in crustal thickness and the mantle temperature. These are supported by thicker crust and weaker lithospheric mantle.     

On the diurnal ranges of Sea Surface Temperature (SST) in the north Indian Ocean

This paper describes the variability in the diurnal range of SST in the north Indian Ocean using in situ measurements and tests the suitability of simple regression models in estimating the diurnal range. SST measurements obtained from 1556 drifting and 25 moored buoys were used to determine the diurnal range of SSTs. The magnitude of diurnal range of SST was highest in spring and lowest in summer monsoon. Except in spring, nearly 75–80% of the observations reported diurnal range below 0.5°C. The distributions of the magnitudes of diurnal warming across the three basins of north Indian Ocean (Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and Equatorial Indian Ocean) were similar except for the differences between the Arabian Sea and the other two basins during November–February (winter monsoon) and May. The magnitude of diurnal warming that depended on the location of temperature sensor below the water level varied with seasons. In spring, the magnitude of diurnal warming diminished drastically with the increase in the depth of temperature sensor. The diurnal range estimated using the drifting buoy data was higher than the diurnal range estimated using moored buoys fitted with temperature sensors at greater depths. A simple regression model based on the peak solar radiation and average wind speed was good enough to estimate the diurnal range of SST at ∼1.0 m in the north Indian Ocean during most of the seasons except under low wind-high solar radiation conditions that occur mostly during spring. The additional information on the rate of precipitation is found to be redundant for the estimation of the magnitude of diurnal warming at those depths.     

The warm pool in the Indian Ocean

The structure of the warm pool (region with temperature greater than 28°C) in the equatorial Indian Ocean is examined and compared with its counterpart in the Pacific Ocean using the climatology of Levitus. Though the Pacific warm pool is larger and warmer, a peculiarity of the pool in the Indian Ocean is its seasonal variation. The surface area of the pool changes from 24 × 10⁶ km² in April to 8 × 10⁶ km² in September due to interaction with the southwest monsoon. The annual cycles of sea surface temperature at locations covered by the pool during at least a part of the year show the following modes: (i) a cycle with no significant variation (observed in the western equatorial Pacific and central and eastern equatorial Indian Ocean), (ii) a single maximum/minimum (northern and southern part of the Pacific warm pool and the south Indian Ocean), (iii) two maxima/minima (Arabian Sea, western equatorial Indian Ocean and southern Bay of Bengal), and (iv) a rapid rise, a steady phase and a rapid fall (northern Bay of Bengal).     

Natural radioactivity measurements in beach sand along southern coast of Orissa,eastern India

The beach placer deposits in the southern coastal Orissa, India may have significant levels of radiation due to the presence of Th and U bearing minerals such as monazite and zircon. In this study, Gopalpur and Rushikulya beach regions were selected to study the ambient radiation environment. The average activity concentrations of radioactive elements such as ²³²Th, ²³⁸U and ⁴⁰K of beach sand samples were measured by γ-ray spectrometry using a HPGe detector, and found to be much higher than the internationally accepted values. The cross plots of eTh/eU and eTh/K inferred that the sand samples of Gopalpur and Rushikulya beach placer deposit were deposited in leached uranium and an oxidising environment. The absorbed γ dose rate levels of the study areas are similar to other monazite sand-bearing HBRAs of southern and southwestern coastal regions of India and of world. Different radiation hazard indices were estimated for the present study area and were found to be much higher than the internationally accepted values. Hence, Gopalpur and Rushikulya beach placer region can be considered as a high background radiation area and a potential zone for radiogenic heavy mineral exploration.     

Seasonal variability of oxygen and hydrogen stable isotopes in precipitation and cave drip water at Guilin,southwest China

The interpretation of climatic information from stalagmites has traditionally been a complex research problem, with oxygen isotopes playing a particularly important role in global climate change studies. This study investigates the relationship between oxygen isotope composition of the atmospheric in precipitation and cave drip water at Panlong cave in southwest China on seasonal timescales of variability. Time series seasonal variability was derived from Panlong cave in Guilin by collecting daily precipitation samples for stable isotope analysis during 2012. Results indicate that δ¹⁸O of precipitation contains a clear seasonal variation whereby higher values are mainly distributed during winter and lower values during summer. Seasonal variations in water sources affect the precipitation δ¹⁸O values. Drip water δ¹⁸O also displayed a seasonal cycle which is attenuated relative to δ¹⁸O of precipitation. Drip water time series display seasonal cycle ranges from 1.5 to 3.5 ‰ relative to Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water, which mainly follow the precipitation δ¹⁸O seasonal cycle. Seasonal variation in drip water δ¹⁸O supports interpretations of the stalagmite δ¹⁸O record as a paleoclimate proxy sensitive to the local environment. This monitoring experiment revealed that drip water must be transported through the epikarst in approximately 1.5 months during cold periods, and <0.5 months during warm periods. Different residence time percolation is mainly affected by the atmospheric precipitation amount, depending on whether soil moisture reaches saturation.     

Variability of the Intertropical Convergence Zone recorded in coral isotopic records from the central Indian Ocean (Chagos Archipelago)

We have analyzed the stable oxygen isotopic composition of two Porites corals from the Chagos Archipelago, which is situated in the geographical center of the Indian Ocean. Coral δ¹⁸O at this site reliably records temporal variations in precipitation associated with the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Precipitation maxima occur in boreal winter, when the ITCZ forms a narrow band across the Indian Ocean. The Chagos then lies within the center of the ITCZ, and rainfall is strongly depleted in δ¹⁸O. A 120-yr coral isotopic record indicates an alternation of wet and dry intervals lasting 15 to 20 yr. The most recent 2 decades are dominated by interannual variability, which is tightly coupled to the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). This is unprecedented in the 120 yr of coral record. As the ITCZ is governed by atmospheric dynamics, this provides evidence of a major change in the coupled ENSO-monsoon system.     

Differential timing of vertical-axis block rotations in the northern Ryukyu Arc: Paleomagnetic evidence from the Koshikijima Islands,Japan

Over 300 samples for paleomagnetic analysis and K–Ar dating were collected from 27 sites at NW–SE and NE–SW trending dike swarms (herein, NW dikes and NE dikes, respectively) in the Koshikijima Islands, northern Ryukyu Arc. The NW dikes are Middle Miocene in age and have directions (D = ? 37.7^°, I = 51.8^°, α₉₅ = 9.6^°, and κ = 40.8) that are deflected westward relative to the stable eastern Asian continent. Conversely, the NE dikes, of Late Miocene age, have directions (D = 16.1^°, I = 57.7^°, α₉₅ = 7.1^°, and κ = 41.9) that show no such deflection. These differences are interpreted as indicating that the Koshikijima Islands underwent approximately 40^° of counter-clockwise rotation during the Middle to Late Miocene. A synthesis of the paleomagnetic and structural data suggests a three-stage history of extensional deformation: (1) displacement upon normal faults (F₁ faults) without vertical-axis block rotation, (2) strike-slip reactivation of F₁ faults and oblique-normal displacement on NE–SW-trending faults (F₂ faults) with vertical-axis block rotation, and (3) oblique-normal displacement on F₂ faults without vertical-axis block rotation. Regional differences in the timing and amount of counter-clockwise vertical-axis block rotations indicate that the northern Ryukyu Arc rotated as several distinct rigid blocks.     

The Lomonosov Equatorial Undercurrent according to Data Measured with a Shipborne Profiler, 2014–2017

The velocity and structure of the Lomonosov Equatorial Undercurrent of the Atlantic Ocean are determined based on the data measured with a shipborne acoustic profiler from 2014 to 2017. The seasonal variability of this flow is estimated, and the cases of its outcropping to the surface in the spring of the Northern Hemisphere are revealed.

     

Deglacial paleoclimate in the southwestern United States: an abrupt 18.6 ka cold event and evidence for a North Atlantic forcing of Termination I

We present a new U-series dated speleothem record (PC-1) from the Great Basin that documents deglacial climate variability between ca 20.1 and 15.6 ka. Our data show an abrupt 18.6 ka cold event preceding Heinrich event 1 that is consistent with expansion of the Laurentide Ice sheet during the ‘binge’ phase of ice growth. This event coincided with dessication of pluvial Lake Mojave suggesting cold and dry conditions in the southern Great Basin at this time. PC-1 δ¹⁸O values before and during Heinrich event 1 are similar, but an increase in stalagmite growth rates suggests wetter conditions that coincided with deposition of spring deposits in southern Nevada. The time interval of our record is consistent with the timing of pluvial conditions in the Great Basin as evident from a comparison to regional wetness proxies. Our new speleothem record, recovered from the recharge area for Devils Hole, does not show a δ¹⁸O increase coincident with the abrupt increase in Devils Hole δ¹⁸O at c. 18 ka, challenging the view that the Great Basin experienced an early Termination I. This hypothesis is supported by two other southwest speleothem records that demonstrate deglaciation was synchronous with forcing from the North Atlantic Ocean. We suggest that Devils Hole speleothem δ¹⁸O values may partly reflect source water changes in the regional aquifer. Further, Devils Hole δ¹³C minima coincide with peak global glacial conditions and weak Asian monsoon periods, suggesting that they constrain better the timing of pluvial conditions in the Great Basin.     

Hydration of periclase at 350 ∘C to 620 ∘C and 200 MPa: experimental calibration of reaction rate

The hydration of periclase to brucite was investigated experimentally. Single crystals of periclase machined to millimeter sized cubes with (100) surfaces were reacted with distilled water at temperatures of 350 to 620 ^°C and a pressure of 200 MPa for run durations of 5 to 40 minutes. Hydration produced a layer of brucite covering the surface of periclase. While the shrinking periclase largely retained its cube shape a surface roughness developed on the μm scale and eventually outward pointing spikes bounded by (111) faces emerged on the retreating faces of the periclase due to kinetic selection of less reactive (111) and (110) surfaces. The periclase to brucite conversion followed a linear rate law, where the reaction rate increased from 350 to 530 ^°C and then decreased towards higher temperature and finally vanished at about 630 ^°C, where periclase, brucite, and water are in equilibrium at 200 MPa. The overall kinetics of the hydration reaction is conveniently described in terms of a phenomenological interface mobility. Measuring the velocity of the hydration front relative to the lattice of the reactant periclase, the temperature dependence of its mobility is described by an Arrhenius relation with pre-exponential factor 1.7.10^?12 m ⁴/s.J and activation energy of E_A=55 kJ/mol.     

Variability in upwelling intensity and nutrient regime in the coastal upwelling system offshore Namibia: results from sediment archives

The coastal upwelling system offshore Namibia is ideally suited to address a focal question of the Integrated Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Research Programme: what are the mechanisms that drive long-term changes in ecosystems? Considerable interannual variability in climatic forcing is indicated by long time series of meteorological and remote sensing observation; these accompany considerable interannual to interdecadal changes in the upwelling intensity over the last 100 years, as well as a centennial trend. On longer time scales, the only archives available are sediment records spanning the late Holocene. To decipher the sediment record, we mapped surface-sediment patterns of proxies for physical (sea surface temperature/SST from alkenone unsaturation indexes) and nutrient (δ¹⁵N on bulk sedimentary N) variables. Their present-day surface-sediment patterns outline the coastal upwelling cells and filaments and associated high productivity area. Analysed in an array of dated sediment cores, the spatial patterns of SST suggest long-term (>100 years) variability in the location and intensity of individual upwelling cells. The patterns of δ¹⁵N outline an area of intense denitrification near the coast, and advection of water with low-oxygen concentrations in the undercurrent from the North. δ¹⁵N exhibits considerable downcore variability, in particular over the last 50 years. The variability appears to be governed by differences in extent of denitrification and thus of the shelf oxygen balance, which appears to have deteriorated in the last 50 years. Together, the data suggest that SST and denitrification conditions have remained in the narrow bounds outlined by today’s patterns in surface sediments, but that spatially small variability in upwelling intensity and make-up of upwelling feed waters induced considerable changes in the lower trophic levels of the coastal upwelling ecosystem over the last 6,000 years. Attempts to correlate proxy records from sediments with observational time series and regional climate reconstructions were not successful, possibly because annual to interannual environmental signals are erased in the process of sediment formation.     

Late Quaternary moisture export across Central America and to Greenland: evidence for tropical rainfall variability from Costa Rican stalagmites

We present a high-resolution terrestrial archive of Central American rainfall over the period 100–24 and 8.1–6.5 ka, based on δ¹⁸O time series from U-series dated stalagmites collected from a cave on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. Our results indicate substantial δ¹⁸O variability on millennial to orbital time scales that is interpreted to reflect rainfall variations over the cave site. Correlations with other paleoclimate proxy records suggest that the rainfall variations are forced by sea surface temperatures (SST) in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in a fashion analogous to the modern climate cycle. Higher rainfall is associated with periods of a warm tropical North Atlantic Ocean and large SST gradients between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Rainfall variability is likely linked to the intensity and/or latitudinal position of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ). Periods of higher rainfall in Costa Rica are also associated with an enhanced sea surface salinity gradient on either side of the isthmus, suggesting greater freshwater export from the Atlantic Basin when the ITCZ is stronger and/or in a more northerly position. Further, wet periods in Central America coincide with high deuterium excess values in Greenland ice, suggesting a direct link between low latitude SSTs, tropical rainfall, and moisture delivery to Greenland. Our results indicate that a stronger tropical hydrological cycle during warm periods and large inter-ocean SST gradients enhanced the delivery of low latitude moisture to Greenland.