Luminescence dating of sand–loess sequences and response of Mu Us and Otindag sand fields (north China) to climatic changes

The sand–loess transition zone in north China is sensitive to climate change, and is an ideal place to investigate past environmental changes. However, past climate change at millennial–centennial timescales in this region has not been well reconstructed because of limited numerical dating. Alternations of sandy loam soils with aeolian sand layers in the Mu Us and Otindag sand fields, which lie along the sand–loess transition zone, indicate multiple intervals of dune activity and stability. This change is probably a response to variations of the East Asian monsoon climate during the late Quaternary. The single aliquot regeneration (SAR) optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating protocol, which has been successfully applied to aeolian deposits worldwide, is applied to these two sand fields in this study. The OSL ages provide reliable constraints for reconstruction of past climate changes at suborbital timescale. Sections in both sand fields contain aeolian sand beds recording millennial‐scale episodes of dry climate and widespread dune activation, including episodes at about the same time as Heinrich Event 5 and the Younger Dryas in the North Atlantic region. These results demonstrate the potential of aeolian sediments in semi‐arid north China to record millennial‐scale climatic events, and also suggest that dry–wet climate variation at the desert margin in China may be linked to climatic change elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere, through atmospheric circulation. This article was published online on 27 November 2008. An error was subsequently identified. This notice is included in the online and print versions to indicate that both have been corrected (16 December 2008). Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sediment colour reflectance spectroscopy as a proxy for wet/dry cycles at Lake El'gygytgyn,Far East Russia,during Marine Isotope Stages 8 to 12

Marine Isotope Stage 11 has been proposed as an analogue for the present interglacial interval; yet, terrestrial climate records from both this region and time interval are rare. The sediments deposited at Lake El'gygytgyn (67°30′N, 172°5′E) in Far East Russia contain a 3·56 Ma record of climate variability. This study presents a high‐resolution record of sediment colour change from Marine Isotope Stage 8 to 12 (ca 275 to 475 ka) and demonstrates the link between lake catchment processes and climate variability. The hue colour parameter, calculated from data collected via colour reflectance spectroscopy in the visible spectrum (380 to 720 nm), exhibits correspondence with global climate records. Determining the source of sediment colour changes was achieved through detailed mineralogical and sedimentological methods, and linked to colour changes through a series of colour sensitivity tests. Mineralogical data, measured by X‐ray diffraction, reveal fluctuations in concentrations of clay minerals corresponding to colour changes. Further analyses of the clay mineral assemblages show no change in relative clay mineral abundances, yet demonstrate a lake catchment dominated by physical weathering processes. Using measured mineral abundances, reconstructions of sediment colour based on colour reflectance mineral standards link mineral and clay mineral content to overall sediment colour. Colour sensitivity tests demonstrate the ability of iron oxide minerals to stain sediments red. Additionally, colour sensitivity to organic matter content was tested, suggesting that organic content drives variability in the red portion of the spectrum and darkens the overall colour signal. Sediment colour is then ultimately linked to physical weathering of bedrock minerals, with small amounts of chemical weathering producing iron oxides during wet intervals. Fluctuations in the sediment colour reveal a high‐resolution record of wet/dry cycles, and provide new information about wet periods for the Russian Arctic region not yet understood from other lake proxy records.     

Relationships between primary productivity and bottom‐water oxygenation off northwest Africa during the last deglaciation

The upwelling region off northwest Africa is one of the most productive regions in the world ocean. This study details the response of surface‐ and deep‐water environments off Mauritania, northwest Africa, to the rapid climate events of the last deglaciation, especially the Bølling–Allerød (15.5–13.5 ka BP) and Younger Dryas (13.5–11.5 ka BP). A high accumulation rate gravity core GeoB7926‐2, recovered at ～20° N, 18° W, was analysed for the grain size distribution of the terrigenous sediment fraction, the organic carbon content, diatom and benthic foraminifera communities. Humid conditions were observed during the Bølling–Allerød with a high contribution of fluvial sediment input. During the Younger Dryas intensified trade winds caused a larger sediment input of aeolian dust from the Sahara and more intense upwelling with higher primary productivity, as indicated by high diatom concentrations. The abrupt and large increase of organic matter caused low oxygen conditions at the sea floor, reflected by the poor benthic foraminiferal fauna and the dominance of the low‐oxygen‐tolerant foraminiferal species Bulimina exilis. This is surprising since low‐oxygen conditions have not been recorded during modern times at the sea floor in this region, despite present‐day intensive upwelling and high primary productivity. After the Younger Dryas, more humid conditions returned, diatom abundance decreased and B. exilis was replaced by typical deep‐sea species as found in the region today, indicating the return of more oxygenated conditions at the sea floor. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

East Asia winter monsoon variations on a millennial time‐scale before the last glacial–interglacial cycle

Grain size and magnetic susceptibility measurements on samples from a typical loess–palaeosol sequence on the central Chinese Loess Plateau are used to reconstruct the Pleistocene East Asian monsoon climate. The coarse‐grained fraction, i.e. the weight percentage > 30 μm of the bulk grain‐size distribution, is used as a sensitive proxy index of the East Asia winter monsoon strength. On the basis of an absolute time‐scale, time‐series variations of this proxy show that winter monsoon strengths varied on millennial time‐scales during the periods 145–165, 240–280, 320–350, 390–440, 600–640, 860–890, 900–930 and 1330–1400 kyr BP. The wavelength of these climatic oscillations varied between 1.89 and 4.0 kyr, as is shown by spectral analysis using the multitaper method. Although numerical simulation experiments show that high frequencies also can arise from measurement errors in the grain‐size analysis, the frequencies prove to be sufficiently stable when the spectral analysis is repeated with a different number of tapers. For the time being, we do not correlate these climatic oscillations with palaeoclimatic records in the North Atlantic deep‐sea sediments because both time‐scales need to be further improved. Our data, however, certainly demonstrate that millennial‐scale East Asian winter monsoon variations in the last 1.4 million years can be detected from terrestrial loess records. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The climate of Scotland over the last 5000 years inferred from multiproxy peatland records: inter‐site correlations and regional variability

The mid to late‐Holocene climates of most of Scotland have been reconstructed from seven peat bogs located across north–south and east–west geographical and climatological gradients. The main techniques used for palaeoclimatic reconstruction were plant macrofossil, colorimetric humification, and testate amoebae analyses, which were supported by a radiocarbon‐based chronology, aided by markers such as tephra isochrons and recent rises in pine pollen and in spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs). Field stratigraphy was undertaken at each site in order to show that the changes detected within the peat profiles were replicable. Proxy climate records were reconstructed using detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) of the plant macrofossil data and a mean water table depth transfer function on the testate amoebae data. These reconstructions, coupled with the humification data, were standardised for each site and used to produce a composite record of bog surface wetness (BSW) from each site. The results show coherent wet and dry phases over the last 5000 years and suggest regional differences in climate across Scotland, specifically between northern and southern Scotland. Distinct climatic cycles are identified, all of which record a millennial‐scale periodicity which can be correlated with previously identified marine and ice core Holocene cycles. The key role of the macrofossil remains of Sphagnum imbricatum, a taxon now extinct on many sites, is discussed in relation to the identified climatic shifts. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evidence for a mid‐Pleistocene shift of ice‐drift pattern in the Nordic seas

Sediment proxy records from a continuous, 1.5 million year long deep‐sea sediment core from a site in the western Norwegian Sea were used to obtain new insights into the nature of palaeoceanographic change in the northern North Atlantic (Nordic seas) during the climatic shift of the Mid‐Pleistocene Revolution (MPR). Red‐green sediment colour and magnetic susceptibility records both reveal significant differences in their mean values when comparing the intervals older than 700 000 yr (700 ka) with those from the past 500 kyr. The timing and duration of these changes indicates that the MPR in the Nordic seas is characterised by a gradual transition lasting about 200 kyr. Together with further sedimentological evidence this suggests that the mid‐Pleistocene climate shift was accompanied by a general change in ice‐drift pattern. It is further proposed that prior to the onset of the major late Pleistocene glaciations in the Northern Hemisphere a significant proportion of the ice in the eastern Nordic seas originated from a southern provenance, whereas later it dominantly came from the surrounding landmasses. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

青藏高原东北部泥炭沉积粒度与元素记录的全新世千年尺度的气候变化

通过对青藏高原东北部共和盆地泥炭沉积的粒度与地球化学元素分析, 重建了区域全新世千年尺度的气候变化过程. 结果显示: 10.0~8.6 cal ka BP区域暖湿程度逐渐增加, 但在8.6~7.1 cal ka BP气候相对寒冷干燥, 7.1~3.8 cal ka BP 暖湿程度总体上为全新世最佳, 但也出现明显的气候波动, 3.8~0.5 cal ka BP气候向冷干方向发展, 0.5 cal ka BP以来气候又逐渐转向暖湿. 这一特征与中国东部季风区的气候变化有很好的一致性. 此外, 区域全新世气候变化过程中存在10次千年尺度的寒冷事件, 并与高原冰芯、 湖泊、 泥炭和风成沉积记录的古气候变化, 甚至与北半球高低纬度的气候变化都具有良好的可比性. 因此, 认为区域全新世气候变化具有"季风模式"与"千年尺度震荡"的双重特点.     

Climate control on the evolution of Late Pleistocene alluvial‐fan and aeolian sand‐sheet systems in NW Germany

The Late Pleistocene was characterized by rapid climate oscillations with alternation of warm and cold periods that lasted up to several thousand years. Although much work has been carried out on the palaeoclimate reconstruction, a direct correlation of ice‐core, marine and terrestrial records is still difficult. Here we present new data from late Middle Pleniglacial to Lateglacial alluvial‐fan and aeolian sand‐sheet deposits in northwestern Germany. Records of Late Pleniglacial alluvial fans in central Europe are very rare, and OSL dating is used to determine the timing of fan aggradation. In contrast to fluvial systems that commonly show a delay between climate change and incision/aggradation, the small alluvial‐fan systems of the Senne area responded rapidly to climatic changes and therefore act as important terrestrial climate archives for this time span. The onset of alluvial‐fan deposition correlates with the climate change from warm to cold at the end of MIS 3 (29.3±3.2 ka). Strong fan progradation started at 24.4±2.8 ka and may be related to a period of higher humidity. The vertical stacking pattern of sedimentary facies and channel styles indicate a subsequrent overall decrease in water and sediment supply, with less sustained discharges and more sporadic runoffs from the catchment area, corresponding to an increasing aridity in central Europe during the Late Pleniglacial. Major phases of channel incision and fan aggradation may have been controlled by millennial‐scale Dansgaard–Oeschger cycles. The incision of channel systems is attributed to unstable climate phases at cold–warm (dry–wet) or warm–cold (wet–dry) transitions. The alluvial‐fan deposits are bounded by an erosion surface and are overlain by aeolian sand‐sheets that were periodically affected by flash‐floods. This unconformity might be correlated with the Beuningen Gravel Bed, which is an important marker horizon in deposits of the Late Pleniglacial resulting from deflation under polar desert conditions. The deposition of aeolian sand‐sheet systems (19.6±2.1 to 13.1±1.5 ka) indicates a rapid increase in aridity at the end of the Late Pleniglacial. Intercalated flash‐floods deposits and palaeosols (Finow type) point to temporarily wet conditions during the Lateglacial. The formation of an ephemeral channel network probably marks the warm‐cold transition from the Allerød to the Younger Dryas.     

Deciphering signals of late Holocene fluvial and aeolian supply from a shelf sediment depocentre off Senegal (north‐west Africa)

High‐resolution climatic records of the late Holocene along the north‐west African continental margin are scarce. Here we combine sediment grain size, elemental distribution and mineral assemblage data to trace dust and riverine sources at a shallow‐marine sediment depocentre in the vicinity of the Senegal River mouth. The aim is to understand how these terrigenous components reflect climate variability during the late Holocene. Major element contents were measured and mineral identification was performed on three sub‐fractions of our sediment core: (i) fluvial material < 2 µm, (ii) aeolian material of 18–63 µm and (iii) a sub‐fraction of dual‐origin material of 2–18 µm. Results show that more than 80% of the total Al and Fe terrigenous bulk content is present in the fluviogenic fraction. In contrast, Ti, K and Si cannot be considered as proxies for one specific source off Senegal. The Al/Ca ratio, recording the continental river runoff, reveals two dry periods from 3010 to 2750 cal a BP and from 1900 to 1000 cal a BP, and two main humid periods from 2750 to 1900 cal a BP and from 1000 to 700 cal a BP. The match between (i) intervals of low river runoff inferred by low Al/Ca values, (ii) reduced river discharge inferred by integrated palynological data from offshore Senegal and (iii) periods of enhanced dune reactivation in Mali confirms this interpretation. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

最后两个冰期旋回季风-沙漠系统不稳定性的高分辨率黄土记录

黄土高原西北部黄土沉积的粒度变化同时受控于沙漠进退和冬季风强度波动,因此,此区粒度可视为季风-沙漠系统变迁的替代性指标。本研究以2cm为间隔,对李家塬和新庄源S₂以上部分做了粒度分析。结果表明,倒数第二次冰期中的冰阶时段与末次冰期类似,存在着频繁的千年尺度的气候波动;而末次间冰期这类变化并不明显。     

Grain-size Age Model in Reconstructing Orbital- and Suborbital-scale Climate Changes on the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau Since the Late Glacial

Reconstructions of past climatic changes on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau(NETP) can provide insights into the Asian summer monsoon(ASM) variability. However, the regional climate changes on both orbital and suborbital time scales since the late Glacial remain controversial. Here we present the results of high-resolution geochemical and grain-size analyses of a sediment core from Genggahai Lake, a small, shallow lake in this area. Changes of the accumulation rate of the core sediments show a similar trend with variations of the coarse fraction. Accordingly, the chronological framework is constructed using a grain-size age model. In addition, the histories of chemical weathering and aeolian activity since the late Glacial are reconstructed based on the Al/Ti ratios and coarse fractions, respectively. The results suggest that an enhanced chemical weathering and a weakened aeolian activity occurred on the NETP under a warmer, wetter climate during the early to mid-Holocene(11.3–6.3 ka cal BP), compared with the late Glacial(17.1–11.3 ka cal BP) and the late Holocene(6.3 ka cal BP to present), which responded mainly to the strengthened ASM on orbital time scale. In addition, the synchronous occurrences of weakened chemical weathering, low lake level and intense aeolian activity on suborbital time scale reflect several episodes of weakened ASM. Furthermore, these episodes largely coincide with the centennial-to millennial-scale cold events in the North Atlantic, which demonstrates the close connection between the ASM and the cooling at high latitudes.     

Links between marine and atmospheric processes oscillating on a millennial time-scale. A multi-proxy study of the last 50,000 yr from the Alboran Sea (Western Mediterranean Sea)

The large dataset obtained from the extensive study of IMAGES core MD95-2043 recovered from the Alboran Sea (Western Mediterranean) shows the periodicities and phase relationships of oceanographic and atmospheric processes on a millennial time-scale. The 1470-yr cycle is the most significant, with the exception of the records reflecting climatic or environmental changes on land which show statistically significant 3300 and 8000 frequency bands. The investigation of these core records on a millennial scale resolution allows us to establish the evolution of oceanographic and atmospheric mechanisms that influenced the Western Mediterranean region in the course of the Dansgaard/Oeschger cycles. Accordingly, possible land–sea interactions can be identified and situated in the context of the temporal succession of the different climatic processes. For instance, Saharan dust supply from Northern Africa appears to lead high-latitude climate changes, suggesting that low-latitude feedback processes were involved in forcing the millennial climatic variability in the westernmost Mediterranean.     

Braided rivers within an arid alluvial plain (example from the Lower Triassic,western German Basin): recognition criteria and expression of stratigraphic cycles

Based on a detailed sedimentological analysis of Lower Triassic continental deposits in the western Germanic sag Basin (i.e. the eastern part of the present‐day Paris Basin: the ‘Conglomérat basal’, ‘Grès vosgien’ and ‘Conglomérat principal’ Formations), three main depositional environments were identified: (i) braided rivers in an arid alluvial plain with some preserved aeolian dunes and very few floodplain deposits; (ii) marginal erg (i.e. braided rivers, aeolian dunes and aeolian sand‐sheets); and (iii) playa lake (an ephemeral lake environment with fluvial and aeolian sediments). Most of the time, aeolian deposits in arid environments that are dominated by fluvial systems are poorly preserved and particular attention should be paid to any sedimentological marker of aridity, such as wind‐worn pebbles (ventifacts), sand‐drift surfaces and aeolian sand‐sheets. In such arid continental environments, stratigraphic surfaces of allocyclic origin correspond to bounding surfaces of regional extension. Elementary stratigraphic cycles, i.e. the genetic units, have been identified for the three main continental environments: the fluvial type, fluvial–aeolian type and fluvial/playa lake type. At the time scale of tens to hundreds of thousands of years, these high‐frequency cycles of climatic origin are controlled either by the groundwater level in the basin or by the fluvial siliciclastic sediment input supplied from the highland. Lower Triassic deposits from the Germanic Basin are preserved mostly in endoreic basins. The central part of the basin is arid but the rivers are supplied with water by precipitation falling on the remnants of the Hercynian (Variscan)–Appalachian Mountains. Consequently, a detailed study of alluvial plain facies provides indications of local climatic conditions in the place of deposition, whereas fluvial systems only reflect climatic conditions of the upstream erosional catchments.     

Late Pleistocene dust deposition in the Patagonian steppe - extending and refining the paleoenvironmental and tephrochronological record from Laguna Potrok Aike back to 55 ka

Paleoenvironmental records extending well into the last glacial period are scarce in the steppe regions of southern South America. Here, we present a continuous record for the past 55 ka from the maar lake Laguna Potrok Aike (51°58′ S, 70°23′ W, southern Patagonia, Argentina). Previous studies on a sedimentary core from a lake level terrace near the northern margin of the lake covered parts of Oxygen Isotope Stage (OIS) 3 (59–29 ka) whereas a second core from the centre of the basin comprised the last 16 ka. Tephrostratigraphical constraints and OSL ages from a third core located below the lake level terrace provide the crucial piece to close the gap between the previous coring sites. High-resolution XRF and magnetic susceptibility as well as grain size data indicate a positive hydrological balance alongside with relatively high aeolian activity during the glacial which is contemporaneous with increased dust fluxes in Antarctica. This is therefore the first evidence for contemporaneity of aeolian deposition in both the target area (Antarctica) and in the major source area of Patagonia. During the Holocene climatic conditions driving sediment deposition seem to have been more variable and less dominated by wind compared to glacial times. The identification of a minor lake level lowering at approximately 4 cal ka BP allows to refine earlier paleoenvironmental reconstructions for the Holocene. Within error margins the OSL ages are consistent with published radiocarbon-dated records offering hence a valuable tool for further studies of the sediments from Laguna Potrok Aike. The new chronology confirms the age of three tephra layers up to now only found in Laguna Potrok Aike sediments and ascribed to OIS 3.     

A lacustrine record of early Holocene watershed events and vegetation history,Corvara in Badia,Dolomites (Italy)

The early–middle Holocene lacustrine succession of Corvara in Badia (Italian Dolomites, 1521 m a.s.l.) records landslides and other watershed events before the onset of human pressure. The sensitivity of this archive to relate climate change, watershed processes and vegetation dynamics in the catchment has been explored through a stratigraphic study, including the analysis of sedimentological features, magnetic properties, palaeobotanical records and radiocarbon dating. A palaeolake existed between 10.1 k and 7 k cal. yr BP and was surrounded by a dense conifer forest. Long‐term forest dynamics driven by ecological processes and by climatic conditions favourable to upward forest expansion is recorded throughout the pollen record. Within the fine clastic sedimentation, distinct layers enriched in organic debris of terrestrial origin have been attributed to instant events produced by mass movements. Their age fits the chronology of large landslide events already known in the catchment, enabling correlation of the field evidence of landslides with the lacustrine record. Landslide frequency is controlled by geological and structural factors, but it is significantly modulated by the centennial–millennial climatic phases that characterise the Holocene in the Alps. The taphonomical properties of pollen and macroremains provided valuable insight on the mechanism of watershed processes. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Environmental conditions leading to the formation of Holocene soil layers in the Northern Taklimakan Desert,Tarim Basin,Northwest China

Radiocarbon‐dated palaeontological remains and bedding features suggests that climatic changes in the northern Taklimakan Desert since the beginning of the Holocene can be divided into four stages: (i) 12 000–10 000 BP, a cool–to temperate–dry climate resulting in apparent alluvial–fluvial and weak aeolian activities; (ii) 10 000–8000 BP, a dry cold climate, resulting in large‐scale sand dune activity under regional desert expansion; (iii) 8000–3000 BP dry, warm climate, with a decreased area of shifting sand and the fixation of many sand dunes; (iv) 3000 BP to present, rising aeolian activity resulting in sandstorms, under the combined influence of climatic warming and excessive exploitation of land and water resources. Holocene deposits from profiles in the Northern Taklimakan Desert consist mainly of fine‐grained aeolian sand and silty clay. The fine aeolian sand was formed from re‐sorting of aeolian sand during the cold period of the Holocene, while the silty clay was formed by flood deposition in the Holocene warm period. The desert and desert steppe arboreal species and high CaCO₃ content of the warm period strata suggest that the Holocene climate in the area, although generally dry, varied between warm/dry and cold/dry, and, especially in recent times, has become increasingly dry. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A new Early–Middle Weichselian palaeoenvironmental record from a lacustrine sequence at Svirkanciai,Lithuania

The Middle Weichselian (OIS 4‐3) and the transition from Early to Middle Weichselian are the most problematic and disputed time intervals of the Late Pleistocene with regard to the palaeogeography of the Fennoscandian glaciations. The number of sites with sediments of Middle Weichselian age in the Baltic region is very limited. An extensive area (77 km²) of lacustrine sediments (sand, clay, silt with humus and interlayers of peat), under the relief‐forming Upper Weichselian till, was discovered in the vicinity of the Venta settlement, northwestern Lithuania, and named the Venta Palaeolacustrine Basin. The Svirkanciai outcrop (56°18′05″N, 22°53′00″E) (15 m in height) of this palaeobasin is composed of two sediment complexes of different genesis and age. The lower part consists of silt and very fine‐grained sand of lacustrine origin. According to palynological data, the lacustrine sediments accumulated under boreo‐arctic climatic conditions. The pollen records suggest that local vegetation was sparse forest with open areas. An Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) date of the lacustrine sand yielded an age of >79±6 ka, which indicates that lacustrine conditions may have occurred during part of the Early Weichselian Odderade Interstadial (Jonionys 2). However, the palynological data from Svirkanciai suggest a Middle Weichselian age, possibly correlating with the Oerel Interstadial (Jonionys 3) 55 ka ago. No traces of early Middle Weichselian Schalkholz (Nemunas 2a) stadial glacial advance have been found in the Venta sections. This also suggests a Middle Weichselian age for the Svirkanciai lacustrine sediments.     

Tropical cyclones,global climate change and the role of Quaternary studies

The number and types of late Quaternary records of tropical cyclones (TCs) and temperate storms have been increasing globally over the past 10 years. There are now numerous such records for the Atlantic Ocean (USA) and Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, South Pacific Ocean, and a fewer number from the northwest Pacific and Indian Ocean regions. The most obvious characteristic of these records is that many reveal extended alternating periods of greater and lesser TC activity over the past 6000 years. The length of these phases of relative inactivity and greater activity depends on the chronological resolution of the record, with the coarser‐resolution ones displaying multi‐century to millennial‐scale episodes and the high‐resolution records displaying decadal to centennial‐scale oscillations. In several instances the likely causes of these alternating periods of TC behaviour have been attributed to different phases of climate when El Niños and La Niñas dominated or to longer‐term variations in sea surface temperatures and possibly solar forcing. The picture emerging from these records is that TC behaviour is not entirely stochastic over the long term and that any simulations of long‐term TC behaviour need to account for these climatic influences. Incorporation of these observations, and the many more needed, is important for understanding the future behaviour of TCs. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Terrigenous input response to glacial/interglacial climatic variations over southern Baja California: a rock magnetic approach

The sediments deposited off south-western Baja California have recorded millennial-scale fluctuations in biogenic compounds and trace metals accumulation during the last glacial period [Ortiz, J.D., O’Connell, S.B., DelViscio, J., Dean, W.E., Carriquiry, J.D., Marchitto, T., Zheng, Y., van Geen, A., 2004. Enhanced marine productivity off western North America during warm climate intervals of the past 52 ky. Geology 32, 521–524; Dean, W.E., Zheng, Y., Ortiz, J.D., van Geen, A., 2006. Sediment Cd and Mo accumulation in the oxygen-minimum zone off western Baja California linked to global climate over the past 52 ka. Paleoceanography 21, PA4209]. Since the variations in trace metals concentration appear to result from dilution with nonbiogenic matter, the variability of the terrigenous sedimentation needs to be addressed. Therefore, we performed rock magnetic and geochemical analysis on a 38 m-long sediment core collected from the slope off Baja California. The temporal framework provided by ¹⁴C dating and identification of palaeoclimatic transitions allows assigning the sequence to the last glacial–interglacial cycle (last 120 ka). The comparison of magnetic and geochemical properties led to retain the hypothesis of a primary modulation of iron oxides quantity and quality by terrigenous input variations, with a secondary diagenetic amplification. Two magnetic mineral input regimes are distinguished: (i) magnetic susceptibility variations reveal changes in titano-magnetite concentration related to fluvial transport of the terrigenous fraction; (ii) coercivity changes allow detecting variations of hematite or goethite concentrations, minerals generally issued from aeolian deflation of weathered rock surfaces. These two regimes are paced by two distinct climatic forcing: the millennial-scale changes in titano-magnetite input are related to the northern hemisphere climatic variability whilst the record of wind-blown magnetic mineral input contains its major power in the precessional frequency band, with higher input during low insolation periods (and conversely). This record highlights the great sensibility of this region to high and low latitudes climatic regimes.