Eolian sedimentation in central European Auel dry maar from 60 to 13 ka

The climate in central Europe during the last 60 ka is characterized by rapid temperature and moisture changes and strong cold periods (Heinrich events). All these variations are preserved in sediments of marine and also some terrestrial archives. Here we present a continuous, terrestrial sediment record with almost all Greenland stadials and Heinrich events between 60 and 13 ka visible from carbonate roundness of the Eifel Laminated Sediment Archive Dust Stack-20 and CaCO3 data for central Europe. The carbonate roundness data show almost all stadials between 60 and 13 ka. CaCO3 data show a general transport system change with the beginning of Heinrich event 3. Since there are no carbonates west of the Auel Maar, we conclude that the eolian-transported grains were not transported by westerly but easterly winds. These postulated easterly winds during the last glacial maximum are supported by similar findings of previous works.

Massive deposition of Sahelian dust on the Canary Island Lanzarote during North Atlantic Heinrich Events

New IRSL ages of eolianites close to Muñique (Lanzarote) demonstrate the influence of millennial scale climatic variability on the sedimentary dynamics on the Canary Islands during the last glacial cycle. The repetitive succession of interstadial and stadial climatic conditions formed multiple sequences of eolian deposits, each in general comprising three depositional types. DepoType 1 and DepoType 2 consist mainly of marine biogenic carbonate detritus with small amounts of dust from the Sahara representing interstadial conditions. DepoType 2 compared to DepoType 1 is characterized by larger amounts of land snails and calcified brood cells. A DepoType 3 rich in dust from African subtropical/tropical Latisols terminates a sequence. IRSL dating on DepoType 3 type deposits clearly shows that these were deposited during Heinrich Events under stadial conditions. The stadial cooling of the North Atlantic Ocean caused a southern shift of climate zones that culminated during Heinrich Events when the arctic climate reaches its most southerly extent. As a consequence, atmospheric changes led to massive dust supply from the then-dry Sahel. The increase in dust and precipitation from the dry DepoTypes 1 to the more humid DepoTypes 3 originates from a modified atmospheric dynamic during a millennial cycle.

Millennial scale monsoon variability in the northeastern Arabian Sea: A multiproxy approach

<p>The Dansgaard-Oeschger oscillations and Heinrich events described in Greenland ice core records are also expressed in the climate of the tropical realm as for instance documented in Arabian Sea sediments. However, little is known about these fluctuations beyond the reach of the Greenland ice cores. Here, we present high-resolution organic- and inorganic geochemical, sedimentological as well as micropaleontological data from two cores retrieved off the coast of Pakistan, extending the monsoon record to the past 200,000 years in millennial scale resolution.</p><p>The stable oxygen isotope (δ<sup>18</sup>O) record of the planktic foraminifera G. ruber shows a strong correspondence to Greenland ice core δ<sup>18</sup>O, whereas the deepwater δ<sup>18</sup>O signal of benthic foraminifera (U. peregrina and G. affinis) reflects patterns similar to those observed in Antarctic ice core records. Strong shifts in benthic δ<sup>18</sup>O during stadials are interpreted to show frequent injections of oxygen-rich intermediate water masses of Southern Ocean origin into the Arabian Sea. Alkenone-derived SSTs vary between 23 and 28°C. Highest temperatures were encountered during interglacial MIS 5. Millennial scale SST changes of 2°C magnitude are modulated by long-term SST fluctuations. Interstadials (of glacial phases) and the cold phases of interglacials are characterized by sediments enriched in organic carbon (TOC) whereas sediments with low TOC contents appear during stadials. Abrupt shifts (50-60 year duration) at climate transitions, such as interstadial inceptions, correlate with changes in productivity-related and anoxia-indicating proxies. Interstadial inorganic data consistently show that enhanced fluxes of terrestrial-derived sediments are paralleled by productivity maxima, and are characterized by an increased fluvial contribution from the Indus River. The hydrogen isotopic composition of terrigenous plant waxes indicates that stadials are dry phases whereas humid conditions seem to have prevailed during interstadials. In contrast, stadials are characterized by an increased contribution of aeolian dust probably from the Arabian Peninsula. Heinrich events are especially dry and dusty, indicating a dramatically weakened Indian summer monsoon and increased continental aridity.</p><p>These results strengthen the evidence that North Atlantic temperature changes and shifts in the hydrological cycle of the Indian monsoon system are closely coupled, and had a massive impact on regional environmental conditions such as river discharge and ocean margin anoxia. These shifts were modulated by changes in the supply of water masses from the Southern Hemisphere.</p>