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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
earth and planetary sciences
Precipitation variability in the winter rainfall zone of South Africa during the last 1400 yr linked to the austral westerlies
Climate of the Past, Volume 8, No. 3, Year 2012
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Description
The austral westerlies strongly influence precipitation and ocean circulation in the southern temperate zone, with important consequences for cultures and ecosystems. Global climate models anticipate poleward retreat of the austral westerlies with future warming, but the available paleoclimate records that might test these models have been limited to South America and New Zealand, are not fully consistent with each other and may be complicated by influences from other climatic factors. Here we present the first high-resolution diatom and sedimentological records from the winter rainfall region of South Africa, representing precipitation in the equatorward margin of the westerly wind belt during the last 1400 yr. Inferred rainfall was relatively high ∼1400-1200 cal yr BP, decreased until ∼950 cal yr BP, and rose notably through the Little Ice Age with pulses centred on ∼600, 530, 470, 330, 200, 90, and 20 cal yr BP. Synchronous fluctuations in Antarctic ice core chemistry strongly suggest that these variations were linked to changes in the westerlies. Equatorward drift of the westerlies during the wet periods may have influenced Atlantic meridional overturning circulation by restricting marine flow around the tip of Africa. Apparent inconsistencies among some aspects of records from South America, New Zealand and South Africa warn against the simplistic application of single records to the Southern Hemisphere as a whole. Nonetheless, these findings in general do support model projections of increasing aridity in the austral winter rainfall zones with future warming. © Author(s) 2012.
Authors & Co-Authors
Stager, Jay Curt
United States, Paul Smiths
Paul Smith's College
United States, Orono
University of Maine
Mayewski, Paul Andrew
United States, Orono
University of Maine
White, James W.C.
United States, Paul Smiths
Paul Smith's College
Chase, Brian M.
France, Montpellier
Institut Des Sciences de L’evolution de Montpellier
Norway, Bergen
Universitetet I Bergen
Neumann, Frank Harald
Germany, Munster
University of Münster
South Africa, Johannesburg
University of the Witwatersrand
Meadows, Michael E.
South Africa, Cape Town
University of Cape Town
King, Christiaan D.
United States, Paul Smiths
Paul Smith's College
Dixon, Daniel A.
United States, Orono
University of Maine
Statistics
Citations: 92
Authors: 8
Affiliations: 7
Identifiers
Doi:
10.5194/cp-8-877-2012
ISSN:
18149324
e-ISSN:
18149332
Research Areas
Environmental
Study Locations
South Africa