Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• de Azevedo, Allana Queiroz
• Jiménez‐Espejo, Francisco J.
• Bulian, Francesca
• Sierro, Francisco J.
• Tangunan, Deborah
• Takashimizu, Yasuhiro
• Albuquerque, Ana Luiza S.
• Kubota, Kaoru
• Escutia, Carlota
• Norris, Richard D.
• Hemming, Sidney R.
• Hall, Ian R.

Titel

Orbital Forcing and Evolution of the Southern African Monsoon From Late Miocene to Early Pliocene

Ist Teil von

• Paleoceanography and paleoclimatology, 2023-09, Vol.38 (9)

Ort / Verlag

Hoboken: Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Erscheinungsjahr

2023

Quelle

Wiley Online Library

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Abstract The late Miocene‐early Pliocene (7.4‐4.5 Ma) is a key interval in Earth's history where intense reorganization of atmospheric and ocean circulation occurred within a global cooling scenario. The Southern African monsoon (SAFM) potentially played an important role in climate systems variability during this interval. However, the dynamics of this important atmospheric system is poorly understood due to the scarcity of continuous records. Here, we present an exceptional continuous late Miocene to early Pliocene reconstruction of SAFM based on elemental geochemistry (Ca/Ti and Si/K ratios), stable isotope geochemistry (δ 18 O and δ 13 C recorded in the planktonic foraminifera Orbulina universa ), and marine sediment grain size data from the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Site U1476 located at the entrance of the Mozambique Channel. Spectral characteristics of the Si/K ratio (fluvial input) was used to identify the main orbital forcing controlling SAFM. Precession cycles governed precipitation from 7.4 to ∼6.9 Ma and during the early Pliocene. From ∼6.9 to ∼5.9 Ma, the precession and long eccentricity cycles drove the SAFM. The major Antarctic ice sheet expansion across this interval appear to influence the isotopic records of O. universa imprinting its long‐term variability signal as a response to the ocean and atmospheric reorganization. Precession cycles markedly weakened from 5.9 to 5.3 Ma, almost the same period when the Mediterranean Outflow Water ceased. These findings highlight important teleconnections among the SAFM, Mediterranean Sea, and other tropical regions. Key Points From 7.4 to 4.5 Ma, the Southern African Monsoon (SAFM) was driven by precession and the long eccentricity cycles related to internal feedbacks Weak Northern African monsoon was coeval with intense SAFM during the acme of the Messinian Salinity Crisis The SAFM intensity and Orbulina universa responded to changes in the Antarctic ice sheet during the latest Miocene