Climate imprints during the ‘Medieval Climate Anomaly’ and the ‘Little Ice Age’ in marine records from the Alboran Sea basin

An integrated multiproxy analysis from westernmost Mediterranean hemipelagic sediments has provided further insights into natural climate variability and forcing mechanisms in this region during the last two millennia. Two deep-sea marine records, with a robust age model provided by the activity–dep...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Holocene
Main Authors: Nieto-Moreno, V, Martinez-Ruiz, F, Giralt, S, Gallego-Torres, D, García-Orellana, J, Masqué, P, Ortega-Huertas, M
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publications 2013
Subjects:
Paleontology
Earth-Surface Processes
Ecology
Archeology
Global and Planetary Change
North Atlantic
North Atlantic oscillation
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0959683613484613
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0959683613484613
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full-xml/10.1177/0959683613484613
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Summary:An integrated multiproxy analysis from westernmost Mediterranean hemipelagic sediments has provided further insights into natural climate variability and forcing mechanisms in this region during the last two millennia. Two deep-sea marine records, with a robust age model provided by the activity–depth profiles of 210 Pb and 137 Cs, together with 14 C dating, allowed us to perform a detailed reconstruction of paleoenvironmental and paleoceanographic responses during the ‘Medieval Climate Anomaly’ (MCA), the ‘Little Ice Age’ (LIA), the Industrial period (IP) and the second-half of the 20th century. Decreasing trends of fluvial-derived element (Si) and a increasing eolian input (Zr/Al ratio) characterized the MCA and the second-half of the 20th century as prevalent dry periods, while generally humid conditions are evidenced during the LIA and the IP, in accordance to a positive and a negative mode of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), respectively (Trouet et al., 2009). The LIA developed as a sequence of successive short and abrupt dry–humid phase alternation. Furthermore, a noteworthy and sharp decrease of redox-sensitive elements (V/Cr and Ni/Co ratios) and coarser sortable silt at ad 1450 and 1950 yr, support more energetic hydrodynamic conditions at this time (oxygenated bottom waters and faster bottom currents), likely promoted by strengthened cooler waters flowing into the Mediterranean Sea.

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