Speleothem records decadal to multidecadal hydroclimate variations in southwestern Morocco during the last millennium

This study presents the first well-dated high resolution stable isotope (δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C) and trace element (Mg and Sr) speleothem records from southwestern Morocco covering the last 1000 yrs. Our records reveal substantial decadal to multidecadal swings between dry and humid periods, consistent with...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Earth and Planetary Science Letters
Main Authors: Ait Brahim, Yassine, Cheng, Hai, Sifeddine, Abdelfettah, Wassenburg, Jasper A., Cruz, Francisco W., Khodri, Myriam, Sha, Lijuan, Pérez-Zanón, Núria, Hassane Beraaouz, El, Apaéstegui Campos, James Emiliano, Guyot, Jean-Loup, Jochum, Klaus Peter, Bouchaou, Lhoussaine
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2017
Subjects:
Speleothem
Southwestern Morocco
Last millennium
Hydroclimate changes
Atlantic Oscillation
Sahara Low
http://purl.org/pe-repo/ocde/ford#1.05.09
http://purl.org/pe-repo/ocde/ford#1.05.11
North Atlantic
North Atlantic oscillation
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12816/2277
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2017.07.045
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Summary:This study presents the first well-dated high resolution stable isotope (δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C) and trace element (Mg and Sr) speleothem records from southwestern Morocco covering the last 1000 yrs. Our records reveal substantial decadal to multidecadal swings between dry and humid periods, consistent with regional paleorecords with prevailing dry conditions during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA), wetter conditions during the second part of the Little Ice Age (LIA), and a trend towards dry conditions during the current warm period. These coherent regional climate signals suggest common climate controls. Statistical analyses indicate that the climate of southwestern Morocco remained under the combined influence of both the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) over the last millennium. Interestingly, the generally warmer MCA and colder LIA at longer multidecadal timescales probably influenced the regional climate in North Africa through the influence on Sahara Low which weakened and strengthened the mean moisture inflow from the Atlantic Ocean during the MCA and LIA respectively. Por pares

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