Abstract
PALEOCEANOGRAPHY,
VOL. 23,
PA4206,
11 PP., 2008
doi:10.1029/2008PA001637
Sahel megadroughts triggered by glacial slowdowns of Atlantic meridional overturning
Marum and Department of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Marum and Department of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Marum and Department of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Marum and Department of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Marum and Department of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Marum and Department of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Marum and Department of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Marum and Department of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Marum and Department of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
The influence of the large-scale ocean circulation on Sahel rainfall is elusive because of the shortness of the observational record. We reconstructed the history of eolian and fluvial sedimentation on the continental slope off Senegal during the past 57,000 years. Our data show that abrupt onsets of arid conditions in the West African Sahel were linked to cold North Atlantic sea surface temperatures during times of reduced meridional overturning circulation associated with Heinrich Stadials. Climate modeling suggests that this drying is induced by a southward shift of the West African monsoon trough in conjunction with an intensification and southward expansion of the midtropospheric African Easterly Jet.
Received 22 April 2008; accepted 2 September 2008; published 28 October 2008.
Citation: (2008), Sahel megadroughts triggered by glacial slowdowns of Atlantic meridional overturning, Paleoceanography, 23, PA4206, doi:10.1029/2008PA001637.
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