Cuban stalagmite suggests relationship between Caribbean precipitation and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation during the past 1.3 ka

Abstract

Here we present the first high-resolution δ18O record of a stalagmite from western Cuba. The record reflects precipitation variability in the northwestern Caribbean during the last 1.3 ka and exhibits a correlation to the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). This suggests a relationship between Caribbean rainfall intensity and North Atlantic sea-surface temperature (SST) anomalies. A potential mechanism for this relationship may be the strength of the Thermohaline Circulation (THC). For a weaker THC, lower SSTs in the North Atlantic possibly lead to a southward shift of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and drier conditions in Cuba. Thus, this Cuban stalagmite records drier conditions during cold phases in the North Atlantic such as the ‘Little Ice Age’. This study contributes to the understanding of teleconnections between North Atlantic SSTs and northern Caribbean climate variability during the past 1.3 ka.

Mushroom Speleothems: Stromatolites That Formed in the Absence of Phototrophs

“…Its mineralogy, petrography and isotopic composition are similar to those measured in other stalagmites forming in tropical environments through dripping water from the cave ceiling (Hill and Forti, 1997;Mickler et al, 2006;Fensterer et al, 2012). During this period the cave was dry, suggesting a colder and drier climate with low sea level.…”

The Holocene history of the North American Monsoon: ‘known knowns’ and ‘known unknowns’ in understanding its spatial and temporal complexity

“…at Juxtlahauca Cave in the Sierra Madre del Sur: Lachniet et al, 2012), throughout the circum-Caribbean region (e.g. Fritz et al, 2011;Fensterer et al, 2012) and Central America (e.g. Lane et al, 2009;Stansell et al, 2011).…”

“…11). Many records lack sufficient chronological control or resolution to examine this period in detail, but there are an increasing number of high-resolution lacustrine (Metcalfe et al, 2010;Stansell et al, 2012) and speleothem (Medina-Elizalde et al, 2010;Fensterer et al, 2012;Kennett et al, 2012;Lachniet et al, 2012) records. Cooler SSTs in the GoM (Table 2) were associated with a southward shift in the ITCZ, weakening the summer monsoon (Hodell et al, 2005b).…”

“…Fritz et al, 2011), highlight the climatic complexity of this area. As in the Yucatan, speleothems are increasingly providing high-resolution palaeoclimate data from southern Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean (Lachniet et al, 2004a and b;Mangini et al, 2007;Fensterer et al, 2012), although long records are still rare (but see Fensterer et al, 2013;Lachniet et al, 2013).…”

Dating Palaeolithic cave art: Why U–Th is the way to go

“…All geochemists acknowledge that open system behaviour can exist in calcite; it is obvious to us, and in fact the scientific understanding of calcite behaviour is a specific research expertise of one of us (Hoffmann et al, 2009;Hoffmann et al, 2010;Fensterer et al, 2010;Gutjahr et al, 2013;Scholz et al, 2014). But every geochemist, however, would acknowledge that open-system behaviour is the exception rather than the rule.…”