Hurricane Impact on Seepage Water in Larga Cave, Puerto Rico

Vieten, Rolf; Warken, Sophie; Winter, Amos; Schröder‐Ritzrau, Andrea; Spötl, Christoph

doi:10.1002/2017jg004218

“…This latitudinal gradient in the dominant controls on δ 18 Op translates to the interpretations of δ 18 Ospel, which are supported by observations of cave drip water, e.g. [86] and multi-proxy speleothem studies, e.g. [8].…”

Section: Controls On δ 18 Op and δ 18 Ospelsupporting

confidence: 64%

“…Superimposed upon the spatial differences are changes in the seasonal variation in δ 18 Op, which is inversely correlated with rainfall amount. The influence of the amount effect on δ 18 Op in Central America and the Caribbean has been observed by studies from e.g., Panama [83], Belize, Guatemala and Mexico [80], Barbados [84], Puerto Rico [85,86] and the Yucatan peninsula [87,88]. However, moisture source and air mass rainout history are also important controls on the isotope values of Central American precipitation [89].…”

Section: Controls On δ 18 Op and δ 18 Ospelmentioning

confidence: 83%

Speleothem Paleoclimatology for the Caribbean, Central America, and North America

Oster¹,

Warken²,

Sekhon³

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Speleothem oxygen isotope records from the Caribbean, Central, and North America reveal climatic controls that include orbital variation, deglacial forcing related to ocean circulation and ice sheet retreat, and the influence of local and remote sea surface temperature variations. Here, we review these records and the global climate teleconnections they suggest following the recent publication of the Speleothem Isotopes Synthesis and Analysis (SISAL) database. We find that low-latitude records generally reflect changes in precipitation, whereas higher latitude records are sensitive to temperature and moisture source variability. Tropical records suggest precipitation variability is forced by orbital precession and North Atlantic Ocean circulation driven changes in atmospheric convection on long timescales, and tropical sea surface temperature variations on short timescales. On millennial timescales, precipitation seasonality in southwestern North America is related to North Atlantic climate variability. Great Basin speleothem records are closely linked with changes in Northern Hemisphere summer insolation. Although speleothems have revealed these critical global climate teleconnections, the paucity of continuous records precludes our ability to investigate climate drivers from the whole of Central and North America for the Pleistocene through modern. This underscores the need to improve spatial and temporal coverage of speleothem records across this climatically variable region.

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“…Towards lower latitudes, seasonal variations in δ 18 O p are clearly controlled by precipitation amount, with depleted values occur during the rainy season (JJA in the north). This latitudinal gradient in the dominant controls on δ 18 O p translates to the interpretations of δ 18 O spel , which are supported by observations of cave drip water, e.g., [86] and multi-proxy speleothem studies, e.g., [8]. In the Bahamas, evidence from stalagmites and fluid inclusions support temperature as the primary control on δ 18 O spel on millennial timescales [91,92].…”

Section: Controls On δ 18 O P and δ 18 O Spelmentioning

confidence: 53%

“…Superimposed upon the spatial differences are changes in the seasonal variation in δ 18 O p , which is inversely correlated with rainfall amount. The influence of the amount effect on δ 18 O p in Central America and the Caribbean has been observed by studies from e.g., Panama [83], Belize, Guatemala and Mexico [80], Barbados [84], Puerto Rico [85,86], and the Yucatan peninsula [87,88]. However, moisture source and air mass rainout history are also important controls on the isotope values of Central American precipitation [89].…”

Section: Controls On δ 18 O P and δ 18 O Spelmentioning

confidence: 83%

Speleothem Paleoclimatology for the Caribbean, Central America, and North America

Oster

¹

,

Warken

²

,

Sekhon

³

et al. 2019

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Speleothem oxygen isotope records from the Caribbean, Central, and North America reveal climatic controls that include orbital variation, deglacial forcing related to ocean circulation and ice sheet retreat, and the influence of local and remote sea surface temperature variations. Here, we review these records and the global climate teleconnections they suggest following the recent publication of the Speleothem Isotopes Synthesis and Analysis (SISAL) database. We find that low-latitude records generally reflect changes in precipitation, whereas higher latitude records are sensitive to temperature and moisture source variability. Tropical records suggest precipitation variability is forced by orbital precession and North Atlantic Ocean circulation driven changes in atmospheric convection on long timescales, and tropical sea surface temperature variations on short timescales. On millennial timescales, precipitation seasonality in southwestern North America is related to North Atlantic climate variability. Great Basin speleothem records are closely linked with changes in Northern Hemisphere summer insolation. Although speleothems have revealed these critical global climate teleconnections, the paucity of continuous records precludes our ability to investigate climate drivers from the whole of Central and North America for the Pleistocene through modern. This underscores the need to improve spatial and temporal coverage of speleothem records across this climatically variable region.Quaternary 2019, 2, 5 2 of 33 original authors. The challenges found while compiling such data are discussed in [1]. The database archives speleothem oxygen and carbon isotope data, detailed chronologic and analytical information, and important metadata for each cave site and speleothem such as bedrock geology, overburden thickness, and whether cave monitoring was conducted, among other pieces of information that are essential for working with and interpreting speleothem isotope records.Of the 376 records included in SISAL_v1, 42 are from cave sites in Central and North America and the Caribbean [2]. These records cover a vast region, spanning the tropics to mid-latitudes and bordering two oceans, with climate controls that are highly variable both in the modern and through time. Speleothem records from this region have revealed critical climate teleconnections between the polar regions, the tropics, and the mid-latitudes at decadal to orbital timescales [3][4][5][6]. These records have provided evidence for the effects of climate variability on ancient civilizations [7-9], and contributed toward open questions and key debates regarding Earth's climate system [3,10]. Here, we discuss the spatial and temporal coverage of North and Central American and Caribbean speleothem records included in SISAL_v1 and the predominant controls on δ 18 O spel variability in each region. We review the most salient discoveries arising from regional records included in SISAL_v1 and conduct a statistical analysis to underscore observed spatial relationships. O...

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“…Analyses of U and Th isotopes were conducted using an Nu Plasma MC-ICP-MS at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry (MPIC), Mainz. 18 O values of rainfall collected at Cueva Larga during the years 2013-2015 (Vieten, Warken, Winter, Schröder-Ritzrau, et al, 2018), GNIP stations San Juan (1968)(1969)(1970)(1971)(1972)(1973), and Mayaguez (2013-2014, https://nucleus.iaea.org/wiser IAEA/WMO), as well as USGS rain gage site San Agustin (1998( , Scholl et al, 2014. Left panel: (normalized) monthly data over the monitored periods.…”

Section: Th/u Datingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Persistent Link Between Caribbean Precipitation and Atlantic Ocean Circulation During the Last Glacial Revealed by a Speleothem Record From Puerto Rico

Warken

¹

,

Vieten

²

,

Winter

³

et al. 2020

Paleoceanog and Paleoclimatol

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The sensitivity of tropical Atlantic precipitation patterns to the mean position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) at different time scales is well-known. However, recent research suggests a more complex behavior of the northern hemispheric tropical rain belt related to the ITCZ in the western tropical Atlantic. Here we present a precisely dated speleothem multi-proxy record from a well-monitored cave in Puerto Rico, covering the period between 46.2 and 15.3 ka. The stable isotope and trace element records document a pronounced response of regional rainfall to abrupt climatic excursions in the North Atlantic across the Last Glacial such as Heinrich stadials and Dansgaard/Oeschger events. The annual to multidecadal resolution of the proxy time series allows substructural investigations of the recorded events. Spectral analysis suggests that multidecadal to centennial variability persisted in the regional hydroclimate mainly during interstadial conditions but also during the Last Glacial Maximum. In particular, we observe a strong agreement between the speleothem proxy data and the strength of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, supporting a persistent link of oceanic forcing to regional precipitation. Comparison to other paleo-precipitation records enables the reconstruction of past changes in position, strength, and extent of the ITCZ in the western tropical Atlantic in response to millennial-and orbital-scale global climate change. Plain Language Summary It is important to understand the climatic circumstances of how rainfall in the western tropical Atlantic varies under a changing climate to better manage the water supply for millions of people. However, it is not well understood how rainfall varied in the past, especially during the Last Glacial period, a time of strong climate variability and abrupt climate changes. Here, we use a stalagmite from Puerto Rico to create a new record of past changes in rainfall in this region. For this purpose, we analyzed proxy data that reveal a series of wet and dry periods during the Last Glacial corresponding to rapid global climate shifts. Our rainfall-sensitive stalagmite record captured changes of the tropical rain belt on various timescales and shows that this variability in rainfall is closely connected to changes in the strength of the ocean circulation. This suggests that the link between the ocean and the atmosphere is more robust than previously assumed. The comparison of our record with other rainfall-sensitive records from Central America and the northern Caribbean allows for a detailed reconstruction of the spatial and temporal changes of the western tropical Atlantic rain belt.

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Hurricane Impact on Seepage Water in Larga Cave, Puerto Rico

Cited by 16 publications

References 40 publications

Speleothem Paleoclimatology for the Caribbean, Central America, and North America

Speleothem Paleoclimatology for the Caribbean, Central America, and North America

Speleothem Paleoclimatology for the Caribbean, Central America, and North America

Persistent Link Between Caribbean Precipitation and Atlantic Ocean Circulation During the Last Glacial Revealed by a Speleothem Record From Puerto Rico

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