Late Holocene climate variability in the southwestern Mediterranean region: an integrated marine and terrestrial geochemical approach

Martín-Puertas, Celia; Jiménez-Espejo, Francisco Jose; Martı́nez-Ruiz, Francisca; Nieto-Moreno, Vanesa; Rodrigo, M.; Mata, Pilar; Garcés, Blas Lorenzo Valero

doi:10.5194/cp-6-807-2010

Cited by 150 publications

(124 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…A reconstruction of the NAO index over the last millennium shows a persistent positive mode of NAO during the MWP and a negative mode for the LIA [Trouet et al, 2009] (Figure 3f). This feature was identified in marine, lake, and stalagmite records from the western Mediterranean [Martin-Puertas et al, 2010], suggesting NAO forcing of the western Mediterranean climate during the last millennium. However, clear patterns of NAO forcing over the EM are missing from the few marine records from this region [Roberts et al, 2012;Taricco et al, 2009;Versteegh et al, 2007] and lake records from Turkey, Greece, and the Levant [Roberts et al, 2012].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent unprecedented warming and oligotrophy of the eastern Mediterranean Sea within the last millennium

Sisma-Ventura

Yam

Shemesh

2014

Geophysical Research Letters

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The Mediterranean region is a climatic transitional zone between the subtropical/monsoon regime and the temperate westerlies and is subject to forces acting upon the global climate system. Much knowledge about its climate over the last millennium is derived from terrestrial records, whereas changes in sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and in the dissolved inorganic carbon pool (DIC) are poorly known. We present continuous high-resolution reconstructions of SST and δ 13 C DIC in the eastern Mediterranean (EM) Sea, as inferred from oxygen and carbon isotope records from the skeletons of the reef builder gastropod Dendropoma sp. Spanning the past millennium, the SST reconstruction reveals a 250 year persistent warming trend during which the twentieth century was the warmest on record. Coupled with a distinct trend of 13 C DIC depletion and superimposed upon decreased primary production, this climate reconstruction reflects a new state of the EM over the Anthropocene era that exceeds the natural variability of the last millennium.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent unprecedented warming and oligotrophy of the eastern Mediterranean Sea within the last millennium

Sisma-Ventura

Yam

Shemesh

2014

Geophysical Research Letters

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“…Accordingly, enhanced fresh water input, meaning an establishment of wetter conditions in the western Mediterranean, can be envisaged during this time. A slight increase in the riverine input in the Alboran Sea Basin is also evidenced in westernmost Mediterranean records during the late LIA (Martín-Puertas et al, 2010); meanwhile higher lake levels and mexophytic vegetation which grows under moderately humid conditions occurred in the Iberian Peninsula (Moreno et al, 2011). Thus, increased fluvial input along with oceanographic oscillations may have also promoted enhanced productivity, as suggested by greater TOC values and organometallic ligands.…”

Section: The Little Ice Age (Lia) (∼650-150 Cal Yr Bp)mentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Further records in the western Mediterranean mirror these conditions. Thus, Carrión (2002) recorded a desiccation phase in a lacustrine record from Southern Spain, Frigola et al (2007) described cooling events in the Balearic Basin at this time, and Martín-Puertas et al (2010) also recorded a decrease of riverine input during the first half of the LIA.…”

Section: The Little Ice Age (Lia) (∼650-150 Cal Yr Bp)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Martín-Puertas et al (2010) describe wetter conditions sharpening at 1700 cal yr BP in the Alboran Basin (Mg/Al ratio; ODP 976) and a decrease in the eolian input from the African margin (Zr/Al ratio; core 300G) to characterize this period as the most humid of the Late Holocene in the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula.…”

Section: The Roman Humid Period (Rhp) (∼2600-1600 Cal Yr Bp)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreno et al, 2005;Jiménez-Espejo et al, 2008;Martín-Puertas et al, 2010). Aluminum-normalization is commonly used to envisage fluctuations in detrital aluminosilicate source material (e.g.…”

Section: Paleoenvironmental Proxies: the Mineralogical And Geochemicamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tracking climate variability in the western Mediterranean during the Late Holocene: a multiproxy approach

et al. 2011

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Abstract. Climate variability in the western Mediterranean is reconstructed for the last 4000 yr using marine sediments recovered in the west Algerian-Balearic Basin, near the Alboran Basin. Fluctuations in chemical and mineralogical sediment composition as well as grain size distribution are linked to fluvial-eolian oscillations, changes in redox conditions and paleocurrent intensity. Multivariate analyses allowed us to characterize three main groups of geochemical and mineralogical proxies determining the sedimentary record of this region. These three statistical groups were applied to reconstruct paleoclimate conditions at high resolution during the Late Holocene. An increase in riverine input (fluvial-derived elements -Rb/Al, Ba/Al, REE/Al, Si/Al, Ti/Al, Mg/Al and K/Al ratios), and a decrease in Saharan eolian input (Zr/Al ratio) depict the Roman Humid Period and the Little Ice Age, while drier environmental conditions are recognized during the Late Bronze Age-Iron Age, the Dark Ages and the Medieval Climate Anomaly. Additionally, faster bottom currents and more energetic hydrodynamic conditions for the former periods are evidenced by enhanced sortable silt (10-63 µm) and quartz content, and by better oxygenated bottom waters -as reflected by decreasing redox-sensitive elements (V/Al, Cr/Al, Ni/Al and Zn/Al ratios). In contrast, opposite paleoceanographic conditions are distinguished during the latter periods, i.e. the Late Bronze Age-Iron Age, the Dark Ages and the Medieval Climate Anomaly. Although no Ba excess was registered, other paleoproductivity indicators Correspondence to: V. Nieto-Moreno (vanesanieto@ugr.es) (total organic carbon content, Br/Al ratio, and organometallic ligands such as U and Cu) display the highest values during the Roman Humid Period, and together with increasing preservation of organic matter, this period exhibits by far the most intense productivity of the last 4000 yr. Fluctuations in detrital input into the basin as the main process managing deposition, reflected by the first eigenvector defined by the Principal Component Analyses, point to solar irradiance and the North Atlantic Oscillation variability as the main driving mechanisms behind natural climate variability over decadal to centennial time-scales for the last 4000 yr.

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Thirteen thousand years of southeastern Mediterranean climate variability inferred from an integrative planktic foraminiferal‐based approach

et al. 2015

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Over the past 13 ka, the hydrology for the southeastern Mediterranean was mainly regulated by Nile River runoff, which in turn was controlled by climate forcing. Being affected by orbital forcing, and the position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), planktic foraminiferal data (assemblages, stable isotopes, and size properties) indicate three major periods. (1) From 13.0 to 11.5 ka, the upper water column was well-mixed, cold, and productive. (2) From 11.5 to 6.4 ka, hydrology and foraminifers were affected by intensified monsoonal circulation. The enhanced size of Globigerinoides ruber is interpreted as a response to environmental stress caused by low-saline waters. (3) After 6.4 ka, the southward retreat of the ITCZ caused a decrease in freshwater discharge and hence a return to ecological equilibrium. A drop in foraminifer diversity from 2.9 to 1.1 ka was related to more arid conditions, and limited supply of nutrients from the Nile River. We suggest a link to a negative North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) marking the Roman Humid Period in the western Mediterranean, and in anti-phase with the southeastern Mediterranean aridity. Because Nile River runoff exerted major control on surface hydrology, a connection to Indian and Pacific climate systems partially controlling precipitation over the Nile catchment area is hypothesized. From 1.1 to 0.54 ka, high foraminifer diversity indicates humid conditions synchronous to the Medieval Climate Anomaly under a positive NAO state. Over the past 0.54 ka encompassing the Little Ice Age, another arid period is indicated by a drop in foraminifer diversity.Riverine mud belt deposits capture short-term climate variability, bearing continuous and expanded sedimentary successions and retaining both continental and marine environmental signals at high resolution through high sedimentation rates. The range of temporal variability in these archives spans from decadal to millennial scales, MOJTAHID ET AL.

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Late Holocene climate variability in the southwestern Mediterranean region: an integrated marine and terrestrial geochemical approach

Cited by 150 publications

References 65 publications

Recent unprecedented warming and oligotrophy of the eastern Mediterranean Sea within the last millennium

Recent unprecedented warming and oligotrophy of the eastern Mediterranean Sea within the last millennium

Tracking climate variability in the western Mediterranean during the Late Holocene: a multiproxy approach

Thirteen thousand years of southeastern Mediterranean climate variability inferred from an integrative planktic foraminiferal‐based approach

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