Rapid termination of the African Humid Period triggered by northern high-latitude cooling

James A. Collins (), Matthias Prange, Thibaut Caley, Luis Gimeno, Britta Beckmann, Stefan Mulitza, Charlotte Skonieczny, Didier Roche and Enno Schefuß
Additional contact information
James A. Collins: Section 5.1 Geomorphology, Organic Surface Geochemistry Lab
Matthias Prange: University of Bremen
Thibaut Caley: EPOC, CNRS, University of Bordeaux
Luis Gimeno: Facultade de Ciencias, Universidad de Vigo
Britta Beckmann: University of Bremen
Stefan Mulitza: University of Bremen
Charlotte Skonieczny: UMR CNRS 8148, Université de Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay
Didier Roche: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Enno Schefuß: University of Bremen

Nature Communications, 2017, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract The rapidity and synchrony of the African Humid Period (AHP) termination at around 5.5 ka are debated, and it is unclear what caused a rapid hydroclimate response. Here we analysed the hydrogen isotopic composition of sedimentary leaf-waxes (δDwax) from the Gulf of Guinea, a proxy for regional precipitation in Cameroon and the central Sahel-Sahara. Our record indicates high precipitation during the AHP followed by a rapid decrease at 5.8–4.8 ka. The similarity with a δDwax record from northern East Africa suggests a large-scale atmospheric mechanism. We show that northern high- and mid-latitude cooling weakened the Tropical Easterly Jet and, through feedbacks, strengthened the African Easterly Jet. The associated decrease in precipitation triggered the AHP termination and combined with biogeophysical feedbacks to result in aridification. Our findings suggest that extratropical temperature changes, albeit smaller than during the glacial and deglacial, were important in triggering rapid African aridification during the Holocene.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01454-y

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