Pronounced centennial-scale Atlantic Ocean climate variability correlated with Western Hemisphere hydroclimate

Kaustubh Thirumalai (), Terrence M. Quinn, Yuko Okumura, Julie N. Richey, Judson W. Partin, Richard Z. Poore and Eduardo Moreno-Chamarro
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Kaustubh Thirumalai: University of Texas at Austin
Terrence M. Quinn: University of Texas at Austin
Yuko Okumura: University of Texas at Austin
Julie N. Richey: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Judson W. Partin: University of Texas at Austin
Richard Z. Poore: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Eduardo Moreno-Chamarro: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Surface-ocean circulation in the northern Atlantic Ocean influences Northern Hemisphere climate. Century-scale circulation variability in the Atlantic Ocean, however, is poorly constrained due to insufficiently-resolved paleoceanographic records. Here we present a replicated reconstruction of sea-surface temperature and salinity from a site sensitive to North Atlantic circulation in the Gulf of Mexico which reveals pronounced centennial-scale variability over the late Holocene. We find significant correlations on these timescales between salinity changes in the Atlantic, a diagnostic parameter of circulation, and widespread precipitation anomalies using three approaches: multiproxy synthesis, observational datasets, and a transient simulation. Our results demonstrate links between centennial changes in northern Atlantic surface-circulation and hydroclimate changes in the adjacent continents over the late Holocene. Notably, our findings reveal that weakened surface-circulation in the Atlantic Ocean was concomitant with well-documented rainfall anomalies in the Western Hemisphere during the Little Ice Age.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-02846-4

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