Publication Date:
2019-10-07
Description:
The last interglacial (LIG; Marine Isotope Substage 5e, ~127–117 ka) experienced globally
warmer than modern temperatures; however, profound differences in regional climate occurred that are
relevant to the assessment of future climate change scenarios. Tropical Atlantic sea surface temperature
(SST) and hydrology are intrinsic to the spatiotemporal evolution of past and future climate. We present
eight monthly resolved coral Sr/Ca and δ18O records (130–118 ka) to reconstruct mean western tropical
Atlantic SST and seawater δ18O changes during the LIG. Cooler and fresher than modern surface waters are
indicated for the middle of the LIG at ~126 ka. This was followed by a rapid transition to modern‐like SSTs
and salinities that characterized the remaining part of the LIG. Our results, which account for differences
found among corals, proxies, and SST calibration uncertainties, agree with western tropical Atlantic
sediment records. Together, they suggest that an oceanic regime existed that differed from today.
Repository Name:
EPIC Alfred Wegener Institut
Type:
Article
,
isiRev
Format:
application/pdf
