Synchronous and proportional deglacial changes in Atlantic meridional overturning and northeast Brazilian precipitation
Publication date
2017-06-01
Authors
Mulitza, Stefan
Chiessi, Cristiano M.
Schefuß, Enno
Lippold, Jörg
Wichmann, David
Antz, Benny
Mackensen, Andreas
Paul, André
Prange, Matthias
Rehfeld, Kira
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Document Type
Article
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Abstract
Changes in heat transport associated with fluctuations in the strength of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) are widely considered to affect the position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), but the temporal immediacy of this teleconnection has to date not been resolved. Based on a high-resolution marine sediment sequence over the last deglaciation, we provide evidence for a synchronous and near-linear link between changes in the Atlantic interhemispheric sea surface temperature difference and continental precipitation over northeast Brazil. The tight coupling between AMOC strength, sea surface temperature difference, and precipitation changes over northeast Brazil unambiguously points to a rapid and proportional adjustment of the ITCZ location to past changes in the Atlantic meridional heat transport.
Keywords
Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, continental precipitation, deglaciation, Intertropical Convergence Zone, northeast Brazil, sea surface temperature, Oceanography, Palaeontology, SDG 14 - Life Below Water
Citation
Mulitza, S, Chiessi, C M, Schefuß, E, Lippold, J, Wichmann, D, Antz, B, Mackensen, A, Paul, A, Prange, M, Rehfeld, K, Werner, M, Bickert, T, Frank, N, Kuhnert, H, Lynch-Stieglitz, J, Portilho-Ramos, R C, Sawakuchi, A O, Schulz, M, Schwenk, T, Tiedemann, R, Vahlenkamp, M & Zhang, Y 2017, 'Synchronous and proportional deglacial changes in Atlantic meridional overturning and northeast Brazilian precipitation', Paleoceanography, vol. 32, no. 6, pp. 622-633. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017PA003084