Browsing by Author "LeGrande, AN"

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    High-resolution stalagmite reconstructions for Australian-Indonesian monsson rainfall variability during Heinrich stadial 3 and Greenland interstadial 4
    (Elsevier, 2011-02-15) Lewis, S; Gagan, MK; Ayliffe, LK; Zhao, JX; Hantoro, WS; Treble, PC; Hellstrom, JC; LeGrande, AN; Kelley, M; Schmidt, GA; Suwargadi, BW
    Little is known about the possible teleconnections between abrupt climatic changes originating in the North Atlantic and precipitation dynamics in the Australian-Indonesian summer monsoon (AISM) domain. We examine the climatic impacts of Heinrich stadial 3 (HS3) and Greenland interstadials 4 and 3 (GIS4/3) on AISM-associated precipitation through a high-resolution analysis of stable isotope (delta(18)O, delta(13)C) and trace element (Mg/Ca, P/Ca) ratios in a stalagmite from Liang Luar cave, Flores, Indonesia. Sixteen high precision (230)Th dates indicate that stalagmite LR07-E1 grew rapidly (similar to 0.3-1.0 mm/yr) in two phases between similar to 31.5-30.1 ka and similar to 27.8-25.6 ka, separated by a similar to 2.3 kyr unconformity. Temporally consistent abrupt responses occur in the Flores record during HS3 and GIS4, which are coherent with changes in stalagmite delta(18)O records from China and Brazil. The response of low-latitude precipitation to HS3 cooling and GIS4 warming, as demonstrated by the widely separated sites, comprises three distinct simplified phases: (1) a strong southward migration of the ITCZ during HS3 is associated with a decrease in rainfall at Liang Luar cave and in China, while wetter conditions are reconstructed from Brazil, (2) represents the peak of HS3 impacts and an extended hiatus begins in the Flores record and (3) where suggested dry conditions at Liang Luar throughout GIS4 form part of a coherent north-south anti-phasing in precipitation changes. The reconstructed changes are also broadly consistent with NASA GISS ModelE-R simulations of a Heinrich-like freshwater perturbation in the North Atlantic basin, which produces a southward shift in the ITCZ. The relationship between the palaeoclimate records indicates that atmospheric teleconnections rapidly propagate and synchronise climate change across the hemispheres during periods of abrupt climate change. Our findings augment recent proposals that large-scale atmospheric re-organisations during stadials and interstadials play a key role in driving changes in atmospheric CO(2) concentration, air temperature and global climate change. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V.
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    Late-glacial to late-Holocene shifts in global precipitation δ18O
    (Copernicus Publications, 2015-10-14) Jesechko, S; Lechler, A; Pausata, FSR; Fawcett, PJ; Gleeson, T; Cendón, DI; Galewsky, J; LeGrande, AN; Risi, C; Sharp, ZD; Welker, JM; Werner, M; Yoshimura, K
    Reconstructions of Quaternary climate are often based on the isotopic content of paleo-precipitation preserved in proxy records. While many paleo-precipitation isotope records are available, few studies have synthesized these dispersed records to explore spatial patterns of late-glacial precipitation δ18O. Here we present a synthesis of 86 globally distributed groundwater (n = 59), cave calcite (n = 15) and ice core (n = 12) isotope records spanning the late-glacial (defined as ~ 50 000 to ~ 20 000 years ago) to the late-Holocene (within the past ~ 5000 years). We show that precipitation δ18O changes from the late-glacial to the late-Holocene range from −7.1 ‰ (δ18Olate-Holocene > δ18Olate-glacial) to +1.7 ‰ (δ18Olate-glacial > δ18Olate-Holocene), with the majority (77 %) of records having lower late-glacial δ18O than late-Holocene δ18O values. High-magnitude, negative precipitation δ18O shifts are common at high latitudes, high altitudes and continental interiors (δ18Olate-Holocene > δ18Olate-glacial by more than 3 ‰). Conversely, low-magnitude, positive precipitation δ18O shifts are concentrated along tropical and subtropical coasts (δ18Olate-glacial > δ18Olate-Holocene by less than 2 ‰). Broad, global patterns of late-glacial to late-Holocene precipitation δ18O shifts suggest that stronger-than-modern isotopic distillation of air masses prevailed during the late-glacial, likely impacted by larger global temperature differences between the tropics and the poles. Further, to test how well general circulation models reproduce global precipitation δ18O shifts, we compiled simulated precipitation δ18O shifts from five isotope-enabled general circulation models simulated under recent and last glacial maximum climate states. Climate simulations generally show better inter-model and model-measurement agreement in temperate regions than in the tropics, highlighting a need for further research to better understand how inter-model spread in convective rainout, seawater δ18O and glacial topography parameterizations impact simulated precipitation δ18O. Future research on paleo-precipitation δ18O records can use the global maps of measured and simulated late-glacial precipitation isotope compositions to target and prioritize field sites. © Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Licence.
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    Possible evidence for wet Heinrich phases in tropical NE Australia: the Lynch's Crater deposit
    (Elsevier, 2008-03) Muller, J; Kylander, M; Wust, RAJ; Weiss, D; Martinez-Cortizas, A; LeGrande, AN; Jennerjahn, T; Behling, H; Anderson, WT; Jacobsen, GE
    Unarguably, one of the most significant paleoclimatological discoveries of the last two decades has been that of abrupt climate events (Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles and Heinrich events). Most evidence for these events has originated from the high-latitude Northern Hemisphere.. with few records documenting the response of the low latitude Southern Hemisphere. Here we present new data from Lynch's Crater, a unique terrestrial record from NE-Australia that may show evidence for southward propagations of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) during abrupt climate perturbations as a result of alteration of the low latitude air masses. Proxies for precipitation/wetness indicate enhanced rainfall in the region during Heinrich events (H events 1-3) and the 8.2 ka Northern Hemisphere cold event. A fully coupled atmosphere/ocean climate model simulating a 1 Sv freshwater influx to the North Atlantic Ocean produces a scenario which agrees with the climate changes shown by the Lynch's Crater record. The model shows precipitation anomalies that include a southward migration of the ITCZ and a zonal shift in mid-latitude storm tracks over the Southern Hemisphere equatorial region. These data indicate large-scale shifts of the austral summer ITCZ position that is known to control monsoonal precipitation in NE Australia. This terrestrial record from Australia may demonstrate the involvement of the tropical western Pacific Ocean in ITCZ migrations during abrupt climate events of the last glacial period. Defining such past migrations offers insight into the importance and role of the equatorial region in global climate dynamics. © 2007, Elsevier Ltd.