A speleothem record of Holocene climate variability from southwestern Mexico

• Published in: Quaternary research 2011-01, Vol.75 (1), p.104-113
• Main Authors: Bernal, Juan Pablo, Lachniet, Matthew, McCulloch, Malcolm, Mortimer, Graham, Morales, Pedro, Cienfuegos, Edith
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Archives; Arrivals; Central America/Caribbean; Climate; Evolution; Holocene climate variability; Interruption; ITCZ. ENSO; Marine; Mexico; Moisture; Oxygen isotopes; Reconstruction; Stalagmite
• ISSN: 0033-5894; 1096-0287
• DOI: 10.1016/j.yqres.2010.09.002

A paleoclimate reconstruction for the Holocene based upon variations of δ18O in a U–Th dated stalagmite from southwestern Mexico is presented. Our results indicate that the arrival of moisture to the area has been strongly linked to the input of glacial meltwaters into the North Atlantic throughout the Holocene. The record also suggests a complex interplay between Caribbean and Pacific moisture sources, modulated by the North Atlantic SST and the position of the ITCZ, where Pacific moisture becomes increasingly more influential through ENSO since ~ 4.3 ka. The interruption of stalagmite growth during the largest climatic anomalies of the Holocene (10.3 and 8.2 ka) is evidenced by the presence of hiatuses, which suggest a severe disruption in the arrival of moisture to the area. The δ18O record presented here has important implications for understanding the evolution of the North American Monsoon and climate in southwestern Mexico, as it represents one of the most detailed archives of climate variability for the area spanning most of the Holocene.