Abrupt millennial-scale changes in intensity of Southern Hemisphere westerly winds during marine isotope stages 2–4

Research Article| May 01, 2011 Abrupt millennial-scale changes in intensity of Southern Hemisphere westerly winds during marine isotope stages 2–4 Thomas E. Whittaker; Thomas E. Whittaker * 1Department of Chemistry, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, New Zealand *Current address: Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA; E-mail: twhittak@unm.edu. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Chris H. Hendy; Chris H. Hendy 1Department of Chemistry, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, New Zealand Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar John C. Hellstrom John C. Hellstrom 2School of Earth Sciences, University of Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Thomas E. Whittaker * 1Department of Chemistry, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, New Zealand Chris H. Hendy 1Department of Chemistry, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, New Zealand John C. Hellstrom 2School of Earth Sciences, University of Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia *Current address: Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA; E-mail: twhittak@unm.edu. Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 14 Oct 2010 Revision Received: 12 Dec 2010 Accepted: 14 Dec 2010 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2011 Geological Society of America Geology (2011) 39 (5): 455–458. https://doi.org/10.1130/G31827.1 Article history Received: 14 Oct 2010 Revision Received: 12 Dec 2010 Accepted: 14 Dec 2010 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Thomas E. Whittaker, Chris H. Hendy, John C. Hellstrom; Abrupt millennial-scale changes in intensity of Southern Hemisphere westerly winds during marine isotope stages 2–4. Geology 2011;; 39 (5): 455–458. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G31827.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract The strength of mid-southern latitude westerly atmospheric circulation plays an important role in global climate. Due to a lack of long, continuous, high-resolution paleoclimate archives from mid-southern latitudes, it remains unclear what factors control changes in its intensity and how past changes affected the climates of landmasses in their path. Here we show growth rate and stable isotope (δ18O, δ13C) profiles from a South Island, New Zealand, stalagmite (HW3) that permit centennial-scale investigation of Southern Hemisphere westerly paleointensity between 73 and 11 ka. Correlation between HW3 growth rate and isotope profiles suggests sensitivity to changes in annual precipitation, a factor controlled by westerly intensity. Low growth rates and relatively enriched isotope ratios define long-term trends in HW3, supporting existing evidence that weaker westerlies predominated during the last glacial period. Abrupt millennial-scale events occur frequently, such that the HW3 record resembles Greenland ice core stable isotope profiles. Furthermore, nearly synchronous timing of nine prominent wet and cool intervals with Heinrich events supports studies showing that increased westerly intensity is closely linked to North Atlantic cooling. As well as Heinrich events, the HW3 profiles also show an Antarctic Cold Reversal–like event during deglaciation, advocating for a bipolar seesaw of global climate at that time. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.