Indicative proxy evidences of the changing monsoonal precipitation during the last millennium over central west coast of India: A possible link to solar variability

Abstract

Proxy records of paleomonsoonal variations were obtained, utilizing foraminiferal tracers in two shallow water sediment cores collected from the inner shelf region off Karwar, central west coast of India. The preliminary results record the average signature of relatively better monsoonal precipitation at around 1400–1410, 1575–1590 and 1750 AD with intermittent dry phases from around (1290–1355 AD), (1425–1535 AD) and (1600–1665 AD) due to general reduction in the intensity of the rainfall. A comparison with the solar variability (Wolf, Sporer and Maunder sun spot minima) during the last thousand years suggests a possible linkage between the rainfall pattern and solar variability. The presented results though preliminary in nature due to limited dating of the sediments put forth only a possibility of inter-correspondence between solar variability and rainfall intensity. To further augment the reasoning, a number of sediment cores with close spaced dating control need to be studied from geographically distinct regions.