Past 100 ky surface salinity-gradient response in the Eastern Arabian Sea to the summer monsoon variation recorded by δ 18O of G. sacculifer

Abstract

Northward flowing coastal currents along the western margin of India during winter–spring advect low-salinity Bay of Bengal water in to the Eastern Arabian Sea producing a distinct low-salinity tongue, the strength of which is largely governed by the freshwater flux to the bay during summer monsoons. Utilizing the sedimentary records of δ 18O G. sacculifer , we reconstructed the past salinity-gradient within that low-salinity tongue, which serves as a proxy for the variation in freshwater flux to the Bay of Bengal and hence summer monsoon intensity. The north–south contrast in the sea level corrected (residual)-δ 18O G. sacculifer can be interpreted as a measure of surface salinity-contrast between those two locations because the modern sea surface temperature and its past variation in the study region is nearly uniform. The core-top residual-δ 18O G. sacculifer contrast of 0.45‰ between the two cores is assumed to reflect the modern surface salinity difference of 1 psu and serves as a calibration for past variations. The residual-δ 18O G. sacculifer contrast varies between ∼0.2‰ at ∼75 ky B.P. (i.e., late-Marine Isotope Stage 5) and ∼0.7‰ at ∼20 ky B.P. (i.e., Last Glacial Maximum), suggesting that the overall salinity difference between the northern- and southern-end of the low-salinity tongue has varied between ∼0.6 and ∼1.6 psu. Considerably reduced difference during the former period than the modern suggests substantially intensified and northward-extended low-salinity tongue due to intense summer monsoons than today. On the other hand, larger difference (∼1.6 psu) during the latter period indicates that the low-salinity tongue was significantly weakened or withdrawn due to weaker summer monsoons. Thus, the salinity-gradient in the eastern Arabian Sea low-salinity tongue can be used to understand the past variations in the Indian summer monsoons.