Abstract
Abstract. Climate variability in the western Mediterranean is reconstructed for the last 4000 yr using marine sediments recovered in the west Algerian-Balearic Basin, near the Alboran Basin. Fluctuations in chemical and mineralogical sediment composition as well as grain size distribution are linked to fluvial-eolian oscillations, changes in redox conditions and paleocurrent intensity. Multivariate analyses allowed us to characterize three main groups of geochemical and mineralogical proxies determining the sedimentary record of this region. These three statistical groups were applied to reconstruct paleoclimate conditions at high resolution during the Late Holocene. An increase in riverine input (fluvial-derived elements – Rb/Al, Ba/Al, REE/Al, Si/Al, Ti/Al, Mg/Al and K/Al ratios), and a decrease in Saharan eolian input (Zr/Al ratio) depict the Roman Humid Period and the Little Ice Age, while drier environmental conditions are recognized during the Late Bronze Age-Iron Age, the Dark Ages and the Medieval Climate Anomaly. Additionally, faster bottom currents and more energetic hydrodynamic conditions for the former periods are evidenced by enhanced sortable silt (10-63 μm) and quartz content, and by better oxygenated bottom waters – as reflected by decreasing redox-sensitive elements (V/Al, Cr/Al, Ni/Al and Zn/Al ratios). In contrast, opposite paleoceanographic conditions are distinguished during the latter periods, i.e. the Late Bronze Age-Iron Age, the Dark Ages and the Medieval Climate Anomaly. Although no Ba excess was registered, other paleoproductivity indicators (total organic carbon content, Br/Al ratio, and organometallic ligands such as U and Cu) display the highest values during the Roman Humid Period, and together with increasing preservation of organic matter, this period exhibits by far the most intense productivity of the last 4000 yr. Fluctuations in detrital input into the basin as the main process managing deposition, reflected by the first eigenvector defined by the Principal Component Analyses, point to solar irradiance and the North Atlantic Oscillation variability as the main driving mechanisms behind natural climate variability over decadal to centennial time-scales for the last 4000 yr.
Highlights
More attention has been classically devoted to major climate changes during the last deglacial period (Heinrich stadial 1, Bølling-Allerød interstadial, and Younger Dryas) (e.g. Dansgaard et al, 1993; Magny et al, 2001; Stein et al, 2009), the Holocene is punctuated by rapid climate variability, including polar cooling, aridity, and changes in the intensity of atmospheric circulation (Mayewski et al, 2004; Wanner et al, 2008)
An increase in riverine input, and a decrease in Saharan eolian input (Zr/Al ratio) depict the Roman Humid Period and the Little Ice Age, while drier environmental conditions are recognized during the Late Bronze Age-Iron Age, the Dark Ages and the Medieval Climate Anomaly
Weaker bottom currents, oxygenpoor bottom waters, and well-preserved marine organic matter (TOC content and Br/Al ratio, U and Cu as organometallic ligands) are evidenced, whereas essentially opposite paleoenvironmental and paleoceanographic conditions are recognized during the Late Bronze Age-Iron Age (LBA-IA), the Dark Ages (DA) and the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA)
Summary
More attention has been classically devoted to major climate changes during the last deglacial period (Heinrich stadial 1, Bølling-Allerød interstadial, and Younger Dryas) (e.g. Dansgaard et al, 1993; Magny et al, 2001; Stein et al, 2009), the Holocene is punctuated by rapid climate variability, including polar cooling, aridity, and changes in the intensity of atmospheric circulation (Mayewski et al, 2004; Wanner et al, 2008). Dansgaard et al, 1993; Magny et al, 2001; Stein et al, 2009), the Holocene is punctuated by rapid climate variability, including polar cooling, aridity, and changes in the intensity of atmospheric circulation (Mayewski et al, 2004; Wanner et al, 2008) These climatic oscillations have been described in Greenland ice cores (e.g. O’Brien et al, 1995; Dawson et al, 2007), and in North Atlantic A multiproxy approach was adopted, featuring statistical characterization of the data sets, major and trace element-content fluctuations, grain size distribution, total organic carbon content (TOC) and mineral composition of marine sediments This multiproxy approach allowed for the identification and characterization of the main climate oscillations and regional changes over the past 4000 yr, further advancing our understanding of natural climate variability in the westernmost Mediterranean
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