Latitudinal Changes Research Articles

On the latitudinal changes in ionospheric electrodynamics and composition based on observations over the 76–77°E meridian from both hemispheres during a geomagnetic storm

AbstractThe relative contributions of the composition disturbances and the disturbance electric fields in the redistribution of ionospheric plasma is investigated in detail by taking the case of a long‐duration positive ionospheric storm that occurred during 18–21 February 2014. GPS total electron content (TEC) data from the Indian Antarctic station, Bharti (69.4°S, 76.2°E geographic), the northern midlatitude station Hanle (32.8°N, 78.9°E geographic), northern low‐latitude station lying in the vicinity of the anomaly crest, Ahmedabad (23.04°N, 72.54°E geographic, dip latitude 17°N), and the geomagnetic equatorial station, Trivandrum (8.5°N, 77°E geographic, dip latitude 0.01°S) are used in the study. These are the first simultaneous observations of TEC from Bharti and Hanle during a geomagnetic storm. The impact of the intense geomagnetic storm (Dst∼−130 nT) on the southern hemisphere high‐latitude station was a drastic reduction in the TEC (negative ionospheric storm) starting from around 0330 Indian standard time (IST) on 19 February which continued till 21 February, the maximum reduction in TEC at Bharti being ∼35 TEC units on 19 February. In the northern hemisphere midlatitude and equatorial stations, a positive ionospheric storm started on 19 February at around 0900 IST and lasted for 3 days. The maximum enhancement in TEC at Hanle was about ∼25 TECU on 19 February while over Trivandrum it was ∼10 TECU. This long‐duration positive ionospheric storm provided an opportunity to assess the relative contributions of disturbance electric fields and composition changes latitudinally. The results indicate that the negative ionospheric storm over Bharti and the positive ionospheric storm over Hanle are the effect of the changes in the global wind system and the storm‐induced composition changes. At the equatorial latitudes, the positive ionospheric storm was due to the interplay of prompt penetration electric field and disturbance dynamo electric field.

PREDICTING SOLAR RADIATION FOR TROPICAL ISLANDS FROM RAINFALL DATA

There are many correlations developed to predict incident solar radiation at a given location developed based on geographical and meteorological parameters. However, all correlations depend on accurate measurement and availability of weather data such as sunshine duration, cloud cover, relative humidity, maximum and minimum temperatures etc, which essentially is a costly exercise in terms of equipment and labour. Sri Lanka being a tropical island of latitudinal change of only 30 along the length of the country, the meteorological factors govern the amount of incident radiation. Considering the cloud formation and wind patterns over Sri Lanka as well as the seasonal rainfall patterns, it can be observed that the mean number of rainy days can be used to predict the monthly average daily global radiation which can be used for calculations in solar related activities conveniently.

PREDICTING SOLAR RADIATION FOR TROPICAL ISLANDS FROM RAINFALL DATA

There are many correlations developed to predict incident solar radiation at a given location developed based on geographical and meteorological parameters. However, all correlations depend on accurate measurement and availability of weather data such as sunshine duration, cloud cover, relative humidity, maximum and minimum temperatures etc, which essentially is a costly exercise in terms of equipment and labour. Sri Lanka being a tropical island of latitudinal change of only 30 along the length of the country, the meteorological factors govern the amount of incident radiation. Considering the cloud formation and wind patterns over Sri Lanka as well as the seasonal rainfall patterns, it can be observed that the mean number of rainy days can be used to predict the monthly average daily global radiation which can be used for calculations in solar related activities conveniently.

Latitudinal Change of Tropical Cyclone Maximum Intensity in the Western North Pacific

This study obtained the latitude where tropical cyclones (TCs) show maximum intensity and applied statistical change-point analysis on the time series data of the average annual values. The analysis results found that the latitude of the TC maximum intensity increased from 1999. To investigate the reason behind this phenomenon, the difference of the average latitude between 1999 and 2013 and the average between 1977 and 1998 was analyzed. In a difference of 500 hPa streamline between the two periods, anomalous anticyclonic circulations were strong in 30°–50°N, while anomalous monsoon trough was located in the north of South China Sea. This anomalous monsoon trough was extended eastward to 145°E. Middle-latitude region in East Asia is affected by the anomalous southeasterlies due to these anomalous anticyclonic circulations and anomalous monsoon trough. These anomalous southeasterlies play a role of anomalous steering flows that make the TCs heading toward region in East Asia middle latitude. As a result, TCs during 1999–2013 had higher latitude of the maximum intensity compared to the TCs during 1977–1998.

Latitudinal changes in the structure of marine food webs in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean

Food chain length is known to increase with primary productivity, species richness and environmental stability. Primary productivity and species richness decrease poleward at mid and high latitudes in the Southwestern Atlantic, and hence food chain length of coastal ecosystems is expected to decrease poleward, unless seasonal changes in water temperature destabilise food webs at mid latitude. We used stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen and SIBER (Stable Isotope Bayesian Ellipses in R) to determine the food chain length and other patterns of interconnections (i.e. topology) of coastal food webs from 3 contrasting regions: the temperate estuarine zone associated with the Rio de la Plata plume, the tidal zone off northern and central Patagonia, and the cold estuarine zone off southern Patagonia. Results indicate that food chain length decreases and trophic redundancy increases as latitude increases in all of the compartments of the food web considered. This is in agreement with results emerging from reconstructions of marine food web length during the late Holocene in the same regions, thus suggesting that they are not artefacts caused by the intense exploitation of top predators in the region since European settlement. Furthermore, differences in primary productivity do not fully explain the observed patterns. Instead, we argue that the latitudinal reduction of species diversity reported for the Southwestern Atlantic may be the primary reason for the observed pattern. The reduction in the diversity of forage fishes and squids at high latitude is proposed to result into a wasp-waist ecosystem, characterised by a high trophic redundancy at high trophic levels.

The meroplankton communities from the coastal Ross Sea: a latitudinal study

The study of meroplankton communities in the coastal Ross Sea has been difficult due to the logistical challenges associated with sampling in remote areas and with the hurdle of larval identification. As a result, it has not been possible to estimate the latitudinal changes in reproductive strategies of marine invertebrates and to investigate Thorson’s rule—that planktotrophy is less favoured than lecithotrophy and brooding at high latitudes—along the southernmost coastline on Earth. As part of the Latitudinal Gradient Project (Antarctica New Zealand), we studied the meroplankton communities at three sites on the Victoria Land Coast and identified—using morphological and genetic information—11,117 larvae from 52 molecular Operational Taxonomical Units. This allowed for the analysis of patterns in larval diversity and abundance with latitude. Genetic identification permitted the usage of multivariate techniques to study changes in the meroplankton community and to further investigate the latitudinal variation in larval mode of nutrition. Our results showed distinct larval communities at each site, with species dominating nearby benthos being crucial in site discrimination, but with no latitudinal gradients in abundance or diversity. Planktotrophy was predominant in all three sites reflecting the minimal effect of Thorson’s rule within the Ross Sea.

Solar UV Exposures Throughout One School Year In Swedish Primary Schoolchildren Are Adequate From The Aspect Of Health

Introduction: Being outdoors is both beneficial and detrimental due to ultraviolet radiation (UVR). Overexposure of UVB radiation causes mutagenic changes which may cause skin cancer, the most common cancer in Sweden. But seasonal and latitudinal changes in solar UVB radiation also impact vitamin D synthesis which may have implications for children and adolescents living in Northern Europe. The aim of this study was to analyze school children´s UV exposure during one academic year at schools with different outdoor environments, and to relate the results to defined limits for UVR exposure. Methods: Four schools in south Sweden differing in size, surface and amount of vegetation were selected and 196 (92 girls) pupils in 2nd-, 5th- and 8th grade agreed to participate. Individual exposure of UVR during school outdoor time was monitored with polysulphone badges pinned to each child's shoulder. For diurnal measurement of available global UV-exposure a UV-index monitoring instrument (and computer software) from Davis Instruments, USA CA (Weather link 5.8.2) was used. Results: Results show that most of the participants' UV exposures were suberythemal (

Latitudinal diversity patterns of diatoms in the Southwestern Atlantic and Antarctic waters

Latitudinal changes in the species richness of planktonic diatoms in Southwestern Atlantic and Antarctic waters (29 degrees-76 degrees S) were analyzed from local to regional scale in three spring and one summer seasons. A total of 220 diatom species (16-87 per station) were recorded. Despite the noticeable interannual variability, species richness showed a maximum in the northern sector of the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence Zone and a highly significant decrease with latitude.

Leaf-litter breakdown in tropical streams: is variability the norm?

Many forested headwater streams are heterotrophic ecosystems in which allochthonous inputs of plant litter are a major source of energy. Leaves of riparian vegetation entering the stream are broken down by a combination of biotic and abiotic processes and, in most temperate and boreal streams, provide food and habitat for dense populations of detritivorous invertebrates. However, tropical streams in different parts of the world show substantial variability in the number and diversity of leaf-shredding detritivores (hereafter detritivores). We used data obtained with standardized methods from multiple streams in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Australia to test the hypothesis that this variability would lead to differences in the relative role of detritivores and microorganisms in the breakdown process. We also tested the hypotheses that variability in litter breakdown rates changes with litter type (native litter mixtures vs nonnative alder [Alnus glutinosa]) and is higher across regions within than outside the tropics. We found that litter breakdown rates were highly variable across sites, with no consistent pattern within geographic areas, although litter consumption by detritivores was negligible at several sites, all in America. Geographic patterns of litter breakdown also varied between litter types, with higher breakdown rates for alder than for native litter in most but not all regions. When litter breakdown rates at the tropical sites were compared to previously reported values from temperate and boreal regions, we found that differences in variability between tropical and temperate sites were inconsistent, with great differences among studies. Further global-scale studies will be needed to assess the extent to which latitudinal changes in the diversity and composition of microbial and detritivore assemblages contribute to variability in litter breakdown rates.

Topside ionospheric Vary-Chap scale height retrieved from the COSMIC/FORMOSAT-3 data at midlatitudes

An α-Chapman function with a continuously varying scale height can be used to describe the topside F2 vertical electron density profile that seamlessly connects the ionosphere with the plasmasphere. The local time, seasonal, latitudinal and longitudinal variations of the Vary-Chap scale heights (VCSHs) in 2007 at midlatitudes are investigated using the electron density profiles retrieved from the COSMIC/FORMOSAT-3 ionospheric radio occultation observations. The results show that the VCSHs at 400–550km have prominent altitudinal dependence and diurnal, seasonal variations, and are not tightly correlated with the neutral or plasma-scale heights. The values of the VCSHs in the daytime are larger than those in the nighttime in spring, autumn and winter, comparable and even larger nighttime ones can be detected in summer. The VCSHs change slowly from the midnight to predawn and change abruptly around the sunrise, and the daytime maximum are in winter and the minimum are in summer. In the midlatitudes, the daytime VCSHs decrease with latitude, while at nighttime, the latitudinal changes of VCSHs are not so distinct. The daytime VCSHs in northern hemisphere are larger than those in southern hemisphere. The VCSHs have complicated longitudinal variations and no obvious wavelike structures. What is more, the IRI-2012 model is capable of reproducing the trend of the diurnal, seasonal and latitudinal VCSH variations. But the values have large differences with those retrieved from the COSMIC/FORMOSAT-3 data.

The Greenland Ice Sheet at the peak of warming during the previous Interglacial

The Last Interglacial (LIG or the Eemian) between ca. 130 and 115 kyr BP is probably the best analogue for future climate warming for which increasingly better proxy data are becoming available. The volume of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) during this period is of particular interest to better assess how much and how fast sea-level can rise in a future Earth undergoing gradual climatic warming. Sea-level during the LIG is inferred to have been up to 9 meter higher than today, but contribution of the GrIS into this rise remains unclear. Various ice-sheet modeling studies have come up with a very broad range of the LIG volume loss by the GrIS to between 60 cm and 6 m of equivalent sea-level rise. This wide range is explained by the sensitivity of GrIS models to the imposed climatic conditions and to poor knowledge of the LIG climate itself in terms of the magnitude and precise timing of the maximum warming, as well as in terms of spatial and annual patterns. To partially circumvent these uncertainties we made use of the newest temperature record over the Central Greenland reconstructed from the isotopic composition of the recently obtained NEEM ice core containing undisturbed LIG segment to build the climatic forcing of the model. The NEEM record unequivocally indicates times of the start and of the end of the LIG warming in Greenland as well as the duration of the warmest time period within the Eemian. Using a three-dimensional thermomechanical ice-sheet model, we produced an ensemble of possible LIG configurations by varying only four key parameters for temperature, precipitation rate, surface melting magnitude and melting pattern within realistic bounds. The outcome of a series of the numerical experiments is a variety of glaciologically consistent GrIS geometries corresponding to a wide range of possible «climates». To constrain the ensemble of GrIS geometries, we used data inferred from 5 Greenland ice cores such as the presence or absence of LIG ice, borehole temperature and isotopic composition. Lagrangian backtracing of particles was used to calculate non-climatic biases in isotopic records introduced by horizontal advection, systematic latitudinal contrast and local elevation changes. Comparison of model-generated ice-core characteristics with the observed data enabled to narrow down the ensemble to a bound on the GrIS contribution to the LIG sea-level rise of between 1.3 and 2.9 m with the best choice of 1.8–2.2 m. This conclusion in general supports the point of view about the modest GrIS contribution to global sea level rise during the LIG.

Variation in Drosophila melanogaster central metabolic genes appears driven by natural selection both within and between populations.

In this report, we examine the hypothesis that the drivers of latitudinal selection observed in the eastern US Drosophila melanogaster populations are reiterated within seasons in a temperate orchard population in Pennsylvania, USA. Specifically, we ask whether alleles that are apparently favoured in northern populations are also favoured early in the spring, and decrease in frequency from the spring to autumn with the population expansion. We use SNP data collected for 46 metabolic genes and 128 SNPs representing the central metabolic pathway and examine for the aggregate SNP allele frequencies whether the association of allele change with latitude and that with increasing days of spring-autumn season are reversed. Testing by random permutation, we observe a highly significant negative correlation between these associations that is consistent with this expectation. This correlation is stronger when we confine our analysis to only those alleles that show significant latitudinal changes. This pattern is not caused by association with chromosomal inversions. When data are resampled using SNPs for amino acid change the relationship is not significant but is supported when SNPs associated with cis-expression are only considered. Our results suggest that climate factors driving latitudinal molecular variation in a metabolic pathway are related to those operating on a seasonal level within populations.

Magnetic mapping effects of substorm currents leading to auroral poleward expansion and equatorward retreat

AbstractMagnetotail fast flows, magnetic field dipolarization, and its relaxation are linked to auroral brightening, poleward expansion, and equatorward motion during substorm onset, expansion, and recovery, respectively. While auroral brightening is often attributed to the field‐aligned currents produced by flow vorticity and pressure redistribution, the physical causes of auroral poleward expansion and equatorward retreat are not fully understood. Simplistically, such latitudinal changes can be directly associated to the tailward motion of the flux pileup region and the earthward flux transport toward the dayside that depletes the near‐Earth plasma sheet. However, because the equatorial magnetic field profile and the magnetospheric field‐aligned current system change significantly, mapping is severely distorted. To investigate this distortion, we superimpose a substorm current wedge model (dynamically driven by ground‐based observations) on the global Tsyganenko model T96 during an isolated substorm on 13 February 2008, observed by the Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms and GOES 10 spacecraft and by ground all‐sky imagers. We validate our model by showing that the timing and ionospheric projection of the flux pileup region and flow bursts observed at the spacecraft match auroral activations. We then use the improved mapping enabled by the model to demonstrate that in this event, auroral poleward expansion and equatorward retreat are mainly caused by substorm‐current‐wedge‐induced mapping changes.

Geographic patterns of lake macrophyte communities and species richness at regional scale

AbstractQuestionsAre community composition and species richness of aquatic macrophytes determined primarily by local (habitat heterogeneity and water quality) or regional (climate) patterns at regional scale? Do two macrophyte functional groups (i.e. emergent and submerged macrophytes) respond similarly to local and regional patterns? Are lake macrophytes and explanatory variables geographically structured?LocationThe US state of Minnesota.MethodsThe community composition and species richness of aquatic flora was studied using presence–absence data in 454 lakes, covering the entire US state of Minnesota. In addition, community composition and species richness of emergent and submerged macrophytes was investigated separately. Variation partitioning based on partial redundancy analysis and partial linear regression was used to study the relative roles of water quality, habitat heterogeneity, climate and sampling effort in explaining community composition and species richness of lake macrophytes, respectively.ResultsMacrophyte community composition and species richness (all taxa and two functional groups) were explained by water quality and climate. Alkalinity and total phosphorus were water quality variables that most affected community composition of aquatic flora, and macrophyte species richness decreased with increasing concentrations of these two variables. Maximum temperature of the warmest month and mean annual temperature most affected plant community composition, whereas species richness had a negative relationship with minimum temperature of the coldest month. Most significant explanatory variables (e.g. alkalinity, total phosphorus and temperature) were geographically structured, showing a latitudinal change.ConclusionsCommunity composition and species richness of macrophytes were congruently influenced by regional (climate) and local patterns (water quality) at regional scale. Community composition and species richness of helophytes and submerged macrophytes were equally explained by environmental gradients. The latitudinal change in these most significant environmental variables was related to calcareous soils and intensive agriculture, which were situated in the southern part of the state. Macrophyte species richness showed a reverse latitudinal gradient, which was likely due to high nutrient concentrations in southern latitude lakes. Water quality primarily filters species from the regional species pool, allowing only species tolerating high nutrient concentrations, e.g. invasive plants, to survive at southern latitudes.

Urbanization altered latitudinal patterns of bird diversity-environment relationships in the southern Neotropics

Given the global expansion of urbanization, it is crucial for planning to understand how that process affects spatial patterns of diversity. At broad geographical scales, climatic conditions such as temperature or rainfall usually explain those patterns. Our objective was to analyze and compare the species richness-environment relationships and the distance decay in similarity of bird communities between urban centres and less intensively modified adjacent rural areas along a latitudinal gradient in the southern Neotropics. We surveyed birds in 15 urban centres and their adjacent rural areas from 26° to 38°S and compiled temperature and rainfall data. We performed regression analyses and Mantel tests to explore latitudinal changes in bird species richness and taxonomic composition as a response to those climatic variables in urban centres and in rural areas. Results showed that species richness decreased with latitude in rural areas, and temperature and rainfall accounted for that decline, but remained relatively constant in urban centres. The difference in species richness between urban centres and rural areas was larger at lower latitudes. Similarity in the composition of bird assemblages declined with distance at a similar rate in both urban centres and rural areas; however, similarity was higher between urban centres than in rural areas at any given distance. Environmental differences due to temperature and rainfall partially accounted for the distance decay in similarity for both urban and rural areas. The impact of urbanization on bird species richness seems to differ according to the climatic context in which urbanization develops, and it is expected to be higher in tropical than in more arid environments. Our study remarks the importance of considering urban systems as components of larger ecological systems.

Latitudinal discontinuity in thermal conditions along the nearshore of central-northern Chile.

Over the past decade, evidence of abrupt latitudinal changes in the dynamics, structure and genetic variability of intertidal and subtidal benthic communities along central-northern Chile has been found consistently at 30–32°S. Changes in the advective and thermal environment in nearshore waters have been inferred from ecological patterns, since analyses of in situ physical data have thus far been missing. Here we analyze a unique set of shoreline temperature data, gathered over 4–10 years at 15 sites between 28–35°S, and combine it with satellite-derived winds and sea surface temperatures to investigate the latitudinal transition in nearshore oceanographic conditions suggested by recent ecological studies. Our results show a marked transition in thermal conditions at 30–31°S, superimposed on a broad latitudinal trend, and small-scale structures associated with cape-and-bay topography. The seasonal cycle dominated temperature variability throughout the region, but its relative importance decreased abruptly south of 30–31°S, as variability at synoptic and intra-seasonal scales became more important. The response of shoreline temperatures to meridional wind stress also changed abruptly at the transition, leading to a sharp drop in the occurrence of low-temperature waters at northern sites, and a concurrent decrease in corticated algal biomass. Together, these results suggest a limitation of nitrate availability in nearshore waters north of the transition. The localized alongshore change results from the interaction of latitudinal trends (e.g., wind stress, surface warming, inertial period) with a major headland-bay system (Punta Lengua de Vaca at 30.25°S), which juxtaposes a southern stretch of coast characterized by upwelling with a northern stretch of coast characterized by warm surface waters and stratification. This transition likely generates a number of latitude-dependent controls on ecological processes in the nearshore that can explain species-specific effects, and add strength to the suggestion of an oceanography-driven, major spatial transition in coastal communities at 30–31°S.

Multi‐causality and spatial non‐stationarity in the determinants of groundwater crustacean diversity in Europe

The recognition of multi‐causality and spatial non‐stationarity in the determinants of large‐scale biodiversity patterns requires to consider the role of multiple mechanisms, their interactions, and how these mechanisms vary in strength relative to each other across geographical space. Here, we challenge the view that historical climate stability primarily drives European patterns of groundwater crustacean diversity by testing also the role of spatial heterogeneity and productive energy. First, we predicted that the three mechanisms would be equally important at continental scale when analyzed separately, but that the importance of historical climate variability would weaken in joint analyses due to co‐variation with the two other mechanisms. Second, we predicted that the three mechanisms would exhibit predictable latitudinal changes in their relative strength. To test these predictions, we selected predictors representing each mechanism and analyzed separately and jointly their effects and interactions using global regression models. We further mapped the independent and overlapping effects of mechanisms across Europe using partial geographically weighted regressions. When analyzed separately, the three mechanisms explained the same amount of variation in species richness, but in the joint analysis, the influence of historical climate stability became hidden in the variation shared with the other mechanisms. Topographic heterogeneity interacted synergistically with actual evapotranspiration and habitat heterogeneity on species richness. Spatial non‐stationarity in the independent and overlapping effects of the three mechanisms was the most plausible explanation for the hump‐shaped latitudinal pattern of crustacean species richness. Productive energy and spatial heterogeneity were important predictors at mid and southern latitudes, whereas historical climate stability overlapped with the two other mechanisms in northern Europe and productive energy in southern Europe. Multi‐causality and spatial non‐stationarity provide a broader perspective of groundwater biodiversity determinants that revives the importance of spatial heterogeneity and the strong dependence of subterranean communities on food supply from the surface.

Functional determinants of forest recruitment over broad scales

AbstractAimThe drivers of tree recruitment over large spatial scales remain unexplored. Here, we ask whether species potential for recruitment and the strength of density‐dependent processes, both inferred from species relative abundances, show emerging patterns that can be explained upon the basis of information about climate and functional traits.LocationEastern forests of the USA.MethodsWe document the geographical distributions and magnitudes of seedling recruitment and the strength of density dependence and conspecific density dependence for the forests of the eastern USA spanning > 1.2 million km2 across 88,854 local communities comprising 164 tree species. We also compiled climatic variables and 16 traits representing several important ecological axes of tree functional strategies to assess which factors were most strongly associated with the emerging broad‐scale spatial patterns.ResultsStrong geographical variation in the potential for seedling recruitment and a latitudinal change from negative to positive density dependence moving northward were associated with adaptation to seasonal freezing temperatures and seed size. Wood density and leaf nitrogen, in contrast, were related to the magnitude of the negative density dependence and conspecific density dependence, respectively, which were prevalent over most of the region.Main conclusionsOur results provide strong evidence that tree recruitment and the strength of density‐dependent processes have broad‐scale patterns that can be explained by a few key species functional traits.

Holocene stalagmite δ18O records in the East Asian monsoon region and their correlation with those in the Indian monsoon region

We compare well-dated Holocene stalagmite δ18O records from the East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) region and from the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) region. We found that the pattern of latitudinal change of speleothem δ18O values from the Indian monsoon region to the East Asian monsoon region is almost identical to that of modern precipitation. This suggests that the modern moisture transport route from the Indian Ocean to the East Asian monsoon region has existed since at least the early Holocene. The δ18O records from both regions exhibit a remarkably similar trend of variation in that the values are more negative during the early Holocene, rapidly become heavy from the mid-Holocene, and are heaviest during the late Holocene. The stalagmite δ18O changes in the East Asian monsoon region are statistically well correlated with those in the Indian monsoon region, both over the entire Holocene and in detail over the last 2000 years. However, in contrast to the obvious consistency of the δ18O values in all of the speleothem records, both instrumental and historical climate records indicate significant spatial variations in rainfall over eastern China. The early-Holocene strong EASM pattern referred from speleothem δ18O in the East Asian monsoon region is quite different to that of other paleoclimatic records such as Holocene paleosol development in the Chinese Loess Plateau, eolian activity in the northern Chinese sandlands, and lake sediments in EASM-dominated region in China, in which the strongest EASM was documented during the mid-Holocene. These findings suggest that the speleothem δ18O record from the East Asian monsoon region may not record EASM variability, but rather that it is controlled by variations in the isotopic composition of precipitation, which is determined mainly by rainfall variability in the ISM region.

Chapter 9 The Gulf of Cádiz continental shelves

Abstract The continental shelves fringing the Gulf of Cádiz are shallow-water environments of high scientific interest as they record the complex interplay between competing sedimentary, tectonic and oceanographic processes. These shelves receive the contributions of fluvial sources of varying significance, evolving laterally to shelf segments dominated by a vigorous oceanographic regime. In the long term, the Gulf of Cádiz margins show lateral physiographical compartmentalization related to the structural imprint. Recent approaches on the Iberian Shelf have focused on the study of shelf sedimentary processes and long-term evolutionary patterns through the application of high-resolution seismic-sequence stratigraphy concepts. The Late Quaternary record exhibits extensive regressive-lowstand shelf-margin deltas mostly comprising nested sequences disposed in a hierarchical pattern. This complex architecture has been attributed to the leading control of orbitally driven, climatic–eustatic changes. As a result, the Iberian Shelf constitutes an excellent location to study the interaction between sedimentary processes, climatic and sea-level changes. Recently collected data in the Moroccan Shelf allow a high-resolution seismic-sequence stratigraphy scheme to be established. Significant latitudinal changes on depositional sequence architecture are driven by differential accommodation led by the reactivation of deformational fronts during the Pleistocene. As a consequence, this southern shelf constitutes a good example of tectonic control on sequence stratigraphy.