Southern Westerly Winds Research Articles

Centennial and millennial-scale hydroclimate changes in northwestern Patagonia since 16,000 yr BP

Abstract We examine hydroclimate changes at centennial/millennial timescales since 16,000 yr BP in northwestern Patagonia based on the pollen and charcoal record from Lago El Salto, a small closed-basin lake located in the Chilean Lake District (41°38′48.02″S, 73° 5′48.42″W). We observe cold/wet conditions between 14,500–16,000 yr BP, followed by further cooling with increased precipitation until 13,000 yr BP, enhanced precipitation seasonality and/or variability between 11,600–13,000 yr BP, and an extended warm-and-dry interval between 7600 and 11,300 yr BP with peak paleofire activity. Colder-and-wetter than present conditions and muted paleofire activity prevail between 5300 and 7600 yr BP, followed by alternating cold/wet and centennial-scale warm/dry phases starting at 5300 yr BP with three conspicuous megadroughts since 2500 yr BP. The most recent megadrought occurred during the Medieval Climate Anomaly. We identify a cold reversal that spans the Antarctic Cold Reversal (ACR) and the Younger Dryas (YD) chrons with stronger-than-present westerly influence during the former and enhanced variability during the latter. These results extend the northern limit of strong cooling and increase in precipitation during the ACR and the southern limit of influence of strong hydrologic variations during the YD in terrestrial environments, suggesting an overlap in the spheres of influence of processes originating from southern and northern polar latitudes. An extended warm southern westerly wind (SWW)-minimum interval is evident between 7600 and 11,300 yr BP, followed by a rapid shift to cool-moist conditions between 5300 and 7600 yr BP brought by a mid-Holocene SWW maximum. Since then we observe centennial-scale hydroclimate variability, which has driven biodiversity and fire-regime shifts of evergreen temperate rainforests.

The timing and cause of glacial advances in the southern mid-latitudes during the last glacial cycle based on a synthesis of exposure ages from Patagonia and New Zealand

Abstract Glacier advances in the southern mid-latitudes during the last glacial cycle (ca. 110–10 ka) were controlled by changes in temperature and precipitation linked to several important ocean-climate systems. As such, the timing of glacial advance and retreat can yield important insights into the mechanisms of Southern Hemisphere climate change. This is particularly important given that several recent studies have demonstrated significant glacial advances prior to the global Last Glacial Maximum (gLGM) in Patagonia and New Zealand, the cause of which are uncertain. The recent increase in chronological studies in these regions offers the opportunity to compare regional trends in glacial activity. Here, we compile the first consistent 10Be exposure-dating chronologies for Patagonia and New Zealand to highlight the broad pattern of mid-latitude glacial activity over the last glacial cycle. Our results show that advances or still stands culminated at 26–27 ka, 18–19 ka and 13–14 ka in both Patagonia and New Zealand and were broadly synchronous, but with an offset between regions of up to 900 years that cannot be explained by age calculation or physically plausible erosion differences. Furthermore, there is evidence in both regions for glacial advances culminating from at least 45 ka, during the latter half of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3. Glacial activity prior to the gLGM differed from the large Northern Hemisphere ice sheets, likely due to favourable Southern Hemisphere conditions during late MIS 3: summer insolation reached a minimum, seasonality was reduced, winter duration was increasing, and sea ice had expanded significantly, inducing stratification of the ocean and triggering northward migration of oceanic fronts and the Southern Westerly Winds. Glacial advances in Patagonia and New Zealand during the gLGM were probably primed by underlying orbital parameters. However, the precise timing is likely to have been intrinsically linked to migration of the coupled ocean-atmosphere system, which may account for the small offset between Patagonia and New Zealand due to differences in oceanic frontal migration. During deglaciation, advances or still stands occurred in both regions during the southern Antarctic Cold Reversal (ca. 14.5–12.9 ka) rather than the northern Younger Dryas (ca. 12.9–11.7 ka). Our findings suggest that major rearrangements of the Southern Hemisphere climate system occurred at various times during the last glacial cycle, with associated impacts on the position and intensity of the Southern Westerly Winds and oceanic fronts, as well as wind-driven upwelling and degassing of the deep Southern Ocean. Thus, reconstructing the timing of glacial advance/retreat using our compilation is a powerful way to understand the mechanisms of past interhemispheric climate change.

Late-Holocene and Little Ice Age palaeoenvironmental change inferred from pollen analysis, Isla de los Estados, Argentina

We present pollen and spore analysis from a peat-bog section from southwestern Isla de los Estados (Staaten Island), Tierra del Fuego to better understand late-Holocene environmental change in southernmost Patagonia. The island's position as the easternmost landmass at the southernmost of South America, places it squarely within the influence of the southern westerly winds (SWW) and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, and so makes the island a unique location to document the palaeoecological response to climate change during the late Quaternary. We compare our Nothofagus pollen record from Bahía Franklin with other Nothofagus pollen records from Isla de los Estados and Tierra del Fuego. Nothofagus has been shown to respond to changes in mean annual temperature in the southern latitudes under cooler climate with little seasonality in precipitation. We also evaluate the correspondence between these changes in vegetation to other late-Holocene environmental proxies that include variations in sea surface temperature (SST) from the Beagle Channel and records of past glacier fluctuations. Our results show that low concentrations of Nothofagus pollen existed at Bahía Franklin at about 4000 cal yr BP. Climate ameliorated between ca. 3500 and 500 cal yr BP based on an increase in frequency and concentration values of Nothofagus and Drimys winteri. Between about 500 and 50 cal yr BP, the pollen record revealed a noticeable decline in the forest density. We interpret the decline in forest density in Isla de los Estados between 500 and ∼50 yr cal BP as a response to cold and windy conditions during the Little Ice Age (LIA). Our interpretation from our Nothofagus pollen record broadly agrees with regional cooling recorded in reconstructed SST of the Beagle Channel and with glacier expansion in the Fuegian Cordillera.

Last Glacial - Holocene climate variability in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean

The Southern Ocean plays a major role in the glacial/interglacial global carbon cycle. However, there is a substantial lack of information from its Antarctic Zone south of the Polar Front (PF) to understand key climate processes (e.g., sea ice variability, productivity changes, CO2 source region, shifts of the Southern Westerly Wind) active in this region during the glacial/interglacial transition, due to the limited high-resolution sediment records from this area. To close this gap, we investigated high resolution diatom records from a series of sediment cores from the Atlantic and Western Indian sectors of the Southern Ocean between the modern PF and the Winter Sea Ice (WSI) edge. Summer Sea Surface Temperature (SSST) and sea ice information spanning the past 30 thousand years were derived from diatom transfer functions and indicators, which augment comprehensive information on past surface ocean conditions and related ocean and atmospheric circulation, as well as opal deposition. These complementary lines of evidences also provide important environmental boundary conditions for climate simulations understanding the past climate development in the high latitudes Southern Ocean.Our reconstructions show that the Last Glacial (LG) SSSTs south of the modern PF are 1–3 °C colder than modern conditions, WSI expanded to the modern PF. Our data suggests effective carbon export in the Antarctic Zone during the LG. Deglacial two steps of warming support the bipolar seesaw mechanism. Antarctic Zone is an important source region for the CO2 deglacial increase. The warming was more suppressed towards south, due to continuous ice discharge from Antarctica. The SSSTs exceeded modern values during the early Holocene optimum, when WSI extent probably retreated south of its modern position. The southern boundary of maximum opal deposition zone may have shifted to south of 55°S in the Bouvet Island area at this time. The mid-late Holocene cooling with WSI re-expanding to the Bouvet Island area, probably related to enhanced cold-water export by the Weddell Gyre from the developing cavity under the West Antarctic Ice Shelf. The cooling also suggests a northward shift of the Southern Westerly Wind, at least its southern boundary.

Palaeoenvironmental change in Southern Patagonia during the Lateglacial and Holocene: Implications for forest refugia and climate reconstructions

A high-resolution palynological record from Punta Yartou, Fuego-Patagonia (53°51′S; 70°08′W), supported by lithostratigraphy, radiocarbon dating and tephrochronology, was examined to reconstruct the vegetation changes during the last glacial–interglacial transition and the Holocene. Following deglaciation from the Last Glacial Maximum sometime before c. 23,070 Cal yr BP the vegetation was initially dominated by Ericaceous shrubs and following modest climate amelioration between c. 20,480 and 14,820 Cal yr BP the environment favoured the spread of Acaena. The trend to a warmer and more humid climate was interrupted between c. 14,820 and 13,560 Cal yr BP when the vegetation community was dominated by cold tolerant herbs such as Poaceae and Asteraceae (Subfamily Asteroideae), suggesting an open treeless landscape with colder climatic conditions coeval with the Antarctic Cold Reversal. After c. 13,560 Cal yr BP a gradual rise in temperature and humidity is inferred from the colonisation of Nothofagus. A further warming and increase is inferred from the establishment of the forest/steppe ecotone by c. 12,900 Cal yr BP. The early Holocene was then characterised by increasing development of Nothofagus open canopy forest. However, between c. 8080 and 5060 Cal yr BP there was a significant reduction in the forest cover and high values of charcoal which suggest an intense arid phase leading to increased availability of dry fuel. Between c. 5060 and 2170 Cal yr BP there were centennial-scale periods of increased wetter and colder climatic conditions. The Punta Yartou record demonstrates the sensitivity of Fuego-Patagonian forest to changes in the proximity and intensity of the southern westerly winds.

Late Quaternary evolution of Lago Castor (Chile, 45.6°S): Timing of the deglaciation in northern Patagonia and evolution of the southern westerlies during the last 17 kyr

Even though Patagonia is ideally located to study climate of the southern mid-latitudes, many questions on the late Quaternary climate evolution remain unresolved. The timing of maximum glacier extent is still uncertain in vast areas, and the postglacial evolution of the Southern Westerly Wind Belt (SWWB) remains highly debated. Here, we study the sedimentary infill of a glacigenic lake (Lago Castor; 45.6°S, 71.8°W) located at the leeside of the Andes in Chilean Patagonia to i) reconstruct the deglacial evolution of the eastern flank of the Patagonian Ice Sheet (PIS), and ii) discuss postglacial changes in wind strength at a critical location where westerly wind records are critically lacking. A dense grid of high-resolution reflection-seismic data was used to reconstruct the large-scale infill history of the lake, and a radiocarbon dated sediment core penetrating all lacustrine seismic units, was retrieved. Results indicate that the deglaciation of the lake basin and its catchment occurred no later than ∼28 cal kyr BP (i.e. an early LGM), but possibly even already after MIS 4. Afterwards, the Lago Castor area was covered by a large proglacial lake that drained – possibly through an outburst flood – when the PIS outlet glaciers retreated to a critical location. Subsequently, very dry conditions caused the lake to desiccate, as evidenced by an unconformity visible on the seismic profiles and in the sediment core. This dry period likely resulted from the increased orographic effect of the PIS-covered Andes, accompanied by weaker westerlies. From ∼20 kyr BP onwards, the combination of a shrinking PIS and a southward shift of the SWWB resulted in increased precipitation, which caused the lake level to rise. After ∼17 cal kyr BP, lake sedimentation was more directly influenced by the southern westerlies, with the formation of sediment drifts resulting from strong bottom current during periods of intense westerly winds. Our results suggest a progressive increase in wind strength at 46°S from 11.2 to 4.5 cal kyr BP, which supports the hypothesis that the SWWB broadened during the early and middle Holocene.

Late Pleistocene glaciations of the arid subtropical Andes and new results from the Chajnantor Plateau, northern Chile

The spatiotemporal pattern of glaciation along the Andes Mountains is an important proxy record reflecting the varying influence of global and regional circulation features on South American climate. However, the timing and extent of glaciation in key parts of the orogen, particularly the deglaciated arid Andes, are poorly constrained. We present new cosmogenic 10Be and 36Cl exposure ages for glacial features on and near the Chajnantor Plateau (23 °S). The new dates, although scattered due to cosmogenic inheritance, imply that the most recent extensive glacial occupation ended before or during the global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). We discuss this new record in the context of published glacial chronologies from glacial features in Peru, Bolivia, and northern Chile rescaled using the latest cosmogenic 10Be production rate calibration for the tropical Andes. The results imply regionally synchronous moraine stabilization ca. 25–40 ka, 15–17 ka, and 12–14 ka, with the youngest of these moraines absent in records south of ∼20 °S, including in our new Chajnantor area chronology. This spatial pattern implicates easterly moisture in generating sufficient snowfall to glaciate the driest parts of the Andes, while allowing a role for westerly moisture, possibly modulated by the migration of the Southern Westerly Wind belt, in the regions near and south of the Atacama Desert.

Southern Westerly Winds submit to the ENSO regime: A multiproxy paleohydrology record from Lake Dobson, Tasmania

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Southern Westerly Winds (SWW) profoundly influence synoptic-scale climate in the Southern Hemisphere. Although many studies have invoked either phenomenon to explain trends in proxy data, few have demonstrated the transition from a climate dominated by SWW flow to one controlled by El Niño activity, which is postulated to have occurred after 5 cal ka BP in the mid-latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere. Tasmania, southeast Australia, is ideally situated to detect changes in both of these climatic controls. Currently, El Niño and La Niña events result in drier and wetter conditions island-wide, respectively, with the greatest impact in the north. Further, Tasmania houses north–south trending mountain ranges near its western coast. As a result, areas west of the mountains exhibit a positive correlation between SWW flow and precipitation, while eastern regions possess either no or a negative relationship. Here, we present data from chironomid remains, charcoal, and geochemical proxies to investigate the paleohydrological history of Lake Dobson, a site located in Mount Field National Park, Tasmania. The proxies revealed three broad periods: (1) an early Holocene (11.5–8.3 cal kyr BP) characterised by generally high rainfall, the occurrence of irregular fires, and elevated charcoal influx at 11.4 and 10.2 cal ka BP – conditions compatible with attenuated SWW flow over the site; (2) an ambiguous mid-Holocene (8.3–5 cal kyr BP) that marks the transition from a SWW- to ENSO-dominated climate; and (3) a relatively dry and stable late Holocene (5 cal kyr BP to present) that is consistent with the onset of a climate controlled by ENSO activity (i.e., characterised by a more mean El Niño climate state). The proxy record of Lake Dobson highlights the teleconnections between the equatorial Pacific and southern Australasia.

Teleconnection between the Intertropical Convergence Zone and southern westerly winds throughout the last deglaciation

Comparison of environmental changes between northeastern Brazil and western Patagonia during the last deglaciation reveals concomitant trends in moisture from the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and southern westerly winds (SWW). The data confirm an atmospheric teleconnection between the ITCZ and SWW, associated with Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) variations. When the AMOC decreases, both the ITCZ and the SWW shift southward; they shift northward when the AMOC increases. Climate simulations in which the AMOC is made to vary agree with this general pattern. Additional experiments performed with an atmosphere-only model show that the tropical Atlantic is a key area in promoting relationships between the AMOC, ITCZ, and SWW. Our data show that this mechanism, which transfers climate changes between low and middle latitudes to high latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere, acted throughout the abrupt climatic events of the last deglaciation.

Vegetation and climate change, fire-regime shifts and volcanic disturbance in Chiloé Continental (43°S) during the last 10,000 years

Disentangling the roles of paleofires and explosive volcanism from climatic drivers of past vegetation change is a subject insufficiently addressed in the paleoecological literature. The coastal region of the Chiloé Continental sector of northwestern Patagonia is ideal in this regard considering its proximity to active eruptive centers and the possibility of establishing comparisons with more distal, upwind sites where volcanic influence is minimal. Here we present a fine-resolution pollen and macroscopic charcoal record from Lago Teo with the aim of documenting the local vegetation and climate history, and assessing the role of disturbance regimes as drivers of vegetation change during the last ∼10,000 years.The Lago Teo record shows a conspicuous warm/dry interval between ∼7500 and 10,000 cal yrs BP followed by a cooling trend and increase in precipitation that has persisted until the present, in agreement with previous studies in the region and interpretations of past southern westerly wind activity at multi-millennial scales. The presence of 26 tephras throughout the record allows examination of the relationship between explosive volcanism and vegetation change under contrasting climatic states of the Holocene. We found consistent statistically significant increases in Tepualia stipularis after tephra deposition over the last 10,000 years, in Eucryphia/Caldcluvia between 7500 and 10,000 cal yrs BP and in Hydrangea over the last 7500 years. Our results indicate a primary role of climate change as driver of long-term vegetation change and as a modulator of vegetation responses to volcanic disturbance at multidecadal and centennial timescales.

Large variations in the Holocene marine radiocarbon reservoir effect reflect ocean circulation and climatic changes

Accurate radiocarbon dating of marine samples requires knowledge of the marine radiocarbon reservoir effect. This effect for a particular site/region is generally assumed constant through time when calibrating marine 14C ages. However, recent studies have shown large temporal variations of several hundred to a couple of thousand years in this effect for a number of regions during the late Quaternary and Holocene. Here we report marine radiocarbon reservoir correction (ΔR) for Heron Reef and Moreton Bay in southwestern (SW) Pacific for the last 8 ka derived from 14C analysis of 230Th-dated corals. Most of our ΔR for the last ∼5.4 ka agree well with their modern value, but large ΔR variability of ∼410 yr (from trough to peak) with possible decadal/centennial fluctuations is evident for the period ∼5.4–8 ka. The latter time interval also has significant variations with similar features in previously published ΔR values for other sites in the Pacific, including southern Peru–northern Chile in southeastern (SE) Pacific, the South China Sea, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea, with the largest magnitude of ∼920 yr from SE Pacific. The mechanisms for these large ΔR variations across the Pacific during the mid-Holocene are complex processes involving (1) changes in the quantity and 14C content of upwelled waters in tropical east Pacific (TEP) (frequency and intensity of ocean upwelling in the TEP, and contribution of Subantarctic Mode Water to the upwelled waters, which is influenced by the intensity and position of southern westerly winds), and (2) variations in ocean circulation associated with climate change (La Niña/El Niño conditions, intensity of easterly trade winds, positions of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and the South Pacific Convergence Zone), which control the spreading of the older upwelled surface waters in the TEP to the western sites. Our results imply the need for employing temporal changes in ΔR values, instead of constant (modern) values, for age calibration of Holocene marine samples not only for the SW Pacific sites but also for other tropical and subtropical sites in the Pacific.

The de-correlation of westerly winds and westerly-wind stress over the Southern Ocean during the Last Glacial Maximum

Motivated by indications from paleo-evidence, this paper investigates the changes of the Southern Westerly Winds (SWW) and westerly-wind stress between the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and pre-industrial in the PMIP3/CMIP5 simulations, highlighting the role of Antarctic sea ice in modulating the wind effect on ocean. Particularly, a de-correlation occurs between the changes in SWW and westerly-wind stress, caused primarily by an equatorward expansion of winter Antarctic sea ice that undermines the efficacy of wind in generating stress over the liquid ocean. Such de-correlation may reflect the LGM condition in reality, in view of the fact that the model which simulates this condition has most fidelity in simulating modern SWW and Antarctic sea ice. Therein two models stand out for their agreements with paleo-evidence regarding the change of SWW and the westerly-wind stress. They simulate strengthened and poleward-migrated LGM SWW in the atmosphere, consistent with the indications from dust records. Whilst in the ocean, they well capture an equatorward-shifted pattern of the observed oceanic front shift, with most pronounced equatorward-shifted westerly wind stress during the LGM.

Holocene shifts of the southern westerlies across the South Atlantic

AbstractThe southern westerly winds (SWW) exert a crucial influence over the world ocean and climate. Nevertheless, a comprehensive understanding of the Holocene temporal and spatial evolution of the SWW remains a significant challenge due to the sparsity of high‐resolution marine archives and appropriate SWW proxies. Here we present a north‐south transect of high‐resolution planktonic foraminiferal oxygen isotope records from the western South Atlantic. Our proxy records reveal Holocene migrations of the Brazil‐Malvinas Confluence (BMC), a highly sensitive feature for changes in the position and strength of the northern portion of the SWW. Through the tight coupling of the BMC position to the large‐scale wind field, the records allow a quantitative reconstruction of Holocene latitudinal displacements of the SWW across the South Atlantic. Our data reveal a gradual poleward movement of the SWW by about 1–1.5° from the early to the mid‐Holocene. Afterward, variability in the SWW is dominated by millennial scale displacements on the order of 1° in latitude with no recognizable longer‐term trend. These findings are confronted with results from a state‐of‐the‐art transient Holocene climate simulation using a comprehensive coupled atmosphere‐ocean general circulation model. Proxy‐inferred and modeled SWW shifts compare qualitatively, but the model underestimates both orbitally forced multimillennial and internal millennial SWW variability by almost an order of magnitude. The underestimated natural variability implies a substantial uncertainty in model projections of future SWW shifts.

Disparities in glacial advection of Southern Ocean Intermediate Water to the South Pacific Gyre

The Intermediate Waters formed in the Southern Ocean are critical for ventilating the thermocline in the Southern Hemisphere Gyres and transporting climatic signals from high to low latitudes on glacial-interglacial time-scales. Despite the importance of the Southern Ocean Intermediate Waters (SOIWs), information on past changes in SOIWs formation is fragmentary, and its impact on the South Pacific Gyre (SPG)'s thermocline largely unknown. Here, we present a 200 kyr record of paired Mg/Ca ratios and stable oxygen isotope from surface and deep dwelling planktonic foraminifera, from the SPG. On average, the Globigerina bulloides Mg/Ca-derived sea surface temperatures show similar conditions during the LGM and Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 6 (9.4 °C versus 9.8 °C). In contrast, the subsurface temperatures derived from the Mg/Ca values of Globorotalia inflata and Globorotalia truncatulinoides suggest that LGM is ∼3 to ∼2 °C colder than MIS 6. Furthermore, at subsurface depths the reconstructed δ18Osw-ivc record (proxy for relative local salinity changes) suggests opposite glacial conditions, with slightly saltier-than-Holocene waters during MIS 6, and fresher-than-Holocene waters during LGM. Contrasting glacial scenarios, plausibly due to changes in the presence of SOIWs at the study site, suggest variable formation and/or advection of SOIWs to the SPG during different glacial stages. The variability in SOIWs is probably driven by the changes in the intensity of the Southern Westerly Winds.

The Southern Westerlies in Central Chile during the two last glacial cycles as documented by coastal aeolian sand deposits and intercalating palaeosols

Changes in the position and intensity of the Southern Westerly Winds (SWW) and related causal processes during the Quaternary are controversial and not well understood. Here, we present a record from continental Central Chile, based on coastal aeolian sand and dunes with intercalated palaeosols, reaching back 190ka in time. Sixteen samples for luminescence dating and additional samples for geochemical procedures were analysed from three locations in the “Norte Chico” (La Serena, Los Vilos, Las Ventanas). Besides the recent Bw-horizons, four palaeosols (Btb1, Btb2, Btb3, Btb4) are identified. They formed in periods with stable surface conditions and a relatively dense vegetation cover, whereas sand accumulation reflects increased aeolian activity under dry conditions and, in parts, glacial sea level lowering. Three of these soils are well bracketed by luminescence data to <14ka (Bw), 59–47ka (Btb4) and 135–125ka (Btb2). The formation of Btb1 and Btb3 tentatively occurred at 190–160ka and 107–95ka. Btb-horizons are interpreted to reflect wetter conditions than modern ones (Bw-horizons). Since the only way to bring wetter conditions to the coastal area of the Norte Chico are the SWW, the documented changes should reflect changes in paleo atmospheric circulation. The more humid periods appear to show a periodicity, dominated by the obliquity cycle. Increased Antarctic sea-ice during austral winter combined with a weak South Pacific Anticyclone at subtropical latitudes, seem to have favoured winter incursions of humid air masses from the Westerlies.

Late Holocene covariability of the southern westerlies and sea surface temperature in northern Chilean Patagonia

The climate of Chilean Patagonia is strongly influenced by the southern westerlies, which control the amount and latitudinal distribution of precipitation in the southern Andes. In austral summer, the Southern Westerly Wind Belt (SWWB) is restricted to the high latitudes. It expands northward in winter, which results in a strong precipitation seasonality between ∼35 and 45°S. Here, we present a new precipitation seasonality proxy record from Quitralco fjord (46°S), where relatively small latitudinal shifts of the SWWB result in large changes in precipitation seasonality. Our 1400 yr record is based on sedimentological and geochemical data obtained on a sediment core collected in front of a small river that drains the Patagonian Andes, which makes this site particularly sensitive to changes in river discharge. Our results indicate Fe/Al and Ti/Al values that are low between 600 and 1200 CE, increasing at 1200–1500 CE, and high between 1500 and 1950 CE. Increasing Fe/Al and Ti/Al values reflect a decrease in mean sediment grain-size from 30 to 20 μm, which is interpreted as a decrease in seasonal floods resulting from an equatorward shift of the SWWB. Our results suggest that, compared to present-day conditions, the SWWB was located in a more poleward position before 1200 CE. It gradually shifted towards the equator in 1200–1500 CE, where it remained in a sustained position until 1950 CE. This pattern is consistent with most precipitation records from central and southern Chile. The comparison of our record with published regional sea surface temperature (SST) reconstructions for the late Holocene shows that equatorward shifts of the SWWB are systematically coeval with decreasing SSTs and vice versa, which resembles fluctuations over glacial–interglacial timescales. We argue that the synchronicity between SST and SWWB changes during the last 1400 years represents the response of the SWWB to temperature changes in the Southern Hemisphere.

Southern Annular Mode-like changes in southwestern Patagonia at centennial timescales over the last three millennia.

Late twentieth-century instrumental records reveal a persistent southward shift of the Southern Westerly Winds during austral summer and autumn associated with a positive trend of the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) and contemporaneous with glacial recession, steady increases in atmospheric temperatures and CO2 concentrations at a global scale. However, despite the clear importance of the SAM in the modern/future climate, very little is known regarding its behaviour during pre-Industrial times. Here we present a stratigraphic record from Lago Cipreses (51°S), southwestern Patagonia, that reveals recurrent ~200-year long dry/warm phases over the last three millennia, which we interpret as positive SAM-like states. These correspond in timing with the Industrial revolution, the Mediaeval Climate Anomaly, the Roman and Late Bronze Age Warm Periods and alternate with cold/wet multi-centennial phases in European palaeoclimate records. We conclude that SAM-like changes at centennial timescales in southwestern Patagonia represent in-phase interhemispheric coupling of palaeoclimate over the last 3,000 years through atmospheric teleconnections.

Vegetation, fire and climate change in central-east Isla Grande de Chiloé (43°S) since the Last Glacial Maximum, northwestern Patagonia

We present a detailed record from Lago Lepué to examine vegetation, climate and fire-regime changes since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in central-east Isla Grande de Chiloé (43°S), northwestern Patagonia. Precipitation in this region correlates with the intensity of the southern westerly winds (SWW), allowing reconstruction of past SWW behavior through precipitation-sensitive sensors. Recession from the LGM glacier margins exposed the central-east sector of Isla Grande de Chiloé by 17,800 cal yr BP, followed by the immediate colonization of pioneer cold-resistant herbs/shrubs and rapid establishment of closed-canopy Nothofagus forests by 17,000 cal yr BP. Broad-leaved temperate rainforests have persisted since then with compositional changes driven by changes in temperature, hydrologic balance and disturbance regimes. We detect low lake levels and enhanced fire activity between 800–2000, 4000–4300, ∼8000–11,000 and 16,100–17,800 cal yr BP, implying southward shifts and/or weaker SWW flow that alternated with cold, humid phases with muted fire activity. Covariation in paleoclimate trends revealed by the Lago Lepué record with tropical and Antarctic records since the LGM, suggests that the SWW have been a highly dynamic component of the climate system capable of linking climate changes from low- and high-southern latitudes during the Last Glacial termination and the current interglacial.

A Southern Ocean trigger for Northwest Pacific ventilation during the Holocene?

Holocene ocean circulation is poorly understood due to sparsity of dateable marine archives with submillennial-scale resolution. Here we present a record of mid-depth water radiocarbon contents in the Northwest (NW) Pacific Ocean over the last 12.000 years, which shows remarkable millennial-scale variations relative to changes in atmospheric radiocarbon inventory. Apparent decoupling of these variations from regional ventilation and mixing processes leads us to the suggestion that the mid-depth NW Pacific may have responded to changes in Southern Ocean overturning forced by latitudinal displacements of the southern westerly winds. By inference, a tendency of in-phase related North Atlantic and Southern Ocean overturning would argue against the development of a steady bipolar seesaw regime during the Holocene.

Sensitivity of Southern Hemisphere circulation to LGM and 4 × CO2 climates

This paper investigates the effect of Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) versus high CO2 world boundary condition on the Southern Hemisphere atmospheric circulation, in particular on the strength and latitudinal position of the near surface Southern Westerly Winds (SWW). PMIP2 and PMIP3 experiments, as well as the “abrupt 4 × CO2” simulations from CMIP5, were analyzed. Robust findings include poleward expansion of the Mean Meridional Circulation (MMC) and intensified and poleward‐shifted SWW in the 4 × CO2 simulations (consistent with recent observations and 21st century climate change projections); and for the LGM, stronger and southward shifted northern hemisphere MMC, and weakened southern Hadley cell. However, six of the eight LGM simulations show a decrease in the SWW, the other two models simulate the opposite. A critical difference between the models is strong coupling between sea‐ice extent, surface temperature gradients, SWW, and Ferrel cell in the two models with stronger and poleward‐shifted SWW.