Indonesian vegetation response to changes in rainfall seasonality over the past 25,000 years

TitleIndonesian vegetation response to changes in rainfall seasonality over the past 25,000 years
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2014
AuthorsDubois, N, Oppo, DW, Galy, VV, Mohtadi, M, van der Kaars, S, Tierney, JE, Rosenthal, Y, Eglinton, TI, L?ckge, A, Linsley, BK
JournalNature Geoscience
Volume7449278721172063253871891072011563523665412739429544323
Issue7
Pagination513 - 517
Date PublishedJan-06-2014
ISSN1752-0894
KeywordsPalaeoclimate, Palaeoecology
Abstract

The hydrologic response to climate forcing in the Indo-Pacific warm pool region has varied spatially over the past 25,000 years1, 2, 3, 4, 5. For example, drier conditions are inferred on Java and Borneo for the period following the end of the Last Glacial Maximum, whereas wetter conditions are reconstructed for northwest Australia4. The response of vegetation to these past rainfall variations is poorly constrained. Using a suite of 30 surface marine sediment samples from throughout the Indo-Pacific warm pool, we demonstrate that today the stable isotopic composition of vascular plant fatty acids (δ13Cfa) reflects the regional vegetation composition. This in turn is controlled by the seasonality of rainfall consistent with dry season water stress6. Applying this proxy in a sediment core from offshore northeast Borneo, we show broadly similar vegetation cover during the Last Glacial Maximum and the Holocene, suggesting that, despite generally drier glacial conditions1, 7, there was no pronounced dry season. In contrast, δ13Cfa and pollen data from a core off the coast of Sumba indicate an expansion of C4 herbs during the most recent glaciation, implying enhanced aridity and water stress during the dry season. Holocene vegetation trends are also consistent with a response to dry season water stress. We therefore conclude that vegetation in tropical monsoon regions is susceptible to increases in water stress arising from an enhanced seasonality of rainfall, as has occurred8 in past decades.

URLhttp://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/ngeo2182
DOI10.1038/ngeo2182