Drought in the northern Bahamas from 3300 to 2500 years ago

TitleDrought in the northern Bahamas from 3300 to 2500 years ago
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2018
Authorsvan Hengstum, PJ, Maale, G, Donnelly, JP, Albury, NA, Onac, BP, Sullivan, RM, Winkler, TS, Tamalavage, AE, MacDonald, D
JournalQuaternary Science Reviews
Volume186
Pagination169 - 185
Date PublishedJan-04-2018
ISSN02773791
Abstract

Intensification and western displacement of the North Atlantic Subtropical High (NASH) is projected for this century, which can decrease Caribbean and southeastern American rainfall on seasonal and annual timescales. However, additional hydroclimate records are needed from the northern Caribbean to understand the long-term behavior of the NASH, and better forecast its future behavior. Here we present a multi-proxy sinkhole lake reconstruction from a carbonate island that is proximal to the NASH (Abaco Island, The Bahamas). The reconstruction indicates the northern Bahamas experienced a drought from ∼3300 to ∼2500 Cal yrs BP, which coincides with evidence from other hydroclimate and oceanographic records (e.g., Africa, Caribbean, and South America) for a synchronous southern displacement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and North Atlantic Hadley Cell. The specific cause of the hydroclimate change in the northeastern Caribbean region from ∼3300 to 2500 Cal yrs BP was probably coeval southern or western displacement of the NASH, which would have increased northeastern Caribbean exposure to subsiding air from higher altitudes.

URLhttps://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0277379117306273
DOI10.1016/j.quascirev.2018.02.014