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Millennial pulses of African dust and ITCZ shifts in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific

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  • Danielle E. Schimmenti

    (Texas A&M University)

  • Franco Marcantonio

    (Texas A&M University)

  • M. Roxana Sierra-Hernández

    (The Ohio State University)

  • Matthew W. Schmidt

    (Old Dominion University)

Abstract

We present high-resolution records of detrital Pb and Nd isotopes from marine core site MV1014-02-17JC (00° 10.8297’S, 85° 52.0042’W) in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific (EEP) and use a Bayesian isotope mixing model, MixSIAR, to quantify global dust source contributions since the onset of the last glaciation 30,000 yr ago. We find that in addition to South American dust from the Andean margin, North African dust from the Saharan desert makes up significant proportions of the EEP dust delivered to the site of study. The proportion of North African dust was significantly enhanced during the cold Northern Hemisphere stadials, Heinrich Stadial 1 and the Younger Dryas, when dust fluxes were also higher. During the warm Bølling-Allerød and African Humid Periods, dust fluxes were decreased, and the proportion of South American dust was enhanced. We suggest the variability in the proportions of northern vs. southern hemisphere sourced dust in the EEP is indicative of large climate-related meridional shifts (>7°) in the average position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone, a major precipitation belt which, today, affects the lives of billions across our planet.

Suggested Citation

  • Danielle E. Schimmenti & Franco Marcantonio & M. Roxana Sierra-Hernández & Matthew W. Schmidt, 2025. "Millennial pulses of African dust and ITCZ shifts in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-8, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-60773-7
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-60773-7
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    1. Peter F. Craigmile, 2017. "EnvStats: An R Package for Environmental Statistics by Steven P. Millard," Journal of Agricultural, Biological and Environmental Statistics, Springer;The International Biometric Society;American Statistical Association, vol. 22(1), pages 107-108, March.
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