Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dzt6s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T04:56:49.700Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Paleoproductivity Variations in the Equatorial Arabian Sea: Implications for East African and Indian Summer Rainfalls and the El Niño Frequency

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Manish Tiwari*
Affiliation:
Planetary and Geosciences Division, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, 380 009 India
Rengaswamy Ramesh
Affiliation:
Planetary and Geosciences Division, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, 380 009 India
Ravi Bhushan
Affiliation:
Planetary and Geosciences Division, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, 380 009 India
B L K Somayajulu
Affiliation:
Planetary and Geosciences Division, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, 380 009 India
A J Timothy Jull
Affiliation:
NSF Arizona AMS Facility, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, 85721 USA
George S Burr
Affiliation:
NSF Arizona AMS Facility, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, 85721 USA
*
Corresponding author. Email: tmanish@prl.res.in.
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

We analyzed a sediment core from the equatorial Arabian Sea, chronologically constrained by accurate accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates on selected planktonic foraminiferal species, for paleoproductivity variations corresponding to the variations in the Indian Ocean Equatorial Westerlies (IEW). The IEW in turn are positively correlated to the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), which is a measure of El Niño, Southwest monsoon (SWM), and east African rainfall (EAR). The productivity data show that Indian and east African rainfalls declined from 35,000 calendar yr BP up to the last glacial maximum (LGM), with the maximum El Niño frequency during the last glacial period. From ∼14,500 to ∼2000 calendar yr BP (i.e. core top), we find strengthening SWM and EAR along with declining El Niño frequency.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © 2006 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

References

Agnihotri, R, Bhattacharya, SK, Sarin, MM, Somayajulu, BLK. 2003a. Changes in the surface productivity and subsurface denitrification during the Holocene: a multiproxy study from the eastern Arabian Sea. The Holocene 13:701–13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Agnihotri, R, Sarin, MM, Somayajulu, BLK, Jull, AJT, Burr, GS. 2003b. Late-Quaternary biogenic productivity and organic carbon deposition in the eastern Arabian Sea. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 197:4360.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bassinot, FC, Beaufort, L, Vincent, E, Labeyrie, LD, Rostek, F, Müller, PJ, Quidelleur, X, Lancelot, Y. 1994. Coarse fraction fluctuations in pelagic carbonate sediments from the tropical Indian Ocean: a 1500-kyr record of carbonate dissolution. Paleoceanography 9(4):579600.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beaufort, L, Lancelot, Y, Camberlin, P, Cayre, O, Vincent, E, Bassinot, F, Labeyrie, L. 1997. Insolation cycles as a major control of equatorial Indian Ocean primary production. Science 278:1451–4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beltrando, G, Camberlin, P. 1993. Interannual variability of rainfall in the eastern Horn of Africa and indicators of atmospheric circulation. International Journal of Climatology 13:533–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bhatt, US. 1989. Circulation regimes of rainfall anomalies in the African-South Asian monsoon belt. Journal of Climate 2:489–97.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bhushan, R, Dutta, K, Somayajulu, BLK. 2001. Concentrations and burial fluxes of organic and inorganic carbon on the eastern margins of the Arabian Sea. Marine Geology 178:95113.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bjerkness, J. 1969. Atmospheric teleconnections from the equatorial Pacific. Monthly Weather Review 97:163–72.2.3.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bond, G, Showers, W, Cheseby, M, Lotti, R, Alamasi, P, deMenocal, P, Priore, P, Cullen, H, Hajdas, I, Bonani, G. 1997. A pervasive millennial-scale cycle in North Atlantic Holocene and glacial climates. Science 278:1257–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Borole, DV, Krishnaswami, S, Somayajulu, BLK. 1982. Uranium isotopes in rivers, estuaries and adjacent coastal sediments of western India: their weathering, transport and oceanic budget. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 46:125–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campbell, ID, Campbell, C, Apps, MJ, Rutter, NW, Bush, ABG. 1998. Late Holocene ∼1500 yr climate periodicities and their implications. Geology 26:471–3.2.3.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clemens, S, Prell, WL, Howard, WR. 1987. Retrospective dry bulk density estimates from southeast Indian Ocean sediments: comparison of water loss and chloride-ion methods. Marine Geology 76:5769.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clemens, S, Prell, WL, Murray, D, Shimmield, G, Weedom, G. 1991. Forcing mechanisms of the Indian Ocean monsoon. Nature 353:720–5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dansgaard, W, Johnsen, SJ, Clausen, HB, Dahl-Jensen, D, Gundestrup, NS, Hammer, CU, Hvidberg, CS, Steffensen, JP, Sveinbjörnsdóttir, AE, Jouzel, J, Bond, G. 1993. Evidence for general instability of past climate from a 250-kyr ice-core record. Nature 364:218–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dutta, K, Bhushan, R, Somayajulu, BLK. 2001. ΔR correction values for the northern Indian Ocean. Radiocarbon 43(2A):483–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ganeshram, RS, Calvert, SE, Pederson, TF, Cowie, GA. 1999. Factors controlling the burial of organic carbon in laminated and bioturbated sediments off NW Mexico: implications for hydrocarbon preservation. Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta 63:1723–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grootes, PM, Stuiver, M. 1997. Oxygen 18/16 variability in Greenland snow and ice with 10-3 to 105-year time resolution. Journal of Geophysical Research C102:26,45570.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grootes, PM, Stuiver, M, White, JWC, Johnsen, S, Jouzel, J. 1993. Comparison of oxygen isotope records from the GISP2 and GRIP Greenland ice cores. Nature 366:552–4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gupta, AK, Anderson, DM, Overpeck, JT. 2003. Abrupt changes in the Asian southwest monsoon during the Holocene and their links to the North Atlantic Ocean. Nature 421:354–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hastenrath, SL, de Castro, L, Aceituno, P. 1987. The Southern Oscillation in tropical Atlantic sector. Contributions to Atmospheric Physics 60:447–63.Google Scholar
Hastenrath, SL, Nicklis, A, Greischar, G. 1993. Atmospheric-hydrospheric mechanisms of climate anomalies in the western equatorial Indian Ocean. Journal of Geophysical Research 98(C11):20,21935.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoefs, J. 1997. Stable Isotope Geochemistry. 4th edition. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. 41 p.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jull, AJT, Donahue, DJ, Linick, TW. 1989. Carbon-14 activities in recently fallen meteorites and Antarctic meteorites. Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta 53:2095–100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kroopnick, PM. 1985. The distribution of 13C of ΣGCO2 in the world oceans. Deep-Sea Research 32:7584.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leuschner, DC, Sirocko, F. 2003. Orbital insolation forcing of the Indian monsoon: a motor for global climate changes? Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 197:8395.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Linick, TW, Jull, AJT, Toolin, LJ, Donahue, DJ. 1986. Operation of the NSF Arizona facility for radioisotope analysis and results from selected collaborative research projects. Radiocarbon 28(2A):522–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mackenzie, T. 1980. Global carbon cycle: some minor sinks for CO2 . Reports of the workshop “Flux of Organic Carbon by Rivers to the Oceans.” 21–25 September 1980. Woods Hole, USA.Google Scholar
Martarira, CH. 1990. Drought over Zimbabwe in a regional and global context. International Journal of Climatology 10:609–25.Google Scholar
Mayewski, PA, Meeker, LD, Twickler, MS, Whitlow, S, Yang, Q, Prentice, M. 1998. Major features and forcing of high-latitude Northern Hemisphere atmospheric circulation using 110,000-year-long glaciochemical series. Journal of Geophysical Research 102:345–66.Google Scholar
McIntyre, A, Molfino, B. 1996. Forcing of Atlantic equatorial and subpolar millennial cycles by precession. Science 274:1867–70.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Meyers, PA. 1994. Preservation of elemental and isotopic source identification of sedimentary organic matter. Chemical Geology 114:289302.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morrill, C, Overpeck, JT, Cole, EJ. 2003. A synthesis of abrupt changes in the Asian summer monsoon since the last deglaciation. The Holocene 13:465–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Muller, PJ, Suess, E. 1979. Productivity, sedimentation rate and sedimentary organic matter in the oceans–I: organic carbon preservation. Deep-Sea Research 26:1347–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Naidu, PD, Malmgren, BA. 1999. Quaternary carbonate record from the equatorial Indian Ocean and its relationship with productivity changes. Marine Geology 161:4962.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O'Brien, JJ, Hulburt, HE. 1974. Equatorial jet in the Indian Ocean: theory. Science 184:1075–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ogallo, LJ, Janowiak, JE, Halpert, MS. 1998. Teleconnection between seasonal rainfall over east Africa and global surface temperature anomalies. Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan 66(6):807–21.Google Scholar
Pailler, D, Bard, E, Rostek, F, Zheng, Y, Mortlock, R, van Geen, A. 2002. Burial redox-sensitive metals and organic matter in the equatorial Indian Ocean linked to precession. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 66(5):849–65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pant, GB, Parthasarathy, B. 1981. Some aspects of an association between the Southern Oscillation and Indian summer monsoon. Archiv für Meteorologie, Geophysik und Bioklimatologie 29(B):245–51.Google Scholar
Peterson, LC, Prell, WL. 1985. Carbonate dissolution in recent sediments of the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean: preservation patterns and carbonate loss above the lysocline. Marine Geology 64:259–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Premuzic, ET, Benkovitz, CM, Gaffney, JS, Walsh, JJ. 1982. The nature and distribution of organic matter in the surface sediments of the world oceans and seas. Organic Chemistry 4:6377.Google Scholar
Ramesh, R, Tiwari, M. 2005. Significance of stable oxygen (δ18O) and carbon (δ13C) isotopic compositions of individual foraminifera (O. universa) in a sediment core from the eastern Arabian Sea. In: Sinha, DK, editor. Micropaleontology: Application in Stratigraphy & Paleoceanography. New Delhi: Narosa. p 309–30.Google Scholar
Rasmusson, EM, Carpenter, TH. 1983. The relationship between eastern equatorial Pacific sea surface temperature and rainfall over India and Sri Lanka. Monthly Weather Review 111:517–28.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reichert, GJ, Dulk, MD, Visser, HJ, van der Weijden, CH, Zachariasse, WJ. 1997. A 225 kyr record of dust supply, paleoproductivity and the oxygen minimum zone from the Murray Ridge (northern Arabian Sea). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 134:149–69.Google Scholar
Reverdin, G, Cadet, DL, Gutzler, D. 1986. Interannual displacement of convection and surface circulation over the equatorial Indian Ocean. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society 112:4367.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rixen, T, Ittekkot, B, Gaye, BH, Schafer, P. 2000. The influence of the SW monsoon on the deep-sea organic carbon cycle in the Holocene. Deep-Sea Research II 47:2629–51.Google Scholar
Ropelewski, CF, Halpert, MS. 1987. Global and regional scale precipitation patterns associated with the El Niño/Southern Oscillation. Monthly Weather Review 115:1606–26.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rostek, F, Ruhland, G, Bassinot, FC, Muller, PJ, Labeyrie, LD, Lancelot, Y, Bard, E. 1993. Reconstructing sea surface temperature and salinity using δ18O and alkenone records. Nature 364:319–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rostek, F, Bard, E, Beaufort, L, Sonzogni, C, Ganssen, G. 1997. Sea surface temperature and productivity records for the past 240 kyr in the Arabian Sea. Deep-Sea Research II 44:1461–80.Google Scholar
Sarkar, A, Bhattacharya, SK, Sarin, MM. 1993. Geochemical evidence for anoxic deep water in the Arabian Sea during the last glaciation. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 57:1009–16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sarkar, A, Ramesh, R, Somayajulu, BLK, Agnihotri, R, Jull, AJT, Burr, GS. 2000. High resolution Holocene monsoon record from the eastern Arabian Sea. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 177:209–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schott, FA, McCreary, JP Jr. 2001. The monsoon circulation of the Indian Ocean. Progress in Oceanography 51:1123.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schulte, S, Bard, E. 2003. Past changes in biologically mediated dissolution of calcite above the chemical lysocline recorded in Indian Ocean sediments. Quaternary Science Reviews 22:1757–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schulte, S, Rostek, F, Bard, E, Rullkotter, J, Marchal, O. 1999. Variations of oxygen-minimum and primary productivity recorded in sediments of the Arabian Sea. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 173:205–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schulz, M, Mudelsee, M. 2002. Estimating red-noise spectra directly from unevenly spaced paleoclimatic time series. Computers and Geosciences 28:421–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schulz, H, von Rad, U, Erlenkeuser, H. 1998. Correlation between Arabian Sea and Greenland climate oscillations of the past 110,000 years. Nature 393:54–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sirocko, F, Sarnthein, M, Erlenkreuser, H, Lange, H, Arnold, M, Duplessy, JC. 1993. Century-scale events in monsoon climate over the past 24,000 years. Nature 364:322–4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sirocko, F, Garbe-Schönberg, D, McIntyre, A, Molfino, B. 1996. Teleconnections between the subtropical monsoons and high-latitude climates during the last deglaciation. Science 272:526–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sirocko, F, Garbe-Schönberg, D, Devey, C. 2000. Processes controlling trace element geochemistry of Arabian Sea sediments during the last 25,000 years. Global and Planetary Change 26:217303.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Somayajulu, BLK, Yadav, DN, Sarin, MM. 1994. Recent sedimentary records from the Arabian Sea. Proceedings of Indian Academy of Science 103:315–27.Google Scholar
Southon, J, Kashgarian, M, Fontugne, M, Metivier, B, Yim, W-S Wyss, . 2002. Marine reservoir corrections for the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia. Radiocarbon 44(1):167–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stuiver, M, Reimer, PJ, Bard, E, Beck, JW, Burr, GS, Hughen, KA, Kromer, B, McCormac, G, van der Plicht, J, Spurk, M. 1998. IntCa198 radiocarbon age calibration, 24,000–0 cal BR Radiocarbon 40(3):1041–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thamban, M, Rao, VP, Schneider, RR, Grootes, PM. 2001. Glacial to Holocene fluctuations in hydrography and productivity along the southwestern continental margin of India. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 165:113–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tiwari, M, Ramesh, R, Somayajulu, BLK, Jull, AJT, Burr, GS. 2005a. Early deglacial (∼19–17 ka) strengthening of the northeast monsoon. Geophysical Research Letters 32(19):L19712, doi: 10.1029/2005GL024070.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tiwari, M, Ramesh, R, Somayajulu, BLK, Jull, AJT, Burr, GS. 2005b. Paleomonsoon precipitation deduced from a sediment core from the equatorial Indian Ocean. Geo-Marine Letters: doi: 10.1007/s00367-005–00120.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tribovillard, N-P, Caulet, J-P, Vergnaud-Grazzini, C, Moureau, N, Tremblay, P. 1996. Lack of organic matter accumulation on the upwelling-influenced Somalia Margin in a glacial-interglacial transition. Marine Geology 133:157–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Heerden, J, Terblancke, E, Schulze, GC. 1988. The Southern Oscillation and South African rainfall. Journal of Climatology 8:577–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walker, TN. 1990. Links between South African summer rainfall and temperature variability of the Agulhas and Benguela current systems. Journal of Geophysical Research 95(C3):3297–319.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wrytki, K. 1973. Physical oceanography of the Indian Ocean. In: Zeitzschel, B, editor. The Biology of the Indian Ocean. New York: Springer-Verlag. p 1836.Google Scholar