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AMOC-forced southward migration of the ITCZ under a warm climate background

Publication ,  Journal Article
Kraft, L; Campos, MC; Nascimento, RA; Dias, BB; Crivellari, S; Kochhann, MVL; Bertassoli, DJ; Venancio, IM; Santos, TP; Baker, PA; Silva, CG ...
Published in: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology
March 1, 2025

Northern northeastern Brazil (NEB) is a climate change hotspot due to its high biological and social vulnerability to ongoing and future hydroclimate changes. Precipitation in this region is influenced by the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), which is largely controlled by the strength of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Accordingly, the projected weakening of the AMOC due to anthropogenic global warming may substantially change NEB hydroclimate. Heinrich Stadials (HS), past millennial-scale events during which the AMOC was significantly weaker, provide important insights into the AMOC-ITCZ dynamics. This is especially true for those HS that occurred under similar to modern boundary conditions. HS10 (ca. 110 thousand years ago) was the first HS of Marine Isotope Stage 5, providing an ideal target for investigating AMOC-ITCZ dynamics under relatively warm climate conditions. Here we investigate the response of the surface and deep western equatorial Atlantic (WEA) circulation, as well as NEB precipitation to HS10. Therefore, we use foraminiferal carbon and oxygen stable isotopes and bulk sediment major elemental data from a marine sediment core retrieved from the WEA. Our results record a weakening of the AMOC during HS10 and show a concurrent increased WEA upper stratification and precipitation over NEB. We suggest that the mechanism controlling the WEA upper ocean stratification during HS depends on the background climate. Furthermore, we infer that the southward shift of the ITCZ during HS10 was more limited if compared to the shifts that occurred under colder climate background. Our findings provide useful insights into how a weakening of the AMOC under a relatively warm climate can impact the ITCZ and tropical South American precipitation.

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Published In

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

DOI

ISSN

0031-0182

Publication Date

March 1, 2025

Volume

661

Related Subject Headings

  • Paleontology
  • 4301 Archaeology
  • 3709 Physical geography and environmental geoscience
  • 0603 Evolutionary Biology
  • 0602 Ecology
  • 0403 Geology
 

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Kraft, L., Campos, M. C., Nascimento, R. A., Dias, B. B., Crivellari, S., Kochhann, M. V. L., … Chiessi, C. M. (2025). AMOC-forced southward migration of the ITCZ under a warm climate background. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 661. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2024.112705
Kraft, L., M. C. Campos, R. A. Nascimento, B. B. Dias, S. Crivellari, M. V. L. Kochhann, D. J. Bertassoli, et al. “AMOC-forced southward migration of the ITCZ under a warm climate background.” Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 661 (March 1, 2025). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2024.112705.
Kraft L, Campos MC, Nascimento RA, Dias BB, Crivellari S, Kochhann MVL, et al. AMOC-forced southward migration of the ITCZ under a warm climate background. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 2025 Mar 1;661.
Kraft, L., et al. “AMOC-forced southward migration of the ITCZ under a warm climate background.” Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, vol. 661, Mar. 2025. Scopus, doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2024.112705.
Kraft L, Campos MC, Nascimento RA, Dias BB, Crivellari S, Kochhann MVL, Bertassoli DJ, Venancio IM, Santos TP, Baker PA, Silva CG, Chiessi CM. AMOC-forced southward migration of the ITCZ under a warm climate background. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 2025 Mar 1;661.
Journal cover image

Published In

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

DOI

ISSN

0031-0182

Publication Date

March 1, 2025

Volume

661

Related Subject Headings

  • Paleontology
  • 4301 Archaeology
  • 3709 Physical geography and environmental geoscience
  • 0603 Evolutionary Biology
  • 0602 Ecology
  • 0403 Geology