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Indonesian Throughflow drove Australian climate from humid Pliocene to arid Pleistocene
Author(s) -
Christensen Beth A.,
Renema Willem,
Henderiks Jorijntje,
De Vleeschouwer David,
Groeneveld Jeroen,
Castañeda Isla S.,
Reuning Lars,
Bogus Kara,
Auer Gerald,
Ishiwa Takeshige,
McHugh Cecilia M.,
Gallagher Stephen J.,
Fulthorpe Craig S.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2017gl072977
Subject(s) - monsoon , throughflow , climatology , teleconnection , precipitation , arid , geology , oceanography , climate change , northern hemisphere , pleistocene , southern hemisphere , glacial period , paleoclimatology , geography , el niño southern oscillation , paleontology , meteorology , soil science
Late Miocene to mid‐Pleistocene sedimentary proxy records reveal that northwest Australia underwent an abrupt transition from dry to humid climate conditions at 5.5 million years (Ma), likely receiving year‐round rainfall, but after ~3.3 Ma, climate shifted toward an increasingly seasonal precipitation regime. The progressive constriction of the Indonesian Throughflow likely decreased continental humidity and transferred control of northwest Australian climate from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean, leading to drier conditions punctuated by monsoonal precipitation. The northwest dust pathway and fully established seasonal and orbitally controlled precipitation were in place by ~2.4 Ma, well after the intensification of Northern Hemisphere glaciation. The transition from humid to arid conditions was driven by changes in Pacific and Indian Ocean circulation and regional atmospheric moisture transport, influenced by the emerging Maritime Continent. We conclude that the Maritime Continent is the switchboard modulating teleconnections between tropical and high‐latitude climate systems.