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A 30,000 yr Record of land-ocean interaction in the eastern gulf of Guinea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Fabienne Marret ,
So-Young Kim  and
James Scourse
Fabienne Marret*
Affiliation:
School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZT, UK
So-Young Kim
Affiliation:
Division of Polar Climate Research, Korea Polar Research Institute, Get-pearl Tower, South Korea
James Scourse
Affiliation:
School of Ocean Sciences, University of Wales, Bangor, UK
*
*Corresponding author. Fax: + 44 151 7942866. E-mail address:f.marret@liv.ac.uk (F. Marret).
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Abstract

A 30,000 yr dinocyst and pollen record from the eastern equatorial Atlantic (off Cameroon) has been investigated in order to identify land–ocean linkages during the last deglacial transition. A strong correlation between the abundance of Brigantedinium spp. and the Ca/Fe ratio during the last glacial period suggests enhanced marine productivity in association with cool seawater temperatures and nutrient input linked to coastal upwelling and/or a proximal river mouth. Dry conditions are recorded on the adjacent continent with a significant representation of open vegetation indicators and the Afromontane taxon Podocarpus. After 17 calka BP these indicators register a sharp decline as a result of a climatic transition from the dry/cooler conditions of the last glacial period to the wetter/warmer conditions of the deglaciation. Simultaneously, dinocysts show a significant shift from dominant heterotrophs to an increasing abundance of autotrophs, reflecting warmer conditions. Significant changes are observed during the Younger Dryas, with a return to drier conditions and higher salinities. The start of the Holocene is marked by very low-salinity conditions, reflecting optimal monsoonal conditions over west equatorial Africa. The end of the African Humid Period is observed between 6 and 5 calka BP, followed by significant fluctuations in both terrestrial and oceanic proxies.

Keywords

Dinoflagellate cystsPollenEast equatorial AtlanticSalinityRiver dischargeLate Pleistocene–Holocene
Type
Original Articles
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 80 , Issue 1 , July 2013 , pp. 1 - 8
Copyright
University of Washington

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