Stalagmite evidence for Early Holocene multidecadal hydroclimate variability in Ethiopia

Asfawossen Asrat*, Andy Baker, Wuhui Duan, Melanie J. Leng, Ian Boomer, Rabeya Akter, Gregoire Mariethoz, Lewis Adler, Catherine N. Jex, Meklit Yadeta, Lisheng Wang

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

23 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

A multiproxy oxygen and carbon isotope (δ13C and δ18O), growth rate, and trace element stalagmite paleoenvironmental record is presented for the Early Holocene from Ethiopia. The annually laminated stalagmite grew from 10.6 to 10.4 ka and from 9.7 to 9.0 ka with a short hiatus at ∼9.25 ka. Statistically significant and coherent spectral frequencies in δ13C and δ18O are observed at 15-25 and 19-23 years, respectively. The observed ∼1‰ amplitude variability in stalagmite δ18O is likely forced by nonequilibrium deposition, due to kinetic effects during the progressive degassing of CO2 from the water film during stalagmite formation. These frequencies are similar to the periodicity reported for other Holocene stalagmite records from Ethiopia, suggesting that multidecadal variability in stalagmite δ18O is typical. Several processes can lead to this multidecadal variability and operate in different directions. A hydroclimate forcing is likely the primary control on the extent of the partial evaporation of soil and shallow epikarst water and associated isotopic fractionation. The resulting oxygen isotope composition of percolation water is subsequently modulated by karst hydrology. Further isotopic fractionation is possible in-cave during nonequilibrium stalagmite deposition. Combined with possible recharge biases in drip-water δ18O, these processes can generate multidecadal δ18O variability.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)67-81
Number of pages15
JournalQuaternary Research (United States)
Volume110
Early online date29 Jun 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Stable isotope analyses were funded by NERC National Environmental Isotope Facility grant (IP-1099-0509) and Australian Research Council LIEF funding. U-Th dating was funded by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (grant no. XDB26020000). Fieldwork to the Mechara caves and subsequent sample preparation (lamina counting, drilling) was supported by START-PACOM, the UK Royal Society, and the Leverhulme Trust. The School of Earth Sciences of the Addis Ababa University supported and facilitated fieldwork. Hilary Sloane undertook the stable isotope measurements at the National Environmental Isotope Facility. We thank John Gunn, Henry Lamb, and the late Mohammed Umer, who have been very helpful during the successive field trips to the Mechara caves. The editors and two anonymous reviewers are acknowledged for their valuable comments, which helped improve the original paper.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 University of Washington. Published by Cambridge University Press.

Keywords

  • Early Holocene
  • Eastern Africa
  • Multidecadal variability
  • Oxygen isotopes
  • Paleoclimate

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
  • Earth-Surface Processes
  • General Earth and Planetary Sciences

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Stalagmite evidence for Early Holocene multidecadal hydroclimate variability in Ethiopia'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this