Large Variations of Atmospheric 14C Associated With Dansgaard-Oeschger Cycles 10- 13

A 1.7 m long stalagmite from Moomi Cave, Socotra Island in the Indian Ocean provides a continuous, high- resolution record of climate change between 53 and 41 kyr BP. In the northern high-latitude regions, this time period is characterized by several rapid climate change events, corresponding to Dansgaard-Oeschger (D/O) cycles 10-13. It has been suggested that these D/O cycles may be global events but high-resolution data from the low-latitude regions are scarce. As a result, the driving and feedback mechanisms of these rapid changes remain poorly understood. The presented stalagmite data of U/Th, stable isotopes (del 18O, del 13C) and radiocarbon (14C) provide unique information regarding the nature and timing of rapid climate changes in the tropics. A depth-age model for the Moomi Cave stalagmite was developed from 25 high-precision U/Th measurements, providing a solid chronology for this record. Oxygen isotope measurements of the stalagmite calcite reveal several large variations that are believed to reflect changes in the amount of precipitation, rather than temperature. A comparison to the Greenland Ice Core records shows a remarkable similarity to D/O cycles 10- 13 with warmer periods in the high-latitude regions being associated with increased precipitation in the tropics and vice versa. The stalagmite radiocarbon (14C) values from over 100 individual measurements reveal an almost identical cyclic pattern, tracing all four D/O cycles. Assuming no changes in the carbonate chemistry of the precipitating fluid, the radiocarbon values of the stalagmite calcite directly reflect changes in global atmospheric 14C concentrations. There are three possible explanations for these cyclic variations of 14C values: 1) changes in the carbonate chemistry of the drip water resulting in changes of the dead carbon fraction (DCF); 2) changes in the solar activity and/or Earth's magnetic field resulting in direct variations of atmospheric 14C concentrations; and 3) changes in the global ocean circulation resulting in varying amounts of 'dead' (14C-free) carbon being released into the atmosphere. We exclude the first scenario based on the fact that calcite del 13C values show very little variation throughout this record, thus excluding any significant changes in the carbonate chemistry and DCF. Based on model calculations and 10Be data from ice core records, we propose changes in the global ocean circulation as the primary mechanism for rapid changes in the atmospheric 14C reservoir.