The role of the tropics in global climate change is actively debated, particularly in regard to the timing and magnitude of thermal and hydrological response. Continuous, high‐resolution temperature records through the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) from tropical oceans have provided much insight but surface temperature reconstructions do not exist from tropical continental environments. Here we used the TEX 86 paleotemperature proxy to reconstruct mean annual lake surface temperatures through the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in Lake Malawi, East Africa (9°–14°S). We find a ∼3.5°C overall warming since the LGM, with temperature reversals of ∼2°C during the Younger Dryas (12.5 ka BP) and at 8.2 ka BP. Maximum Holocene temperatures of ∼29°C were found at 5 ka BP, a period preceding severe drought in Africa. These results suggest a substantial thermal response of southeastern tropical Africa to deglaciation and to varying conditions during the Holocene.
Research Article| September 01, 2007 Wet and arid phases in the southeast African tropics since the Last Glacial Maximum Isla S. Castañeda; Isla S. Castañeda 1Large Lakes Observatory, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, Minnesota 55812, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Josef P. Werne; Josef P. Werne 2Large Lakes Observatory and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, Minnesota 55812, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Thomas C. Johnson Thomas C. Johnson 3Large Lakes Observatory and Department of Geological Sciences, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, Minnesota 55812, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Isla S. Castañeda 1Large Lakes Observatory, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, Minnesota 55812, USA Josef P. Werne 2Large Lakes Observatory and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, Minnesota 55812, USA Thomas C. Johnson 3Large Lakes Observatory and Department of Geological Sciences, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, Minnesota 55812, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 22 Mar 2007 Revision Received: 26 Apr 2007 Accepted: 01 May 2007 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 The Geological Society of America, Inc. Geology (2007) 35 (9): 823–826. https://doi.org/10.1130/G23916A.1 Article history Received: 22 Mar 2007 Revision Received: 26 Apr 2007 Accepted: 01 May 2007 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Isla S. Castañeda, Josef P. Werne, Thomas C. Johnson; Wet and arid phases in the southeast African tropics since the Last Glacial Maximum. Geology 2007;; 35 (9): 823–826. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G23916A.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Plant leaf wax carbon isotopes provide a record of C3 versus C4 vegetation, a sensitive indicator of aridity, from the southeast African tropics since the Last Glacial Maximum. Wet and arid phases in southeast Africa were in phase with conditions in the global tropics from 23 to 11 ka, but at the start of the Holocene these relationships ended and an antiphase relationship prevailed. The abrupt switch from in phase to out of phase conditions may partially be attributed to a southward displacement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) during the last glacial. Southward displacements of the ITCZ are also linked to arid conditions in southeast Africa during the Younger Dryas and the Little Ice Age. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.