Cave of the Bells, Arizona 53-11 KYrBP Stalagmite Oxygen Isotope Data Wagner, J.D.M.; Cole, J.E.; Beck, J.W.; Patchett, P.J.; Henderson, G.M.; Barnett, H.R. Wagner, J.D.M. Cole, J.E. Beck, J.W. Patchett, P.J. Henderson, G.M. Barnett, H.R. abrupt climate change drought hydrology earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (depth,null,null,millimeter,null,speleothems,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (delta 18O,calcium carbonate,null,per mil PDB,null,speleothems,corrected,isotope ratio mass spectrometry,N,corrected for ice volume) earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (age,null,null,calendar year before present,null,speleothems,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (delta 18O,calcium carbonate,null,per mil PDB,null,speleothems,raw,isotope ratio mass spectrometry,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/speleothems (Cave of the Bells>LATITUDE 31.75>LONGITUDE -110.75) Many regions of the world experienced abrupt climate variability during the last glacial period (75-15 thousand years ago). These changes probably arose from interactions between Northern Hemisphere ice sheets and circulation in the North Atlantic Ocean, but the rapid and widespread propagation of these changes requires a large-scale atmospheric response whose details remain unclear. Here we use an oxygen isotope record from a speleothem collected from the Cave of the Bells, Arizona, USA, to reconstruct aridity in the southwestern United States during the last glacial period and deglaciation. We find that, during this period, aridity in the southwestern United States and climate in the North Atlantic region show similar patterns of variability. Periods of warmth in the North Atlantic Ocean, such as interstadials and the Bølling-Allerød warming, correspond to drier conditions in the southwestern United States. Conversely, cooler temperatures in the high latitudes are associated with increased regional moisture. We propose that interstadial warming of the North Atlantic Ocean diverted the westerly storm track northward, perhaps through weakening of the Aleutian Low, and thereby reduced moisture delivery to southwestern North America. A similar response to future warming would exacerbate aridity in this already very dry region. STUDY NOTES: High-resolution stalagmite oxygen isotope data from Cave of the Bells, Arizona, USA. Stalagmite COB-01-02 was recovered in July 2001, and sampled for stable isotope analysis at 100 um increments. 62 U-Th dates provide age control. Average time step of the d18O data is ~35 years, allowing for interpretation of abrupt climate variability in the Southwestern USA. NCDC-Paleoclimatology https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/paleoclimatology-data - Bauer Bruce Investigator : Wagner, J.D.M. Investigator : Cole, J.E. Investigator : Beck, J.W. Investigator : Patchett, P.J. Investigator : Henderson, G.M. Investigator : Barnett, H.R. 2010-10-08 ONLINE Files online, ASCII https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/study/9738 https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/speleothem/northamerica/usa/arizona/bells2010.xls https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/syntrace/speleothem/cave-bells-cob-01-02.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/speleothem/northamerica/usa/arizona/bells2010.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/speleothem/northamerica/usa/arizona/bells2010.xls https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/syntrace/speleothem/cave-bells-cob-01-02.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/speleothem/northamerica/usa/arizona/bells2010.txt English https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/study/9738 https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/speleothem/northamerica/usa/arizona/bells2010.xls https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/syntrace/speleothem/cave-bells-cob-01-02.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/speleothem/northamerica/usa/arizona/bells2010.txt Wagner, J.D.M., J.E. Cole, J.W. Beck, P.J. Patchett, G.M. Henderson, and H.R. Barnett. 2010. Moisture variability in the southwestern United States linked to abrupt glacial climate change. Nature Geoscience, Vol. 3, pp. 110-113, February 2010. DOI: 10.1038/NGEO707 START YEAR: 53335 cal yr BP * END YEAR: 11484 cal yr BP -110.75 31.75 -110.75 31.75