Niger Delta Stable Isotope and Geochemistry Data during the Last Deglaciation Parker, A.O.; Schmidt, M.W.; Jobe, Z.R.; Slowey, N.C. Parker, A.O. Schmidt, M.W. Jobe, Z.R. Slowey, N.C. earth science/paleoclimate/paleoceanography (barium/calcium,Globigerinoides ruber,null,micromole per mole,null,paleoceanography,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/paleoceanography (age,null,null,calendar kiloyear before present,null,paleoceanography,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/paleoceanography (delta 13C,Globigerinoides ruber,null,per mil VPDB,null,paleoceanography,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/paleoceanography (number of samples,null,null,null,null,paleoceanography,null,null,N,Magnesium/Calcium number of analyses) earth science/paleoclimate/paleoceanography (magnesium/calcium,Globigerinoides ruber,one standard deviation,millimole per mole,null,paleoceanography,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/paleoceanography (notes,null,null,null,null,paleoceanography,null,null,N,Barium/Calcium number of analyses) earth science/paleoclimate/paleoceanography (delta 18O,Globigerinoides ruber,null,per mil VPDB,null,paleoceanography,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/paleoceanography (magnesium/calcium,Globigerinoides ruber,null,millimole per mole,null,paleoceanography,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/paleoceanography (barium/calcium,Globigerinoides ruber,one standard deviation,micromole per mole,null,paleoceanography,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/paleoceanography (depth,null,null,centimeter,null,paleoceanography,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/paleocean earth science/paleoclimate/paleocean earth science/paleoclimate/paleocean earth science/paleoclimate/paleocean (Fan 17, Niger Delta>LATITUDE 4.81>LONGITUDE 4.45) Widespread drought characterized the Heinrich 1 and Younger Dryas cold periods of the last deglaciation throughout much of Africa, causing large increases in dust emissions from the Sahara and Sahel. At the same time, increases in wind strength may have also contributed to dust flux, making it difficult to interpret dust records alone as reflecting changes in rainfall over the region. The Niger River has the third largest drainage basin in Africa and drains most of the Sahara and Sahel and thus preserves and propagates climatic signals. Here, we present new reconstructions of Niger Delta sea surface salinity and Niger River discharge for the last 20,000 years in order to more accurately reconstruct the onset of the Western African Monsoon system. Based on calculated d18OSEAWATER(d18OSW) and measured Ba/Ca ratios in planktonic foraminifera, these new records reflect changes in sub-Saharan precipitation across the Niger River Basin in West Africa and reveal that the West African Monsoon system began to intensify several thousand years after the equatorial Monsoon system in Central Africa. We also present new records of primary productivity in the Niger Delta that are related to wind-driven upwelling and show that productivity is decoupled from changes in Niger River discharge. Our results suggest that wind strength, rather than changes in monsoon moisture, was the primary driver of dust emissions from the Sahara and Sahel across the last deglaciation. STUDY NOTES: Provided Keywords: Deglaciation, G. ruber, abrupt climate change, West African Monsoon, Mg/Ca temperature, sea surface temperature, Ba/Ca ratios, Niger delta, Younger Dryas, Heinrich Event 1, LGM NCDC-Paleoclimatology https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/paleoclimatology-data - Bauer Bruce Investigator : Parker, A.O. Investigator : Schmidt, M.W. Investigator : Jobe, Z.R. Investigator : Slowey, N.C. 2016-12-14 ONLINE Files online, ASCII https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/study/21012 https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/contributions_by_author/parker2016/parker2016-fan17.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/contributions_by_author/parker2016/parker2016-fan17.txt English https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/study/21012 https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/contributions_by_author/parker2016/parker2016-fan17.txt Parker, A.O., M.W. Schmidt, Z.R. Jobe, and N.C. Slowey2016A new perspective on West African hydroclimate during the last deglaciationEarth and Planetary Science Letters44979-8810.1016/j.epsl.2016.05.038 START YEAR: 20910 cal yr BP * END YEAR: 550 cal yr BP 4.45 4.81 4.45 4.81