Mapungubwe, South Africa 1000 Year Baobab Tree Carbon Isotope Data Woodborne, S.; Gandiwa, P.; Hall, G.; Patrut, A.; Finch, J. Woodborne, S. Gandiwa, P. Hall, G. Patrut, A. Finch, J. ADDI Adansonia digitata baobab monkey bread tree earth science/paleoclimate/tree ring (delta 13C,alpha cellulose,null,per mil VPDB,null,tree ring,composited|corrected,isotope ratio mass spectrometry,N,corrected for the decrease in atmospheric δ13C values due to the rise in CO2 caused by fossil fuel combustion since the beginning of the industrialization; composite of 9 trees) earth science/paleoclimate/tree ring (delta 13C,alpha cellulose,null,per mil VPDB,null,tree ring,composited|corrected|smoothed,isotope ratio mass spectrometry,N,corrected for the decrease in atmospheric δ13C values due to the rise in CO2 caused by fossil fuel combustion since the beginning of the industrialization; smooth: 21-year biweight mean; composite of 5 trees) earth science/paleoclimate/tree ring (delta 13C,alpha cellulose,variance,per mil VPDB,null,tree ring,composited|corrected|smoothed,isotope ratio mass spectrometry,N,corrected for the decrease in atmospheric δ13C values due to the rise in CO2 caused by fossil fuel combustion since the beginning of the industrialization; smooth: 21-year biweight variance; composite of 5 trees) earth science/paleoclimate/tree ring (delta 13C,alpha cellulose,null,per mil VPDB,null,tree ring,composited|corrected,isotope ratio mass spectrometry,N,corrected for the decrease in atmospheric δ13C values due to the rise in CO2 caused by fossil fuel combustion since the beginning of the industrialization; composite of 5 trees) earth science/paleoclimate/tree ring (delta 13C,alpha cellulose,null,per mil VPDB,null,tree ring,composited|corrected|smoothed,isotope ratio mass spectrometry,N,corrected for the decrease in atmospheric δ13C values due to the rise in CO2 caused by fossil fuel combustion since the beginning of the industrialization; smooth: 21-year biweight mean; composite of 9 trees) earth science/paleoclimate/tree ring (age,null,null,year Common Era,null,tree ring,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/tree ring (delta 13C,alpha cellulose,variance,per mil VPDB,null,tree ring,composited|corrected|smoothed,isotope ratio mass spectrometry,N,corrected for the decrease in atmospheric δ13C values due to the rise in CO2 caused by fossil fuel combustion since the beginning of the industrialization; smooth: 21-year biweight variance; composite of 9 trees) earth science/paleoclimate/tree-ring (Mapungubwe>LATITUDE >LONGITUDE ) Carbon isotope analysis of four baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) trees from the Pafuri region of South Africa yielded a 1000-year proxy rainfall record. The Pafuri record age model was based on 17 radiocarbon dates, cross correlation of the climate record, and ring structures that were presumed to be annual for two of the trees. Here we present the analysis of five additional baobabs from the Mapungubwe region, approximately 200km west of Pafuri. The Mapungubwe chronology demonstrates that ring structures are not necessarily annually formed, and accordingly the Pafuri chronology is revised. Changes in intrinsic water-use efficiency indicate an active response by the trees to elevated atmospheric CO2, but this has little effect on the environmental signal. The revised Pafuri record, and the new Mapungubwe record correlate significantly with local rainfall. Both records confirm that the Medieval Warm Period was substantially wetter than present, and the Little Ice Age was the driest period in the last 1000 years. Although Mapungubwe is generally drier than Pafuri, both regions experience elevated rainfall peaking between AD 1570 and AD 1620 after which dry conditions persist in the Mapungubwe area until about AD 1840. Differences between the two records correlate with Agulhas Current sea-surface temperature variations suggesting east/west displacement of the temperate tropical trough system as an underlying mechanism. The Pafuri and Mapungubwe records are combined to provide a regional climate proxy record for the northern summer rainfall area of southern Africa. STUDY NOTES: Carbon isotopic data of tree rings from South African baobab trees (Adansonia digitata L.) as a rainfall proxy. Composite record derived from 5 boabab trees. IITRDB20 NCDC-Paleoclimatology https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/paleoclimatology-data - Bauer Bruce Investigator : Woodborne, S. Investigator : Gandiwa, P. Investigator : Hall, G. Investigator : Patrut, A. Investigator : Finch, J. 2016-07-25 ONLINE Files online, ASCII https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/study/19320 https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/treering/isotope/africa/mapungubwe-pafuri2016d13c.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/treering/isotope/africa/mapungubwe2016d13c.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/treering/isotope/africa/mapungubwe-pafuri2016d13c.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/treering/isotope/africa/mapungubwe2016d13c.txt English https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/study/19320 https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/treering/isotope/africa/mapungubwe-pafuri2016d13c.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/treering/isotope/africa/mapungubwe2016d13c.txt Stephan Woodborne, Patience Gandiwa, Grant Hall, Adrian Patrut, and Jemma Finch2016A Regional Stable Carbon Isotope Dendro-Climatology from the South African Summer Rainfall AreaPLoS ONEe015936111710.1371/journal.pone.0159361http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0159361 START YEAR: 999 AD * END YEAR: 2014 AD 29.277717 -23.262856 31.555185 -22.183267