Reduced Interannual Rainfall Variability in East Africa During the Last Ice Age

Interannual rainfall variations in equatorial East Africa are tightly linked to the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), with more rain and flooding during El Niño and droughts in La Niña years, both having severe impacts on human habitation and food security. Here we report evidence from an annuall...

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Published inScience (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 333; no. 6043; pp. 743 - 747
Main Authors Wolff, Christian, Haug, Gerald H., Timmermann, Axel, Damsté, Jaap S. Sinninghe, Brauer, Achim, Sigman, Daniel M., Cane, Mark A., Verschuren, Dirk
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Washington, DC American Association for the Advancement of Science 05.08.2011
The American Association for the Advancement of Science
Subjects
Climate change
Climate models
Climate science
Computer simulation
Data lines
Dry seasons
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
El Nino
Exact sciences and technology
Freshwater
Glacial lakes
Ice ages
Lakes
Marine and continental quaternary
Ocean currents
Oceans
Paleoclimatology
Rain
Rainfall
Reduction
Security
Sediments
Surficial geology
Varves
Kenya
East Africa
Africa
Historical reconstruction
rainfall
atmospheric precipitation
climate variations
Quaternary
paleoclimatology
Interannual variation
Wurm
upper Pleistocene
drill cores
lake sediments
Proxy
El Nino
Southern oscillation
Cenozoic
Phanerozoic
glacial periods
La Nina
Pleistocene
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Summary:Interannual rainfall variations in equatorial East Africa are tightly linked to the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), with more rain and flooding during El Niño and droughts in La Niña years, both having severe impacts on human habitation and food security. Here we report evidence from an annually laminated lake sediment record from southeastern Kenya for interannual to centennial-scale changes in ENSO-related rainfall variability during the last three millennia and for reductions in both the mean rate and the variability of rainfall in East Africa during the Last Glacial period. Climate model simulations support forward extrapolation from these lake sediment data that future warming will intensify the interannual variability of East Africa's rainfall.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
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ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1203724