South African dust contribution to the high southern latitudes and East Antarctica during interglacial stages

GILI, S.; VANDERSTRAETEN, A.; CHAPUT, A.; KING, J.; GAIERO, D.; DELMONTE B; VALLELONGA PAUL,; DI BIAGGIO, P. ; FORMENTTI, P.; CAZANAU, M. EDOUARD ; PANGUI, E. J; DOUSSIN, JF; MATIELLI, N.

communication earth and environment

SPRINGER

Año: 2022 vol. 3

Mineral dust is a natural tracer of atmospheric composition and climate variability. Yet, thereis still much to be known about the Southern Hemisphere dust cycle. Major efforts haveattempted to solve the puzzle of the origin of the potential source areas contributing dust tothe Southern Ocean and East Antarctica. Here we present a comprehensive geochemicalcharacterization of a source area, whose role as a dust supplier to high latitude environmentshas significantly been underestimated. Sediments collected within the major dust-producingareas along the Namibian coast in Southern Africa (Kuiseb, Omaruru and Huab rivercatchments and the Namib Sand Sea region), were analyzed for radiogenic isotope ratios andrare earth element concentrations. We find that during warm periods, the Southern Africandust signature can be found in archives of the Southern Hemisphere, especially in the Atlanticsector of the Southern Ocean and peripheral areas of the East Antarctic plateau.