Abstract

Soreq (Israel) and Corchia (central Italy) Caves are located 2500km far apart along the Mediterranean winter-storm track and are ideally suited for investigating past variations of winter rainfall in the Mediterranean region. Analyses of speleothem δ18O records from both caves for the period between ca. 7 to 4 ka BP show some striking similarities for the ca. 6 and 4ka interval, but lack agreement between ca. 7 to 6kaBP. Two prominent isotopic excursions, argued to reflect relatively drier conditions, are centred at ca. 5.6 and ca. 5.2 ka. The 5.2 ka event lasts less than a century, whereas the 5.6ka event extends from ca. 5.7 to 5.4 ka. A period of progressive drying is also apparent from ca. 5 to 4ka. Another prominent event, reflecting wetter conditions, is recorded in both records at ca. 5.8ka and seems to last several decades. The 5.6 and 5.2ka events occurred within a period of higher deposition of haematite-stained grains in cores of the sub-polar North Atlantic, and correlation with the wind strength proxy record from Hólmsá loess profile in Iceland suggests that rainfall reduction was related to a reduced vapour advection from Atlantic towards the Mediterranean connected to northward shift in the Westerlies. A comparison with Alpine records, including the Spannagel Cave isotope record, suggests that dry events recorded at Soreq and Corchia caves may correspond to wetter (lake high stands) and cooler (glacier expansion) conditions in the Alpine region, indicating complex regional climate re-organization

Autore Pugliese

• Lionello Piero

Tutti gli autori

• Zanchetta G. , Bar-Matthews M. , Drysdale R.N. , Lionello P. , Ayalon A. , Hellstrom J.C. , Isola I. , Regattieri E.

Titolo volume/Rivista

GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE

Anno di pubblicazione

2014

ISSN

0921-8181

ISBN

Non Disponibile

Numero di citazioni Wos

19

Ultimo Aggiornamento Citazioni

27/04/2018

Numero di citazioni Scopus

22

Ultimo Aggiornamento Citazioni

28/04/2018

Settori ERC

Non Disponibile

Codici ASJC

Non Disponibile