Large Climate Changes in the Tropical
Pacific During the Last 1000 years from
Sedimentary Lipid D/H Ratios
Julian Sachs
Gary Comer
Foundation
Dirk
Sachse
Zhaohui
Zhang
Rienk
Smittenberg
UH Trop Clim 0-1ka Wkshp - 11/13-14/07

Northern Hemisphere Air Temperature Since 0 A.D.
Holland 1608
Delaware 1776
Year A.D.
Much less known about the tropics…
Jones & Mann (2004) Rev. Geophys.
Vol. 42(2): RG2002. H. Avercamp. C. 1608. Leutze, 1851.

Tropical Climate Change - Little Ice Age
Kiribati
Galapagos
Palau
Wet Dry Intensified ENSO
Weak Tradewinds
Weak Monsoon
Weak, Warm & Salty Gulf Stream

Northern Line Islands, Kiribati
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A Tale of 2 Islands: One, a parched desert…
• Christmas Island receives ~70 cm rain/yr & has hundreds of hypersaline evaporative ponds
1 o 52'N, 157 o 20'W

•Microbial mat
•Evaporite & organic layers
•Halite crust on lake bottom

…The other, 350 km NNW, a tropical rainforest
• Washington Island sits under the
ITCZ much of the year & receives
~350 cm/yr rain
• Peat bogs & a large freshwater lake
4 o 43'N, 160 o 25'W

Washington Island
5,000
3,000
500
Christmas Island
Wester et al. (1992) Atoll Res. Bulll.
358: 1-50

Depth (m)
1582 A.D.
( Phormydium )
Christmas Island
F6, Salinity = 121 ppt

Hypersalinity Supported by Hydrogen Isotopes
-50
-75
-100
-125
Christmas Surface Sediment
Christmas Mat
-150
-175 y = 0.70x - 210
R 2 = 0.81
N = 32
-200
-225

D

(D/H) sample

(D/H)
VSMOW
(D/H)
VSMOW x1000
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
Salinity (PSU)

Geochim. et Cosmochim. Acta

Lipid D/H Indicates Hypersaline
Washington Lake < 1582 A.D.
-50
-75
-100
-125
1582 A.D.
-150
-175
-200
Salinity <1582 AD
1 2 3 4 5
(meters)
-225
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220
Salinity (PSU)

Driest Conditions Occurred ~1410 A.D.
• After which it became increasingly humid for >/= 172 years
LIA MWP
Christmas
Island
Surface
Sediments
Washington
Lake
Sediment core
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Medieval
Warm Period
Little Ice Age
• Eastern Europe Winter T
~1400 A.D.
Pt. 1
• Global Mean
Annual T http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/~kushnir/MPA-ENVP/Climate/slides/air_temp_EE.gif
Year (A.D.) http://www.awi.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Research/Research_Divisions/Biosciences/Coastal_Ecology/Re search/Sedimentology/LIAskag.gif

§ During the 1 st part of the LIA (~1400
A.D.) the northern ITCZ was weak
&/or south of its present location
Evidence
 Dry Washington Island (4 °43’N) o Wet Galapagos (1 °S) o Weak Indian & Asian Monsoons
Wallace, Mitchell & Lau: Legates/MSU Mean Annual Rainfall ‘79-’96, http://jisao.washington.edu/legates_msu/

Christmas &
Washington Islands
Galapagos
Wallace, Mitchell & Lau: Legates/MSU Mean Annual Rainfall ‘79-’96, http://jisao.washington.edu/legates_msu/

El Junco Lake,
San Cristobal
Island,
Galapagos
• 0°53’S, 89°30’W
• Explosion Crater
• 759 m.a.s.l.
• 6 m water - Sept. ‘04
• 13+ m sediment
• Rises (falls) during El Niño (Niña)

A Molecular Rain Gauge from Lipid
Biomarker D/H Ratios
• H
2
O has higher vapor pressure than DHO
• H-enriched Vapor
• D-enriched Residual

D

( D / H ) sample

( D / H )
VSMOW
( D / H )
VSMOW x 1000

Algal Lipid D/H
Closely Tracks
Water D/H
200
100
C27 C29 C31
B. braunii, A
Race
0
-100
-200
-300
-100 100 y = 0.726x - 213.768
R 2 = 0.999
300
W ater
 D (‰)
500
Zhang & Sachs (2007)
200
100
0
-100
E. huxleyi
Alkenone
-200
-300
-100 y = 0.648x - 210.707
R 2 = 1.000
100 300
Water
 D (‰)
500
Englebrecht & Sachs (2005)

1400 A.D. = Wettest Period Since 850 A.D. in Galapagos (1 °S)
-210
Dry
-225
LIA
-240
-255
-270
-285
1200
Wet
-300
0 200 400 600
Age (yr < 1950)
800 1000
• Southward position of N ITCZ, prominent S ITCZ, &/or El Ni ño-like or ress ure comp d a pict de
™ an e th d) o se sse d t ckT mpre
Qui de ee nco are
F (U TIF
Zhang & Sachs (in prep)

Wet
Weak Indian Summer Monsoon 1360-1420 A.D.
Dry
• Dandak Cave stalagmite 
18 O
• South-positioned ITCZ = Weak ISM
Sinha et al. (2007) GRL Vol. 34: L16707
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TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture.

Weakest E. Asian Monsoon in Last 10 kyr
• Dongge Cave stalagmite 
18 O
• South-positioned ITCZ = Weak EAM
Wang et al. (2005) Science Vol. 308: 854-857.

§ During the 1 st part of the LIA (~1400
A.D.) the northern ITCZ was weak
&/or south of its present location
Evidence
 Dry Washington Island (4 °43’N)
 Wet Galapagos (1 °S)
 Weak Indian & Asian Monsoons
Wallace, Mitchell & Lau: Legates/MSU Mean Annual Rainfall ‘79-’96, http://jisao.washington.edu/legates_msu/

Four ITCZ Modes: Mar-Apr 1979-2003
1. Double ITCZ 2. El Ni ño
3. South Dominant 4. North Dominant
• Rainfall &
SST
• Might something akin to Type III have been common during the LIA?
o Dry Washington Island (5 °N) , Wet Galapagos (1 °S) , Weak ISM & EAM
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture.
Gu et al. (2005) J. Atm. Sci. 62: 1157-1174

nd
Year (A.D.) http://www.awi.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Research/Research_Divisions/Biosciences/Coastal_Ecology/Research/Sedimentology/LIAskag.gif

Depth (m)
1582 A.D.
… That Coincided with the 1582 A.D.
Transition from Extremely Arid to Humid
Conditions on Washington Island
• For >2600 yr before 1582 A.D.
Washington Isl.
(5 °N) had the arid climate of Christmas
Isl. (2 °N)…
What caused the transition?

More rainfall at 4 °43’N associated with:
Christmas &
Washington Islands
1. North shift or intensified northern ITCZ
2. More frequent &/or intense El
Ni ño events

Palau
Christmas &
Washington Islands
Galapagos

The Galapagos (1 °S) Remained Wet Throughout LIA
-210
Dry
-225
LIA
-240
-255
-270
-285
Wet
-300
0 200 400 600
Age (yr < 1950)
800 1000 1200
• Southward or weak N ITCZ, strong S ITCZ, &/or El Ni ño-like or ress ure comp d a pict de
™ an e th d) o se sse d t ckT mpre
Qui de ee nco are
F (U TIF Zhang & Sachs (in prep)

Palau (7 °N) Was Dry When Galapagos (1°S) Were Wet
-330 -210
-225
-320
-240
-310
-255
OH -300
-270
Dry
-290
-280
-285
LIA
210 Pb
-300
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100
Wet
Age (yr < 1950)
Spooky Lake
7
°30’N,134°30’E
• Southward or weak
N ITCZ, strong S
ITCZ, &/or El Ni ño-like
Smittenberg & Sachs (in prep)

th
th

Least Runoff from
Venezuela in Last 10 ky
0.4
0.3
• Cariaco Basin
(10 °N)
• Less Ti = less rainfall & runoff
0.2
0.1
0
0 2000 4000 6000
Age (yr < 1950)
8000
• Northern ITCZ weak or south
Haug et al. (2001) Science Vol. 293: 1304-1308
10000 12000

1600-1650 A.D. = Weakest Indian Summer Monsoon
Since 1050 A.D.
• Arabian Sea upwelling indicator
• Northern ITCZ weak or south
Anderson et al. (2002) Science 297: 596

Cool & Fresh
Indo-Pacific
Warm Pool (5 °S)
LIA
Makasar Strait
MD9821-60
5 °12’ S, 117°29’ E
• Northern ITCZ weak or south &/or
• Prominent southern ITCZ
1900 1700 1500
Year A.D.
1300 1100
• From G. ruber Mg/Ca-

18 O
Newton et al. (2006) GRL , Vol. 33: L19710

Highest ENSO Frequency & Intensity in Last 1 kyr
• Palmyra (225 km NW of Wash. Is.) coral 
18 O
Cobb et al. (2003) Nature , 424: 271

Long Passages Between Mexico & the Philippines from 1640-1680 A.D.
•
Manila
Galleon Route
1590-1750
123 days
1640-1670
Vs.
79 days
1590-1620
• Weaker Tradewinds
• N & E-displaced monsoon trough
Garcia, Diaz et al. (2001) BAMS 82:2435

Weakened, Warm & Salty
Gulf Stream 1350-1750 A.D.
LIA
Weak
Warm
Salty
• Less poleward heat transport
Lund et al. (2006) Nature , Vol. 444: 601-604; Lund & Curry (2006) Paleoceanogr.
, Vol. 21: PA2009

…might they have caused NH cooling?
Year A.D.

• Funding : NSF, Comer Foundation, MIT Earth System Initiative
• Lab : O. Kawka, V. Schwab, C. Frantz, B. Kimball (UW), M.
McGovern, C. Colonero, R. Summons, A. Skorokhod (MIT), A.
Faiia (Dartmouth)
• Field : Republic of Kiribati (C. Saenger, M. Miller, K. Andersen, C.
Corbett, J. Bryden), Republic of Palau, Coral Reef Research
Foundation (M. Dawson, L. Martin, P. Colin, L. Bell), Parque
Nacional Galapagos, Darwin Research Station (P. Colinvaux, M.
Miller, M. Kannan, J. Overpeck, J.Conroy)

… and the social upheaval that accompanied it?
17 th Century: “The Century of the Soldiers”
“Three things exercised a constant influence over the minds of men: weather , government and religion.”
- Voltaire, 1740
§ 30-40% of population in France, Germany & China perish in mid-17 th century (war, disease, famine, weather)
§ War in Europe & Asia most of 17 th century
• 1618-1648: 30-Years War in Germany
• 1640-1660: Spain & Portugal Civil Wars
• 1644-1651: Scotland, England & Ireland at War
• 1640-1683: Chinese Civil Wars
•1648: Russian & French Rebellions
Adapted from Climate and Catastrophe: The World Crisis of the 17th Century (2007) by Geoffrey Parker (Lecture & forthcoming book)

YUV420 codec decom pr essor ar e needed t o see t his pict ur e.
Q uickTim e™ and a
YUV420 codec decom pr essor ar e needed t o see t his pict ur e.
Rainfall (mm/mo)
• ITCZ South
January
Seasonally, the
Galapagos are Wet
When Palau is Dry…
June
• ITCZ North
Wallace, Mitchell & Lau: Legates/MSU Rainfall ‘79-’96

Christmas Island (2 °S) Rainfall Will Help
Washington
Island
5,000
3,000
500
Christmas Island
Age
(A.D.)
K101
>1950
F6
Age
(A.D.)
>1950
Wester et al. (1992) Atoll Res. Bulll.
358: 1-50. Nasa.
825
88 PSU
1 m
109 PSU
932

135
110
85
Hypersalinity Supported by Hydrogen Isotopes:
Christmas Island
-75
Water
Mat Lipids
Sediment Lipids -100 y = 0.70x - 210
R 2 = 0.81
n = 32
-125
60 -150
35
10
-15
0 20 40
-175
-200
60 80 100 120 140 160
-225
Salinity (PSU)
Sachse & Sachs (subm.)

D/H Fractionation Decreases as Salinity Increases
0.95
y = 0.0007x + 0.79
R 2
2 = 0.74
N = 34
0.90
0.85
0.80
0.75
Christmas Surf. Sediment
Christmas Mat
Chesapeake Bay alkenones
Schouten et al (2006) E. huxleyi
Schouten et al (2006) G. oceanica
0.70
0 20 40 a
= (1000+

D lipid
)/(1000+

D water
)
60 80 100 120 140 160
Salinity (PSU)
Sachse & Sachs (in prep.)

Similar

D vs.
Salinity Trend for
Biomarkers & TLE
Alkanes
Phytene & Diploptene
TLE
Sachse & Sachs (subm.)

B. braunii - A Race
Fatty Acids
B. braunii - A Race
Alkadienes
Water
 D (‰)
Volvox aureus
Fatty Acids
Water
 D (‰)
B. Braunii - B Race
Botryococcenes
Water
 D (‰)
Zhang & Sachs (in press)
Water
 D (‰)

1700-1850 A.D.: 3 rd Cold Phase of the LIA
• Glaciers in
Switzerland &
France
Reached their
Maximum
Extent
• Mer de Glace, Mont Blanc region, French
Alps (painting, rt.; photo in 2000, left) http://www.swisseduc.ch/glaciers/glossary/little-ice-age-two-en.html
Year (A.D.)

Four ITCZ Modes: Mar-Apr 1979-2003
Double ITCZ El Ni ño
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South Dominant North Dominant
• Rainfall & SST for 4 ITCZ modes
Gu et al. (2005) J. Atm. Sci. 62: 1157-1174
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Variations in
NH Spring
ITCZ
Position
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