Finding Dry Spells in Ocean Sediments

Abstract

Ocean basins are the ultimate repositories of sediment. Their slow, continuous accumulation over geologic history provides valuable archives that document major climate events and transitions in Earth history. Mineral dust plumes borne by prevailing winds are dominant sources of terrigenous sedimentation off regions such as the Saharan, Arabian, Kalahari, Patagonian, and Australian deserts. Scientific ocean drilling off Africa and Arabia has recorded consistent glacial-stage increases in eolian dust fluxes throughout the Pliocene-Pleistocene, where elevated dust flux values during glacial periods and stadia have been interpreted as reflecting real hydroclimate progression toward greater glac..