Cited by 419Open Access
University of Bremen
ORCID: 0000-0001-5874-756XPublishes on Geology and Paleoclimatology Research, Methane Hydrates and Related Phenomena, Geological formations and processes. 454 papers and 7.8k citations.
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The influence of the large‐scale ocean circulation on Sahel rainfall is elusive because of the shortness of the observational record. We reconstructed the history of eolian and fluvial sedimentation on the continental slope off Senegal during the past 57,000 years. Our data show that abrupt onsets of arid conditions in the West African Sahel were linked to cold North Atlantic sea surface temperatures during times of reduced meridional overturning circulation associated with Heinrich Stadials. Climate modeling suggests that this drying is induced by a southward shift of the West African monsoon trough in conjunction with an intensification and southward expansion of the midtropospheric African Easterly Jet.