Reconstructing atmospheric circulation over southern New Zealand: Establishment of modern westerly airflow 5500 years ago and implications for Southern Hemisphere Holocene climate change

Turney, CSM; Wilmshurst, JM; Jones, RT; Wood, JR; Palmer, JG; Hogg, AG; Fenwick, P; Crowley, SF; Privat, K; Thomas, Z

Reconstructing atmospheric circulation over southern New Zealand: Establishment of modern westerly airflow 5500 years ago and implications for Southern Hemisphere Holocene climate change

Turney, CSM Wilmshurst, JM Jones, RT Wood, JR Palmer, JG Hogg, AG Fenwick, P Crowley, SF Privat, K Thomas, Z

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Publisher:: PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Quaternary Science Reviews, 2017, 159, pp. 77-87
Issue Date:: 2017-03-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Turney, CSM
dc.contributor.author	Wilmshurst, JM
dc.contributor.author	Jones, RT
dc.contributor.author	Wood, JR
dc.contributor.author	Palmer, JG
dc.contributor.author	Hogg, AG
dc.contributor.author	Fenwick, P
dc.contributor.author	Crowley, SF
dc.contributor.author	Privat, K
dc.contributor.author	Thomas, Z
dc.date.accessioned	2022-09-22T00:17:08Z
dc.date.available	2022-09-22T00:17:08Z
dc.date.issued	2017-03-01
dc.identifier.citation	Quaternary Science Reviews, 2017, 159, pp. 77-87
dc.identifier.issn	0277-3791
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/161973
dc.description.abstract	Late-twentieth century changes in the intensity and migration of Southern Hemisphere westerly winds have been implicated in spatially complex variability in atmospheric and ocean circulation, and ice-sheet dynamics, across the mid- to high-latitudes. A major uncertainty, however, is whether present day hemispheric-wide symmetrical airflow is representative of past behaviour. Here we report a multi-proxy study from Stewart Island and southern Fiordland, New Zealand (46–47°S) reconstructing Holocene changes at the northern limit of westerly airflow. Increased minerogenic input and a pronounced shift in cool-loving vegetation around 5500 years ago is consistent with the establishment of westerly airflow at this latitude in the southwest Pacific. In marked contrast, stronger winds are reported further south over the subantarctic Auckland (50°S) and Campbell (52°S) Islands from 8000 years ago. Intriguingly, reconstructions from the east Pacific suggest a weakening of core westerly airflow after 8500 years ago, but an expansion along the northern limits sometime after 5500 years ago. Our results suggest similar atmospheric circulation changes have been experienced in the Pacific since 5500 years ago, but indicate an expanded network of sites is needed to comprehensively test the driver(s) and impact(s) of Holocene mid-latitude westerly winds across the Southern Hemisphere.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
dc.relation	http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FL100100195
dc.relation	http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP130104156
dc.relation.ispartof	Quaternary Science Reviews
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.quascirev.2016.12.017
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess
dc.subject	04 Earth Sciences, 21 History and Archaeology
dc.subject.classification	Paleontology
dc.title	Reconstructing atmospheric circulation over southern New Zealand: Establishment of modern westerly airflow 5500 years ago and implications for Southern Hemisphere Holocene climate change
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	159
utslib.for	04 Earth Sciences
utslib.for	21 History and Archaeology
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/DVC (Research)
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access	*
dc.date.updated	2022-09-22T00:17:06Z
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	159

Abstract:

Late-twentieth century changes in the intensity and migration of Southern Hemisphere westerly winds have been implicated in spatially complex variability in atmospheric and ocean circulation, and ice-sheet dynamics, across the mid- to high-latitudes. A major uncertainty, however, is whether present day hemispheric-wide symmetrical airflow is representative of past behaviour. Here we report a multi-proxy study from Stewart Island and southern Fiordland, New Zealand (46–47°S) reconstructing Holocene changes at the northern limit of westerly airflow. Increased minerogenic input and a pronounced shift in cool-loving vegetation around 5500 years ago is consistent with the establishment of westerly airflow at this latitude in the southwest Pacific. In marked contrast, stronger winds are reported further south over the subantarctic Auckland (50°S) and Campbell (52°S) Islands from 8000 years ago. Intriguingly, reconstructions from the east Pacific suggest a weakening of core westerly airflow after 8500 years ago, but an expansion along the northern limits sometime after 5500 years ago. Our results suggest similar atmospheric circulation changes have been experienced in the Pacific since 5500 years ago, but indicate an expanded network of sites is needed to comprehensively test the driver(s) and impact(s) of Holocene mid-latitude westerly winds across the Southern Hemisphere.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/161973