Centennial-scale intensifications of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation during Heinrich Stadial 1.

Abstract

Centennial-scale changes in Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) strength might disturb global climate by altering interhemispheric heat transport and CO₂ partitioning between the ocean and the atmosphere. Due to the short instrumental record and lack of high-resolution paleo records that so far only resolve millennial-scale changes, centennial-scale changes remain elusive. Here we use radiocarbon ventilation ages from a western equatorial Atlantic sediment core with a remarkably high sedimentation rate to reconstruct AMOC variability during the last deglaciation, with a focus on Heinrich Stadial 1 (HS1; 17.8-14.8 ka). Results from model simulations indicate that ventilation ages serve as a sensitive proxy for AMOC variability under weak overturning conditions (i.e., during HS1) at our study location. Notably, within an overall weakened AMOC condition during HS1, our record shows two centennial-scale AMOC intensifications: one from 16.5 to 15.8 ka and another at ~15.4 ka. These centennial-scale episodes of intensified AMOC briefly revitalized Atlantic interhemispheric heat transport during HS1, resulting in decreased precipitation over northeastern Brazil and short-lived but intense changes in climate elsewhere. These episodes of AMOC intensification likely transported substantial volumes of CO₂-rich water from the mid-depth Atlantic to the Southern Ocean, where the CO₂ was rapidly outgassed to the atmosphere.