Evidence for decreased precipitation variability in the Yucatán
Peninsula during the mid-Holocene
Abstract
The Yucatan Peninsula has a complex hydroclimate with many proposed
drivers of interannual and longer-term variability, ranging from coupled
ocean-atmosphere processes to frequency of tropical cyclones. The
mid-Holocene, thought to have had warmer north Atlantic sea surface
temperatures, provides an interesting opportunity to test the
relationship between Yucatan Peninsula precipitation and ocean
temperature. Here we present a new, ~annually resolved
speleothem record of stable isotope (δ18O and δ13C) and trace element
(Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca) ratios for a section of the mid-Holocene (5.2-5.7 kyr
BP). A meter-long stalagmite from Rio Secreto, a cave system in Playa
del Carmen, Mexico, was dated using U-Th geochronology and layer
counting, yielding ~decadal age uncertainty. The new
proxy data were compared to a previously published late Holocene
stalagmite from the same cave system, allowing us to examine changes in
hydrology over time without potential inter-cave differences. The δ18O,
δ13C and trace element data consistently indicate higher mean
precipitation and lower precipitation variability during the
mid-Holocene compared to the late Holocene. Despite this reduced
variability, spectral analysis suggests that multi-decadal precipitation
variations were persistent in regional hydroclimate during the mid- and
late Holocene. Wet-dry oscillations occurred in association with the
higher summer solar input and higher mean precipitation of the
mid-Holocene, though with reduced amplitude compared to the late
Holocene. We therefore conclude that the Yucatan Peninsula is
susceptible to dry periods across climate mean states.