Sediment total reflectance measurements from the Cariaco Basin (MD03-2621) and northeastern Arabian Sea (SO130-289KL)

Changes in Northern Hemisphere temperature, as recorded in Greenland, are thought to have affected the location of the Atlantic intertropical convergence zone and the strength of the Indian summer monsoon.

Here we use high-resolution records of sediment colour--a measure of terrigenous versus biogenic content--from the Cariaco Basin off the coast of Venezuela and the Arabian Sea to assess teleconnections with the North Atlantic climate system during the last glacial period. The Cariaco record indicates that the intertropical convergence zone migrated seasonally over the site during mild stadial conditions, but was permanently displaced south of the basin during peak stadials and Heinrich events.