Meridional Shifts of the Southern Hemisphere Westerlies During the Early Cenozoic

Abstract

Despite the crucial role of the Southern Hemisphere (SH) westerlies in modulating modern and past climate evolution, little is known about their behavior and possible forcing mechanisms during the early Cenozoic. We probe changes in the hydroclimate of southwest Australia during 62–51 Ma, based on sedimentary proxy records from the International Ocean Discovery Program Site U1514 in the Mentelle Basin. Our results reveal a transition from a less humid climate to wetter conditions at mid–high latitudes starting from the early Eocene, which suggests poleward migration of the SH westerlies. This long-term trend is punctuated by short-lived events of aridification during the Mid-Paleocene Biotic Event and wetter intervals during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, indicating additional short-term meridional shifting of the westerlies. We propose that the evolution of SH westerlies was driven by the equator-to-pole temperature gradient regulated by global warming and ephemeral growth of the Antarctic ice sheet.