Low latitude ice cores record Pacific sea surface temperatures

Abstract

Oxygen isotope variations in ice cores from Bolivia and Peru are highly correlated with sea surface temperatures (SSTs) across the equatorial Pacific Ocean, which are closely linked to ENSO variability. Circulation anomalies associated with this variability control moisture flux from the equatorial and tropical Atlantic Ocean and Amazon Basin to the ice core sites. Below average SSTs lead to higher accumulation rates and isotopically lighter snow; such conditions are also associated with lower atmospheric freezing levels. During warm events, opposite conditions prevail. Oxygen isotope variations in an ice core in the Himalayas also reflect SST variations in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, pointing to the prospect of reconstructing low latitude circulation anomalies from a network of ice cores in selected locations.