TY  - JOUR
A1  - Maslin, Mark A.
A1  - Pancost, Richard D.
A1  - Wilson, Katy E.
A1  - Lewis, Jonathan
A1  - Trauth, Martin H.
T1  - Three and half million year history of moisture availability of South West Africa evidence from ODP site 1085 biomarker records
JF  - Palaeogeography, palaeoclimatology, palaeoecology : an international journal for the geo-sciences
N2  - Ocean Drilling Program Site 1085 provides a continuous marine sediment record off southern South West Africa for at least the last three and half million years. The n-alkane partial derivative(13) C record from this site records changes in past vegetation and provides an indication of the moisture availability of SW Africa during this time period. Very little variation, and no apparent trend, is observed in the n-alkane delta C-13 record, suggesting stable long-term conditions despite significant changes in East African tectonics and global climate. Slightly higher n-alkane delta C-13 values occur between 3.5 and 2.7 Ma suggesting slightly drier conditions than today. Between 2.5 and 2.7 Ma there is a shift to more negative n-alkane delta C-13 values suggesting slightly wetter conditions during a similar to 0.2 Ma episode that coincides with the intensification of Northern Hemisphere Glaciation (iNHG). From 2.5 to 0.4 Ma the n-alkane delta C-13 values are very consistent, varying by less than +/- 0.5 parts per thousand and suggesting little or no long-term change in the moisture availability of South West Africa over the last 2.5 million years. This is in contrast to the long-term drying trend observed further north offshore from the Namib Desert and in East Africa. A comparison of the climate history of these regions suggests that Southern Africa may have been an area of long-term stability over the last 3.5 Myrs.
KW  - Plio-Pleistocene
KW  - Aridity
KW  - SW Africa
KW  - Biomarkers
KW  - Palaeoclimate
KW  - Human evolution
Y1  - 2012
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2011.12.009
SN  - 0031-0182
VL  - 317
SP  - 41
EP  - 47
PB  - Elsevier
CY  - Amsterdam
ER  -