Reduced interannual rainfall variability in East Africa during the last ice age
Wolff, C.; Haug, G.H.; Timmermann, A.; Brauer, A.; Sigman, D.M.; Cane, M.A.; Verschuren, D.; Sinninghe Damsté, J.S. (2011). Reduced interannual rainfall variability in East Africa during the last ice age. Science (Wash.) 333(6043): 743-747. https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1203724 In: Science (Washington). American Association for the Advancement of Science: New York, N.Y. ISSN 0036-8075; e-ISSN 1095-9203, more |  |
| Authors | | Top | - Wolff, C.
- Haug, G.H.
- Timmermann, A.
- Brauer, A.
| - Sigman, D.M.
- Cane, M.A.
- Verschuren, D., more
- Sinninghe Damsté, J.S., more
| |
| Abstract | Interannual rainfall variations in equatorial East Africa are tightly linked to the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), with more rain and flooding during El Nino and droughts in La Nina years, both having severe impacts on human habitation and food security. Here we report evidence from an annually laminated lake sediment record from southeastern Kenya for interannual to centennial-scale changes in ENSO-related rainfall variability during the last three millennia and for reductions in both the mean rate and the variability of rainfall in East Africa during the Last Glacial period. Climate model simulations support forward extrapolation from these lake sediment data that future warming will intensify the interannual variability of East Africa's rainfall. |
|
