Possible solar forcing of century-scale drought frequency in the northern Great Plains

Research Article| March 01, 1999 Possible solar forcing of century-scale drought frequency in the northern Great Plains Zicheng Yu; Zicheng Yu 1Department of Geology and Geophysics and Limnological Research Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Emi Ito Emi Ito 1Department of Geology and Geophysics and Limnological Research Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (1999) 27 (3): 263–266. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1999)027<0263:PSFOCS>2.3.CO;2 Article history first online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share MailTo Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Zicheng Yu, Emi Ito; Possible solar forcing of century-scale drought frequency in the northern Great Plains. Geology 1999;; 27 (3): 263–266. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1999)027<0263:PSFOCS>2.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract A 2100-yr decadal-resolution salinity and aridity proxy record of lacustrine ostracode-shell Mg/Ca ratios from a closed-basin lake in the northern Great Plains shows statistically significant periodicities of ∼400, 200, 130, and 100 yr. These periodicities are similar to the three principal solar-oscillation periods (420, 218, 143 yr) as inferred from the atmospheric radiocarbon record, suggesting strong solar forcing of century-scale drought frequency with a fundamental 400-yr period and its 2nd, 3rd, and 4th harmonics. Our proxy record correlates visually and statistically (cross-spectral analysis) with the atmospheric Δ14C record (solar proxy) and the GISP2 (Greenland Ice Sheet Project Two) δ18O record (climate proxy), showing that solar minima are in phase with drought periods in the northern Great Plains and cold periods in Greenland. This spectral similarity together with phase correlation indicates a possible teleconnection of century-scale global climate fluctuations through common solar forcing. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.