Little Ice Age drought in equatorial Africa: Intertropical Convergence Zone migrations and El Niño–Southern Oscillation variability

Research Article| January 01, 2007 Little Ice Age drought in equatorial Africa: Intertropical Convergence Zone migrations and El Niño–Southern Oscillation variability J.M. Russell; J.M. Russell 1Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Box 1846, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar T.C. Johnson T.C. Johnson 2Large Lakes Observatory, University of Minnesota–Duluth, Duluth, Minnesota 55108, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information J.M. Russell 1Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Box 1846, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA T.C. Johnson 2Large Lakes Observatory, University of Minnesota–Duluth, Duluth, Minnesota 55108, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 23 Jun 2006 Revision Received: 03 Aug 2006 Accepted: 08 Aug 2006 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2007) 35 (1): 21–24. https://doi.org/10.1130/G23125A.1 Article history Received: 23 Jun 2006 Revision Received: 03 Aug 2006 Accepted: 08 Aug 2006 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation J.M. Russell, T.C. Johnson; Little Ice Age drought in equatorial Africa: Intertropical Convergence Zone migrations and El Niño–Southern Oscillation variability. Geology 2007;; 35 (1): 21–24. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G23125A.1 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 High-resolution analyses of the Mg concentration in authigenic calcite in five cores from Lake Edward provide a water balance history of central equatorial Africa spanning the past 1400 yr. A high ratio of Mg to Ca (%Mg) indicates strong droughts in central Africa during the Little Ice Age (A.D. 1400–1750), in contrast to records from Lake Naivasha, Kenya, which suggest a wet Little Ice Age. This spatial pattern in Africa likely arose due to coupled changes in the high latitudes, the position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone, and the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) system. Our results further suggest that the patterns and variability of twentieth-century rainfall in central Africa have been unusually conducive to human welfare in the context of the past 1400 yr. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.