Evidence for extreme floods in arid subtropical northwest Australia during the Little Ice Age chronozone (CE 1400-1850)

Rouillard, A; Skrzypek, G; Turney, C; Dogramaci, S; Hua, Q; Zawadzki, A; Reeves, J; Greenwood, P; O'Donnell, AJ; Grierson, PF

Evidence for extreme floods in arid subtropical northwest Australia during the Little Ice Age chronozone (CE 1400-1850)

Rouillard, A Skrzypek, G Turney, C

Dogramaci, S Hua, Q Zawadzki, A Reeves, J Greenwood, P O'Donnell, AJ Grierson, PF

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Publisher:: PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Quaternary Science Reviews, 2016, 144, pp. 107-122
Issue Date:: 2016-07-15

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Rouillard, A
dc.contributor.author	Skrzypek, G
dc.contributor.author	Turney, C https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6733-0993
dc.contributor.author	Dogramaci, S
dc.contributor.author	Hua, Q
dc.contributor.author	Zawadzki, A
dc.contributor.author	Reeves, J
dc.contributor.author	Greenwood, P
dc.contributor.author	O'Donnell, AJ
dc.contributor.author	Grierson, PF
dc.date.accessioned	2022-08-16T06:59:40Z
dc.date.available	2022-08-16T06:59:40Z
dc.date.issued	2016-07-15
dc.identifier.citation	Quaternary Science Reviews, 2016, 144, pp. 107-122
dc.identifier.issn	0277-3791
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/160365
dc.description.abstract	Here we report a ~2000-year sediment sequence from the Fortescue Marsh (Martuyitha) in the eastern Pilbara region, which we have used to investigate changing hydroclimatic conditions in the arid subtropics of northwest Australia. The Pilbara is located at the intersection of the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans and its modern rainfall regime is strongly influenced by tropical cyclones, the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool. We identified four distinct periods within the record. The most recent period (P1: CE ~1990-present) reveals hydroclimatic conditions over recent decades that are the most persistently wet of potentially the last ~2000 years. During the previous centuries (P2: ~CE 1600-1990), the Fortescue Marsh was overall drier but likely punctuated by a number of extreme floods, which are defined here as extraordinary, strongly episodic floods in drylands generated by rainfall events of high volume and intensity. The occurrence of extreme floods during this period, which encompasses the Little Ice Age (LIA; CE 1400-1850), is coherent with other southern tropical datasets along the ITCZ over the last 2000 years, suggesting synchronous hydroclimatic changes across the region. This extreme flood period was preceded by several hundred years (P3: ~CE 700-1600) of less vigorous but more regular flows. The earliest period of the sediment record (P4: ~CE 100-700) was the most arid, with sedimentary and preservation processes driven by prolonged drought. Our results highlight the importance of developing paleoclimate records from the tropical and sub-tropical arid zone, providing a long-term baseline of hydrological conditions in areas with limited historical observations.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
dc.relation	http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LP120100310
dc.relation	http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FL100100195
dc.relation.ispartof	Quaternary Science Reviews
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.quascirev.2016.05.004
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess
dc.subject	04 Earth Sciences, 21 History and Archaeology
dc.subject.classification	Paleontology
dc.title	Evidence for extreme floods in arid subtropical northwest Australia during the Little Ice Age chronozone (CE 1400-1850)
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	144
utslib.for	04 Earth Sciences
utslib.for	21 History and Archaeology
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/DVC (Research)
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access	*
dc.date.updated	2022-08-16T06:59:38Z
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	144

Abstract:

Here we report a ~2000-year sediment sequence from the Fortescue Marsh (Martuyitha) in the eastern Pilbara region, which we have used to investigate changing hydroclimatic conditions in the arid subtropics of northwest Australia. The Pilbara is located at the intersection of the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans and its modern rainfall regime is strongly influenced by tropical cyclones, the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool. We identified four distinct periods within the record. The most recent period (P1: CE ~1990-present) reveals hydroclimatic conditions over recent decades that are the most persistently wet of potentially the last ~2000 years. During the previous centuries (P2: ~CE 1600-1990), the Fortescue Marsh was overall drier but likely punctuated by a number of extreme floods, which are defined here as extraordinary, strongly episodic floods in drylands generated by rainfall events of high volume and intensity. The occurrence of extreme floods during this period, which encompasses the Little Ice Age (LIA; CE 1400-1850), is coherent with other southern tropical datasets along the ITCZ over the last 2000 years, suggesting synchronous hydroclimatic changes across the region. This extreme flood period was preceded by several hundred years (P3: ~CE 700-1600) of less vigorous but more regular flows. The earliest period of the sediment record (P4: ~CE 100-700) was the most arid, with sedimentary and preservation processes driven by prolonged drought. Our results highlight the importance of developing paleoclimate records from the tropical and sub-tropical arid zone, providing a long-term baseline of hydrological conditions in areas with limited historical observations.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/160365