Westerly wind shifts drove Southern Hemisphere mid-latitude peat growth since the last glacial

Thomas, ZA; Cadd, H; Turney, C; Becerra-Valdivia, L; Haines, HA; Marjo, C; Fogwill, C; Carter, S; Brickle, P

Westerly wind shifts drove Southern Hemisphere mid-latitude peat growth since the last glacial

Thomas, ZA Cadd, H Turney, C

Becerra-Valdivia, L Haines, HA Marjo, C Fogwill, C Carter, S Brickle, P

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Publisher:: NATURE PORTFOLIO
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Nature Geoscience, 2025, 18, (12), pp. 1245-1251
Issue Date:: 2025-12-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Thomas, ZA
dc.contributor.author	Cadd, H
dc.contributor.author	Turney, C https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6733-0993
dc.contributor.author	Becerra-Valdivia, L
dc.contributor.author	Haines, HA
dc.contributor.author	Marjo, C
dc.contributor.author	Fogwill, C
dc.contributor.author	Carter, S
dc.contributor.author	Brickle, P
dc.date.accessioned	2026-02-10T08:35:40Z
dc.date.available	2026-02-10T08:35:40Z
dc.date.issued	2025-12-01
dc.identifier.citation	Nature Geoscience, 2025, 18, (12), pp. 1245-1251
dc.identifier.issn	1752-0894
dc.identifier.issn	1752-0908
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/193291
dc.description.abstract	Extratropical peatlands in the Southern Hemisphere preserve detailed information on climatic and environmental change going back millennia. They are particularly valuable for understanding the evolution of the mid-latitude southern westerly winds (SWW), which play a major role in driving regional temperature and precipitation patterns, Antarctic sea-ice extent and ocean carbon fluxes. Here we investigate the timing and drivers of peatland initiation across the southern mid-latitudes after the Last Glacial Maximum (21,000 years ago) and test how this might relate to past changes in the SWW. We radiocarbon-date basal peats from the Falkland Islands and collate published basal peat radiocarbon ages from peat-forming regions south of 35° S. Using kernel density estimate models, we find distinct latitudinal phases of post-glacial peat initiation that suggest that peat growth is sensitive to variations in SWW position through their influence on moisture availability, temperature and dust deposition. A peak in peat growth in regions north of 52.5° S during the Antarctic Cold Reversal (14,700–12,800 years ago) suggests an equatorward migration of the SWW, coinciding with a slowdown in atmospheric CO<inf>2</inf> increases. In light of recent SWW intensification and poleward migration, our findings highlight the potential for ongoing changes in the Southern Hemisphere climate and carbon fluxes under continued anthropogenic heating.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	NATURE PORTFOLIO
dc.relation.ispartof	Nature Geoscience
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1038/s41561-025-01842-w
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject.classification	Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
dc.subject.classification	3709 Physical geography and environmental geoscience
dc.title	Westerly wind shifts drove Southern Hemisphere mid-latitude peat growth since the last glacial
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	18
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/DVC (Research)
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2026-02-10T08:35:29Z
pubs.issue	12
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	18
utslib.citation.issue	12

Abstract:

Extratropical peatlands in the Southern Hemisphere preserve detailed information on climatic and environmental change going back millennia. They are particularly valuable for understanding the evolution of the mid-latitude southern westerly winds (SWW), which play a major role in driving regional temperature and precipitation patterns, Antarctic sea-ice extent and ocean carbon fluxes. Here we investigate the timing and drivers of peatland initiation across the southern mid-latitudes after the Last Glacial Maximum (21,000 years ago) and test how this might relate to past changes in the SWW. We radiocarbon-date basal peats from the Falkland Islands and collate published basal peat radiocarbon ages from peat-forming regions south of 35° S. Using kernel density estimate models, we find distinct latitudinal phases of post-glacial peat initiation that suggest that peat growth is sensitive to variations in SWW position through their influence on moisture availability, temperature and dust deposition. A peak in peat growth in regions north of 52.5° S during the Antarctic Cold Reversal (14,700–12,800 years ago) suggests an equatorward migration of the SWW, coinciding with a slowdown in atmospheric CO2 increases. In light of recent SWW intensification and poleward migration, our findings highlight the potential for ongoing changes in the Southern Hemisphere climate and carbon fluxes under continued anthropogenic heating.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/193291