Estimating Plio-Pleistocene North African Monsoon Runoff Into the Mediterranean Sea and Temperature Impacts

Sapropels are dark, organic-rich layers found in Mediterranean sediments that formed during periods of bottom water anoxia. While various mechanisms have been proposed to have caused anoxic conditions, a primary factor is considered to be water column stratification induced by freshwater runoff related to intensified North African monsoon precipitation during precession minima. Monsoon intensification also induced Green Sahara Periods that may have impacted North African hominin dispersal. In this study, we present a novel regression-based deconvolution of a high-resolution planktonic foraminiferal oxygen isotope record to estimate the combination of freshwater runoff reaching the eastern Mediterranean and associated surface warming of the water column over the past 5 million years. Sapropels are known to occur in clusters associated with periods of high orbital eccentricity. Our analysis reveals a consistent influence of orbital eccentricity in modulating the North African monsoon, and a possible shift in runoff source area induced by the initiation of Northern Hemisphere ice sheets. Our findings provide important insights into the role of the North African monsoon in shaping Mediterranean environmental changes over the past 5 million years.

Automated summary

In this study, a regression-based deconvolution method was used to estimate the combination of freshwater runoff and surface warming of the water column in the eastern Mediterranean over the past 5 million years. The analysis revealed the consistent influence of orbital eccentricity in modulating the North African monsoon and a possible shift in runoff source area. These findings provide important insights into the role of the North African monsoon in shaping Mediterranean environmental changes.