Strong links between Saharan dust fluxes, monsoon strength, and North Atlantic climate during the last 5000 years
Abstract Despite the multiple impacts of mineral aerosols on global and regional climate and the primary climatic control on atmospheric dust fluxes, dust-climate feedbacks remain poorly constrained, particularly at submillennial time scales, hampering regional and global climate models. We reconstruct Saharan dust fluxes over Western Europe for the last 5000 years, by means of speleothem strontium isotope ratios ( 87Sr/ 86Sr) and karst modeling. The record reveals a long-term increase in Saharan dust flux, consistent with progressive North Africa aridification and strengthening of Northern H...