Rapid changes in the hydrologic cycle of the tropical Atlantic during the last glacial

Sedimentary time series of color reflectance and major element chemistry fr om the anoxic Cariaco Basin off the coast of northern Venezuela record larg e and abrupt shifts in the hydrologic cycle of the tropical Atlantic during the past 90,000 years. Marine productivity maxima and increased precipitat ion and riverine discharge from northern South America are closely linked t o interstadial (warm) climate events of marine isotope stage 3, as recorded in Greenland ice cores. Increased precipitation at this latitude during in terstadials suggests the potential for greater moisture export from the Atl antic to Pacific, which could have affected the salinity balance of the Atl antic and increased thermohaline heat transport to high northern latitudes. This supports the notion that tropical feedbacks played an important role in modulating global climate during the last glacial period.