P2C2: Paleoclimatology of Cuba based on Stalagmite Oxygen Isotope Records--Hydrological Sensitivity and Causes of Variability in the Caribbean Region

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This project aims to reconstruct precipitation changes in the Caribbean and Golf of Mexico regions during the Holocene. The precipitation reconstruction will be based on stable isotopic composition of Oxygen and trace elements (Magnesium/Calcium and Strontium/Calcium ratios) measured from stalagmites collected in Western Cuba. In addition, climate model simulations over the last millennium will be used to investigate the large-scale climate dynamics associated with extreme events revealed by the stalagmite oxygen isotope records. These new data together with the data-model synthesis have the potential to improve the understanding of the hydroclimate variability drivers in the Caribbean and Golf of Mexico regions, including the role of tropical cyclones. The potential Broader Impacts include: 1) a continuous and highly resolved paleorainfall record from western Cuba spanning the last 16.000 years; 2) a greater understanding of the hydroclimate variability in the Caribbean and Golf of Mexico regions and the underlying mechanism of extreme events; and 3) estimates of hydrological cycle sensitivity to external (e.g. orbital forcing) and internal (e.g. El Nino Southern Oscillation) processes of the climate system. This project will support graduate students to receive analytical and theoretical training in paleoclimate research from tropical speleothem records.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.