Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

A δ13C record of late Quaternary climate change from tropical peats in southern India

Nature volume 364, pages 703–706 (1993)Cite this article

Abstract

STABLE-ISOTOPE ratios of carbon in soils or lake sediments1–3 and of oxygen and hydrogen in peats4,5 have been found to reflect past moisture variations and hence to provide valuable palaeoclimate records. Previous applications of the technique to peat have been restricted to temperate regions, largely because tropical climate variations are less pronounced, making them harder to resolve. Here we present a δ13C record spanning the past 20 kyr from peats in the Nilgiri hills, southern India. Because the site is at high altitude (>2,000 m above sea level), it is possible to resolve a clear climate signal. We observe the key climate shifts that are already known to have occurred during the last glacial maximum (18 kyr ago) and the subsequent deglaciation. In addition, we observe an arid phase from 6 to 3.5 kyr ago, and a short, wet phase about 600 years ago. The latter appears to correspond to the Mediaeval Warm Period, which previously was believed to be confined to Europe and North America6,7. Our results therefore suggest that this event may have extended over the entire Northern Hemisphere.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Krishnamurthy, R. V., Bhattacharya, S. K. & Kusumgar, S. Nature 341, 150–152 (1986).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Cerling, T. E., Quade, J., Wang, Y. & Bowman, J. R. Nature 341, 138–139 (1989).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Ambrose, S. H. & Sikes, N. E. Science 253, 1402–1405 (1991).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Brenninkmeijer, C. A. M., van Geel, B. & Mook, W. G. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 61, 283–290 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Dupont, L. M. & Mook, W. G. Chem. Geol. (Isotope Geosci. Sect.) 66, 323–333 (1987).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Gribbin, J. & Lamb, H. H. in Climatic Change (ed. Gribbin, J.) 68–82 (Cambridge Univ. Press, 1978).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Crowley, T. J. & North, G. Palaeoclimatology (Oxford Univ. Press, New York, 1991).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Smith, B. N. & Epstein, S. Plant Physiol. 47, 380–384 (1971).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Tieszen, L. L., Senyimba, M. M., Imbamba, S. K. & Troughton, J. H. Oecologia (Berlin) 37, 337–350 (1979).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. Korner, Ch., Farquhar, G. D. & Roksandic, Z. Oecologia (Berlin) 74, 623–632 (1988).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. Blasco, F. Montagnes du Sud de I'lnde (Institut Français, Pondicherry, 1971).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Meher-Homji, V. M. Indian geogrl. J. 59, 205–213 (1984).

    Google Scholar 

  13. Von Lengerke, H. J. The Nilgiri—Climate and Weather of a Mountain Area in South India (Steiner, Weisbaden, 1977).

    Google Scholar 

  14. Gates, W. L. Science 191, 1138–1144 (1976).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Manabe, S. & Hahn, D. G. J. geophys. Res. 82, 3889–3911 (1977).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  16. Prell, W. L. & Kutzbach, J. E. J. geophys. Res. 92, 8411–8425 (1987).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  17. Rajagopalan, G., Vishnu-Mittre & Sekar, B. Radiocarbon 20, 398–404 (1978).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Rajagopalan, G., Vishnu-Mittre & Sekar, B. Radiocarbon 22, 54–60 (1980).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Rajagopalan, G., Vishnu-Mittre, Sekar, B. & Mandal, T. K. Radiocarbon 24, 45–53 (1982).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Vasanthy, G. Rev. Palaeobot. Palynol. 55, 175–192 (1988).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Stuiver, M. & Kra, R. S. (eds) Proc. Twelfth int. Radiocarbon Conf. (Trondheim, Norway): published as Radiocarbon 28, 805–1030 (1986).

  22. Bard, E., Hamelin, B., Fairbanks, R. G. & Zindler, A. Nature 345, 405–410 (1990).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Singh, G., Wasson, R. J. & Agrawal, D. P. Rev. Palaeobot. Palynol. 64, 351–358 (1990).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Van Campo, E., Duplessy, J. C. & Rossignol-Strick, M. Nature 296, 56–59 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Van Campo, E. Quat. Res. 26, 376–388 (1988).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Duplessy, J. C. Nature 295, 494–498 (1982).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  27. Sarkar, A., Ramesh, R., Bhattacharya, S. K. & Rajagopalan, G. Nature 343, 549–551 (1990).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  28. Swain, A. M., Kutzbach, J. E. & Hastenrath, S. Quat. Res. 19, 1–17 (1983).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Williams, M. A. J. & Clarke, M. F. Nature 308, 633–635 (1984).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  30. Kutzbach, J. E. Science 214, 59–61 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Caratini, C., Fontugne, M., Pascal, J. P., Tissot C. & Bentaleb, I. Curr. Sci. 61, 669–672 (1991).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560 012, India

    R. Sukumar

  2. Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, 380 009, India

    R. Ramesh & R. K. Pant

  3. Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, Lucknow, 226 007, India

    G. Rajagopalan

Authors
  1. R. Sukumar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. R. Ramesh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. R. K. Pant
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. G. Rajagopalan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sukumar, R., Ramesh, R., Pant, R. et al. A δ13C record of late Quaternary climate change from tropical peats in southern India. Nature 364, 703–706 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1038/364703a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/364703a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing