Reconstruction of SE trade‐wind intensity based on sea‐surface temperature gradients in the Southeast Atlantic over the last 25 kyr

Abstract

A prominent feature in the Southeast Atlantic is the Angola‐Benguela Front (ABF), the convergence between warm tropical and cold subtropical upwelled waters. At present, the sea‐surface temperature (SST) gradient across the ABF and its position are influenced by the strength of southeasterly (SE) trade winds. Here, we present a record of changes in the ABF SST gradient over the last 25 kyr. Variations in this SST contrast indicate that periods of strengthened SE trade‐wind intensity occurred during the Last Glacial Maximum, the Younger Dryas, and the Mid to Late Holocene, while Heinrich Event 1, the early part of the Bølling‐Allerød, and the Early Holocene were periods of weakened SE trade‐winds.