The southwestern Cape of South Africa is a particularly dynamic region in terms of long-term climate change. We analysed fossil pollen from a 25,000 year sediment core taken from a near-coastal wetland at Pearly Beach that revealed that distinct changes in vegetation composition occurred along the southwestern Cape coast. From these changes, considerable variability in temperature and moisture availability are inferred. Consistent with indications from elsewhere in southwestern Africa, variability in Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) was identified as a strong determinant of regional climate change. At Pearly Beach, this resulted in phases of relatively drier conditions (~24–22.5 cal ka BP and ~22–18 cal ka BP) demarcated by brief phases of increased humidity from ~24.5–24 cal ka BP and 22.5–22 cal ka BP. During glacial Termination I (~19–11.7 ka), a marked increase in coastal thicket pollen from ~18.5 to 15.0 cal ka BP indicates a substantial increase in moisture availability, coincident, and likely associated with, a slowing AMOC and a buildup of heat in the southern Atlantic. With clear links to glacial and deglacial Earth system dynamics and perturbations, the Pearly Beach record represents an important new contribution to a growing body of data, providing insights into the patterns and mechanisms of southwestern African climate change.

中文翻译：

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南非开普敦西南部 25,000 年的气候和植被变化记录

就长期气候变化而言，南非西南部开普敦是一个特别活跃的地区。我们分析了取自 Pearly Beach 近海岸湿地的 25,000 年沉积物核心的化石花粉，结果显示开普敦西南沿岸的植被组成发生了明显变化。从这些变化中，可以推断出温度和湿度可用性的相当大的变化。与非洲西南部其他地方的迹象一致，大西洋经向翻转环流（AMOC）的变化被确定为区域气候变化的重要决定因素。在珍珠滩，这导致了相对干燥的条件阶段（~24-22.5 cal ka BP 和~22-18 cal ka BP），其划分为从~24.5-24 cal ka BP 和 22.5-22 cal ka 的短暂湿度增加阶段英国石油公司。在冰川终止 I（~19–11.7 ka）期间，沿海灌木丛花粉从~18.5 到 15.0 cal ka BP 的显着增加表明水分可用性显着增加，这与 AMOC 减缓和热量积聚同时发生并可能相关在南大西洋。珍珠滩记录与冰川和冰川地球系统动力学和扰动有着明确的联系，代表了对不断增长的数据体的重要新贡献，提供了对非洲西南部气候变化模式和机制的见解。