Southwest Pacific Palaeoclimate Reconstructions from 20-10 kyr BP

Climatic reconstructions for the period 20,000 to 10,000 years before present were developed from five sites along a transect from southern New Zealand to Indonesia. The dataset is supported by 125 calibrated radiocarbon ages and was published by the Australian Ocean Data Network. The record identifies two periods of significant climatic change at around 17 and 14.2 thousand years ago.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the timing of climatic shifts at 17 and 14.2 cal kyr BP across the five-site transect.
• Correlating regional climate events with global phenomena like Meltwater Pulse-1A using the radiocarbon age framework.
• Studying spatial climate variability across the Southwest Pacific region from New Zealand to Indonesia.
• Testing hypotheses on inter-hemispheric teleconnections during the Last Termination with the provided reconstructions.

Strengths

• Reconstructions are supported by 125 calibrated radiocarbon ages.
• Data covers a key 10,000-year period from 20 to 10 kyr BP.
• Spatial coverage includes five sites along a transect from New Zealand to Indonesia.

Limitations

• The authors note severe geochronological constraints inherent to radiocarbon-based age models.
• Climate parameters are not quantified, limiting precise interpretation.
• Sample size is limited to five specific sites.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Palaeoclimatic reconstructions derived from site data, supported by radiocarbon dating.

Time Range

20,000 to -10,000 years before present (20-10 kyr BP)

Freshness

null

Geography

Transect from southern New Zealand, through Australia to Indonesia (Southwest Pacific)