Stormy southwestern Indian Ocean in the mid-Holocene

Jan 3, 2022

View of the east coast of South Africa. Photo: Christian Rohleder

In the future, strong cyclones could hit the coast of southeast Africa. This is according to a study that researchers – including those from MARUM – have now published in the journal Nature Geoscience.

Evidence of past storms is recorded in marine sediments and is fundamental to classifying long-term past climate variability. The study involves scientists from South Africa (University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban), the United Kingdom (Ulster University, University of Stirling) and Bremen. The data was obtained during an expedition in 2013 with the research vessel METEOR. PD Dr. Matthias Zabel and Dr. Anette Hahn from MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences contributed significantly to the results as part of the RAiN (Regional Archives for Integrated iNvestigations) project funded by the German Ministry of Research.

During expedition M 123 with the research vessel METEOR, first author Andy Green (left) Matthias Zabel (right) and colleagues examine a sediment core. Photo: Christian Rohleder

Original publication:

Green, A.N., Cooper, J.A.G., Loureiro, C. et al. Stormier mid-Holocene southwest Indian Ocean due to poleward trending tropical cyclones. Nat. Geosci. (2021). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-021-00842-w

Contact:

PD Dr. habil. Matthias Zabel
Sediment Geochemistry
Phone: +49 421 218 65103
Email: [Bitte aktivieren Sie Javascript]

More information:

Project RAiN

Film Expedition M 123 (German with subtitles)