Extended Cave Drip Water Time Series Captures the 2015–2016 El Niño in Northern Borneo

A 12-year time series of cave drip water oxygen isotopes (δ¹⁸O) from Gunung Mulu National Park, northern Borneo, reveals strong correlations with rainfall δ¹⁸O variations over preceding months and captures the hydroclimatic impacts of the 2015–2016 El Niño. The study demonstrates that stalagmite δ¹⁸O records can reflect ENSO-related variability in regional hydroclimate, with drip water δ¹⁸O anomalies showing sustained positive shifts during the El Niño event. Nonlinear behavior at one monitoring site suggests time-varying contributions from longer-term reservoirs, highlighting the potential for high-resolution stalagmite reconstructions to characterize past climate dynamics in this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Ellis, S. A., Cobb, K. M., Moerman, J. W., Partin, J. W., Bennett, A. L., Malang, J., Gerstner, H., & Tuen, A. A. (2020). Extended Cave Drip Water Time Series Captures the 2015–2016 El Niño in Northern Borneo. Geophysical Research Letters, 47(5). Portico. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019gl086363