Orbital controls on Namib Desert hydroclimate over the past 50,000 years

A groundbreaking study reveals that the Namib Sand Sea, one of the world's oldest deserts, has experienced orbital-scale hydroclimatic variability over the past 50,000 years. Contrary to previous predictions, this variability is in phase with northern tropical cycles, with increased local summer insolation coinciding with periods of heightened aridity. The research, utilizing stratified rock hyrax urine deposits, provides the first continuous high-resolution terrestrial climate record for the Namib Desert. It links these changes to variations in atmospheric pressure cells, modulated by hemispheric and land-sea temperature gradients, and remote controls on the South Atlantic anticyclone, impacting upwelling and sea-surface temperatures.

Chase, B. M., Niedermeyer, E. M., Boom, A., Carr, A. S., Chevalier, M., He, F., Meadows, M. E., Ogle, N., & Reimer, P. J. (2019). Orbital controls on Namib Desert hydroclimate over the past 50,000 years. Geology, 47(9), 867–871. https://doi.org/10.1130/g46334.1