A tunnel speleothem based stable-isotope record of Atlantic Multi-Decadal Oscillation forcing of precipitation in the Midlands, United Kingdom

Abstract

Cave speleothems are an established source of preserved data used in paleo-environmental reconstruction, as climate and land use information can be recorded in the carbon and oxygen isotopes. Speleothems in the tunnels of the canals in West Midlands, UK were investigated as another potential record as they appear to experience a rapid growth rate, a requirement to detect short-term climate events and low-amplitude climate signals. Formation in artificial structures restrict the potential record to the past 150 years, while other speleothem-based proxies span millennial time scales. Upon analysis, speleothem oxygen isotopes reflect the Atlantic Multi-Decadal Oscillation (AMO), and carbon and oxygen isotopes are correlated to land use changes. The results indicate speleothems from canal tunnels in central England potentially provide a record of land use changes and precipitation source water related to the AMO. Tunnel speleothem isotope data have the potential to serve as valuable datasets in climate teleconnection and modeling studies.