Hostname: page-component-6766d58669-rxg44 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-05-19T03:55:52.625Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Late Quaternary climate change in the northeastern Arabian Peninsula recorded in the oxygen isotope composition of carbonate cements of aeolianites

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 February 2026

Sruthi Padampath Sreenivasan Open the ORCID record for Sruthi Padampath Sreenivasan [Opens in a new window] ,
Thomas Steuber ,
Mohammad Alsuwaidi Open the ORCID record for Mohammad Alsuwaidi [Opens in a new window] ,
Michael Wiedenbeck ,
Ikfi Maasyi Hanif Open the ORCID record for Ikfi Maasyi Hanif [Opens in a new window]  and
Khaled Mohamed Open the ORCID record for Khaled Mohamed [Opens in a new window]
Sruthi Padampath Sreenivasan*
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Thomas Steuber
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Mohammad Alsuwaidi
Affiliation:
Research and Innovation Center on CO2 and Hydrogen (RICH), Department of Earth Sciences, Khalifa University, United Arab Emirates
Michael Wiedenbeck
Affiliation:
GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
Ikfi Maasyi Hanif
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Khaled Mohamed
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
*
Corresponding author: Sruthi Padampath Sreenivasan; Email: sruthi.sreenivasan@ku.ac.ae
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The northeastern Arabian Peninsula has an extreme arid climate. To establish past variations in precipitation intensity during the late Quaternary, the oxygen isotope ratios (δ18O) of meteoric calcite cements of the late Quaternary aeolianites of the Ghayathi Formation in Abu Dhabi and Dubai have been analysed. The Ghayathi Formation is a carbonate-rich aeolianite, stabilised by calcite cement precipitated from rising groundwater during humid intervals. The calcite cements are well developed inside and outside a thin micrite rim of now hollow grains, formed by leaching of unstable carbonate grains. The δ18O values of cement analysed in thin sections by secondary ion mass spectrometry vary from −9.1‰ (VPDB) in coastal to +12.7‰ (VPDB) inland areas. This exceptionally wide range of the otherwise petrographically uniform aeolianite is due to the contrasts in humidity and evaporation rate between the coastal and inland areas. The δ18O values as low as −9.1‰ suggest intense precipitation in the late Quaternary, possibly due to the northward expansion of the intertropical convergence zone and intensified Indian summer monsoon. The exceptionally high values must be due to intense evaporation at low humidity in low-salinity, playa-type environments during intermittent arid intervals.

Keywords

geochemistrymeteoric calcite cementprecipitationnortheastern Arabian Peninsulasecondary ion mass spectrometry

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 131 , May 2026 , pp. 172 - 192
Check for updates
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Quaternary Research Center.

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (AGEDI), 2015. Regional atmospheric modeling for the Arabian Gulf region: future scenarios and capacity building. Final Report for AGEDI’s Local, National, and Regional Climate Change Programme.Google Scholar
Alsharhan, A.S., Kendall, C.S.C., 2003. Holocene coastal carbonates and evaporites of the southern Arabian Gulf and their ancient analogues. Earth-Science Reviews, 614, 191–243.10.1016/S0012-8252(02)00110-1CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arboit, F., Steuber, T., Mohamad, K., Alsuwaidi, M., Ceriani, A., 2022. Lost in the wind: an integrated approach for the recognition of mixed clastic–carbonate continental aeolianites. Sedimentology, 69, 2203–2227.10.1111/sed.12989CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arz, H.W., Lamy, F., Patzold, J., Muller, P.J., Prins, M., 2003. Mediterranean moisture source for an early-Holocene humid period in the northern Red Sea. Science 300, 118–121.10.1126/science.1080325CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Asmerom, Y., Baldini, J.U., Prufer, K.M., Polyak, V.J., Ridley, H.E., Aquino, V.V., Baldini, L.M., Breitenbach, S.F., Macpherson, C.G., Kennett, D.J., 2020. Intertropical convergence zone variability in the Neotropics during the Common Era. Science Advances 6, eaax3644.10.1126/sciadv.aax3644CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Atkinson, O.A., Thomas, D.S., Goudie, A.S., Bailey, R.M., 2011. Late Quaternary chronology of major dune ridge development in the northeast Rub’ al-Khali, United Arab Emirates. Quaternary Research 76, 93–105.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atkinson, O.A., Thomas, D.S., Parker, A.G., Goudie, A.S., 2013. Late Quaternary humidity and aridity dynamics in the northeast Rub’ al-Khali, United Arab Emirates: implications for early human dispersal and occupation of eastern Arabia. Quaternary International 300, 292–301.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barker, S., Greaves, M., Elderfield, H., 2003. A study of cleaning procedures used for foraminiferal Mg/Ca paleothermometry. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 4. https://doi.org/10.1029/2003GC000559CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Böer, B., 1997. An introduction to the climate of the United Arab Emirates. Journal of Arid Environments 35, 3–16.10.1006/jare.1996.0162CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burns, S.J., Fleitmann, D., Matter, A., Neff, U., Mangini, A., 2001. Speleothem evidence from Oman for continental pluvial events during interglacial periods. Geology 29, 623–626.10.1130/0091-7613(2001)029<0623:SEFOFC>2.0.CO;22.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burns, S.J., Matter, A., Frank, N., Mangini, A., 1998. Speleothem-based paleoclimate record from northern Oman. Geology 26, 499–502.10.1130/0091-7613(1998)026<0499:SBPRFN>2.3.CO;22.3.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burr, G.S., Edwards, R.L., Donahue, D.J., Druffel, E.R., Taylor, F.W., 1992. Mass spectrometric 14C and U–Th measurements in coral. Radiocarbon 34, 611–618.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Byrne, M.P., Pendergrass, A.G., Rapp, A.D., Wodzicki, K.R., 2018. Response of the intertropical convergence zone to climate change: location, width, and strength. Current Climate Change Reports 4, 355–370.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Calvet, F., 1982. Constructive micrite envelopes developed in vadose continental environments in Pleistocene eolianites of Mallorca (Spain). Acta geológica hispánica, 169–178.Google Scholar
Cao, T., Alsuwaidi, M., Antler, G., Zhao, G., Morad, S., 2024. Depositional control on composition, texture and diagenesis of modern carbonate sediments: a comparative study of tidal channels and marshes, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Sedimentary Geology 472, 106744.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carpenter, S.J., Lohmann, K.C., 1992. SrMg ratios of modern marine calcite: empirical indicators of ocean chemistry and precipitation rate. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 56, 1837–1849.10.1016/0016-7037(92)90314-9CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clark, I.D., Fritz, P., 1997. Environmental Isotopes in Hydrogeology. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.Google Scholar
Clark, P.U., Dyke, A.S., Shakun, J.D., Carlson, A.E., Clark, J., Wohlfarth, B., Mitrovica, J.X., Hostetler, S.W., McCabe, A.M., 2009. The last glacial maximum. Science 325, 710–714.10.1126/science.1172873CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cléroux, C., Cortijo, E., Anand, P., Labeyrie, L., Bassinot, F., Caillon, N., Duplessy, J.C., 2008. Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca ratios in planktonic foraminifera: proxies for upper water column temperature reconstruction. Paleoceanography 23. https://doi.org/10.1029/2007PA001505.Google Scholar
Darrenougue, N., De Deckker, P., Eggins, S., Payri, C., 2014. Sea-surface temperature reconstruction from trace element variations of tropical coralline red algae. Quaternary Science Reviews 93, 34–46.10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.03.005CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dawoud, M.A.H., Hameed, M.A., Alhashmi, K.A.H., Dash, M.L., Athamneh, B.M., Sallam, O.A., Othman, Y.R., et al., 2019. Groundwater Atlas of the Abu Dhabi Emirate. Environmental Agency, Abu Dhabi, pp. 18–113.Google Scholar
Dietzel, M., Tang, J., Leis, A., Köhler, S.J., 2009. Oxygen isotopic fractionation during inorganic calcite precipitation: effects of temperature, precipitation rate and pH. Chemical Geology 268, 107–115.10.1016/j.chemgeo.2009.07.015CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Donohoe, A., Atwood, A.R., Byrne, M.P., 2019. Controls on the width of tropical precipitation and its contraction under global warming. Geophysical Research Letters 46, 9958–9967.10.1029/2019GL082969CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dupraz, C., Reid, R.P., Braissant, O., Decho, A.W., Norman, R.S., Visscher, P.T., 2009. Processes of carbonate precipitation in modern microbial mats. Earth-Science Reviews 96, 141–162.10.1016/j.earscirev.2008.10.005CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Engel, M., Matter, A., Parker, A.G., Parton, A., Petraglia, M.D., Preston, G.W., Preusser, F., 2017. Lakes or wetlands? A comment on ‘The middle Holocene climatic records from Arabia: Reassessing lacustrine environments, shift of ITCZ in Arabian Sea, and impacts of the southwest Indian and African monsoons’ by Enzel et al. Global and Planetary Change 148, 258–267.10.1016/j.gloplacha.2016.11.001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Enzel, Y., Kushnir, Y., Quade, J., 2015. The middle Holocene climatic records from Arabia: reassessing lacustrine environments, shift of ITCZ in Arabian Sea, and impacts of the southwest Indian and African monsoons. Global and Planetary Change 129, 69–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evans, G., 2011. A historical review of the Quaternary sedimentology of the Gulf (Arabian/Persian Gulf) and its geological impact. In: Kendall, CGSC and Alsharhan, AS (Eds.), Quaternary Carbonate and Evaporite Sedimentary Facies and their Ancient Analogues: A Tribute to Douglas James Shearman, International Association of Sedimentologists, vol. 43, pp. 11–44.Google Scholar
Evans, G., Kinsman, D.J.J., Shearman, D.J., 1964. A reconnaissance survey of the environment of recent carbonate sedimentation along the Trucial Coast, Persian Gulf. Developments in Sedimentology 1, 129–135.10.1016/S0070-4571(08)70477-1CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evans, G., Kirkham, A., 2005. The Quaternary deposits. In: Hellyer, P., Aspinall, S. (Eds.), The Emirates: A Natural History. Trident Press, London, pp. 65–80.Google Scholar
Evans, G., Kirkham, A., Carter, R.A., 2002. Quaternary development of the United Arab Emirates coast: new evidence from Marawah Island, Abu Dhabi. GeoArabia 7, 441–458.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evans, G., Schmidt, V., Bush, P., Nelson, H., 1969. Stratigraphy and geologic history of the sabkha, Abu Dhabi, Persian Gulf. Sedimentology, 121, 145–159.10.1111/j.1365-3091.1969.tb00167.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fang, J., Yang, Y., Yi, P., Xiong, L., Shen, J., Ahmed, A., ElHaj, K., Alshamsi, D., Murad, A., Hussein, S., Aldahan, A., 2024. Geospatial stable isotopes signatures of groundwater in United Arab Emirates using machine learning. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies 55, 101938.Google Scholar
Farrant, A.R., Duller, G.A., Parker, A.G., Roberts, H.M., Parton, A., Knox, R.W., Bide, T., 2015. Developing a framework of Quaternary dune accumulation in the northern Rub’ al-Khali, Arabia. Quaternary International 382, 132–144.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Farrant, A.R., Ellison, R.A., Thomas, R.J., Pharaoh, T.C., Newell, A.J., Goodenough, K.M., Lee, J.R., Knox, R., 2012. The Geology and Geophysics of the United Arab Emirates. Geology of the Western and Central United Arab Emirates. Vol. 6, Geology. British Geological Survey.Google Scholar
Farrant, A.R., Mounteney, I., Burton, A., Thomas, R.J., Roberts, N.M., Knox, R.W., Bide, T., 2019. Gone with the wind: dune provenance and sediment recycling in the northern Rub’ al-Khali, United Arab Emirates. Journal of the Geological Society 176, 269–283.10.1144/jgs2017-044CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fleitmann, D., Burns, S.J., Mangini, A., Mudelsee, M., Kramers, J., Villa, I., Neff, U., et al., 2007. Holocene ITCZ and Indian monsoon dynamics recorded in stalagmites from Oman and Yemen (Socotra). Quaternary Science Reviews 26, 170–188.10.1016/j.quascirev.2006.04.012CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fleitmann, D., Burns, S.J., Matter, A., Cheng, H. and Affolter, S., 2022. Moisture and seasonality shifts recorded in Holocene and Pleistocene speleothems from southeastern Arabia. Geophysical Research Letters 49, e2021GL097255.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fleitmann, D., Burns, S.J., Mudelsee, M., Neff, U., Kramers, J., Mangini, A. and Matter, A., 2003a. Holocene forcing of the Indian monsoon recorded in a stalagmite from southern Oman. Science 300, 1737–1739.10.1126/science.1083130CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fleitmann, D., Burns, S.J., Neff, U., Mangini, A., Matter, A., 2003b. Changing moisture sources over the last 330,000 years in northern Oman from fluid-inclusion evidence in speleothems. Quaternary Research 60, 223–232.10.1016/S0033-5894(03)00086-3CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fleitmann, D., Burns, S.J., Neff, U., Mudelsee, M., Mangini, A., Matter, A., 2004. Palaeoclimatic interpretation of high-resolution oxygen isotope profiles derived from annually laminated speleothems from southern Oman. Quaternary Science Reviews 23, 935–945.10.1016/j.quascirev.2003.06.019CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fontes, J.C., Gonfiantini, R., 1967. Comportement isotopique au cours de l’evaporation de deux bassins sahariens. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 3, 258–266.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fontes, J.C., Gonfiantini, R., Roche, M.A., 1971. Deuterium et oxygene-18 dans les eaux du lac Tchad. International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria. IAEA-SM-129/23.Google Scholar
Gabitov, R.I., Watson, E.B., Sadekov, A., 2012. Oxygen isotope fractionation between calcite and fluid as a function of growth rate and temperature: an in-situ study. Chemical Geology 306, 92–102.10.1016/j.chemgeo.2012.02.021CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gardner, R.A.M., 1988. Aeolianites and marine deposits of the Wahiba Sands: character and palaeoenvironments. Journal of Oman Studies 3, 75–94.Google Scholar
Garrard, A., Harvey, C.D., 1981. Environment and settlement during the Upper Pleistocene and Holocene at Jubba in the Great Nefud, northern Arabia. Atlal. The Journal of Saudi Arabian Archaeology Riyadh 5, 137–148.Google Scholar
Garzanti, E., Vermeesch, P., Andò, S., Vezzoli, G., Valagussa, M., Allen, K., Kadi, K.A., Al-Juboury, A.I., 2013. Provenance and recycling of Arabian desert sand. Earth-Science Reviews 120, 1–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ge, Y., Lokier, S.W., Hoffmann, R., Pederson, C.L., Neuser, R.D.,Immenhauser, A., 2020. Composite micrite envelopes in the lagoon of Abu Dhabi and their application for the recognition of ancient firm- to hardgrounds. Marine Geology, 423, 106141.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gischler, E., Swart, P.K., Lomando, A.J., 2009. Stable isotopes of carbon and oxygen in modern sediments of carbonate platforms, barrier reefs, atolls and ramps: patterns and implications. Perspectives in Carbonate Geology: A Tribute to the Career of Robert Nathan Ginsburg, International Association of Sedimentologists, 61–74.10.1002/9781444312065.ch5CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glennie, K.W., Fryberger, S.G., Hern, C., Lancaster, N., Teller, J.T., Pandey, V.P., Singhvi, A.K., 2011. Geological importance of luminescence dates in Oman and the Emirates: An overview. Geochronometria, 38, 259–271.10.2478/s13386-011-0037-2CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glennie, K.W., Singhvi, A.K., 2002. Event stratigraphy, paleoenvironment and chronology of SE Arabian deserts. Quaternary Science Reviews 21, 853–869.10.1016/S0277-3791(01)00133-0CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gonfiantini, R., Wassenaar, L.I., Araguas-Araguas, L., Aggarwal, P.K., 2018. A unified Craig–Gordon isotope model of stable hydrogen and oxygen isotope fractionation during fresh or saltwater evaporation. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 235, 224–236.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Groucutt, H.S., Petraglia, M.D., 2012. The prehistory of the Arabian Peninsula: deserts, dispersals, and demography. Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews 21, 113–125.10.1002/evan.21308CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hadley, D.G., Brouwers, E.M., Brown, T.M., 1998. Quaternary paleodunes, Arabian Gulf coast: age and palaeoenvironmental evolution. In: Alsharhan, A.S., Glennie, K.K., Whittle, G.L., Kendall, C.G.St.C., (Eds.), Quaternary Deserts and Climatic Change. Balkema, Rotterdam, pp. 123–141.Google Scholar
Hendry, J.P., 1993. Calcite cementation during bacterial manganese, iron and sulphate reduction in Jurassic shallow marine carbonates. Sedimentology 40, 87–106.10.1111/j.1365-3091.1993.tb01093.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holail, H., 1999. The isotopic composition and diagenetic history of Pleistocene carbonates, north Qatar. Carbonates and Evaporites 14, 41–55.10.1007/BF03176147CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Horton, T.W., Defliese, W.F., Tripati, A.K., Oze, C., 2016. Evaporation induced 18O and 13C enrichment in lake systems: a global perspective on hydrologic balance effects. Quaternary Science Reviews 131, 365–379.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kamenos, N.A., Cusack, M., Moore, P.G., 2008. Coralline algae are global palaeothermometers with bi-weekly resolution. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 72, 771–779.10.1016/j.gca.2007.11.019CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kang, S.M., Shin, Y., Xie, S.P., 2018. Extratropical forcing and tropical rainfall distribution: energetics framework and ocean Ekman advection. Npj Climate and Atmospheric Science 1, 20172.10.1038/s41612-017-0004-6CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Katz, A.M.I.T.A.I., Sass, E., Starinsky, A., Holland, H.D., 1972. Strontium behavior in the aragonite–calcite transformation: an experimental study at 40–98°C. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 36, 481–496.10.1016/0016-7037(72)90037-3CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kim, S.T., O’Neil, J.R., 1997. Equilibrium and nonequilibrium oxygen isotope effects in synthetic carbonates. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 61, 3461–3475.10.1016/S0016-7037(97)00169-5CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kirkham, A., 1998. Pleistocene carbonate seif dunes and their role in the development of complex past and present coastlines of the UAE. GeoArabia 3, 19–32.10.2113/geoarabia030119CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kirkham, A., Evans, G., 2020. Carbonate sedimentation around Jebel Dhanna: models for parts of the buried Holocene sabkha sequences elsewhere along the Abu Dhabi coastline. Carbonates and Evaporites 35, 1–11.10.1007/s13146-020-00561-0CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Land, L.S., Hoops, G.K., 1973. Sodium in carbonate sediments and rocks; a possible index to the salinity of diagenetic solutions. Journal of Sedimentary Research 43, 614–617.Google Scholar
Lau, W.K., Kim, K.M., 2015. Robust Hadley circulation changes and increasing global dryness due to CO2 warming from CMIP5 model projections. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112, 3630–3635.10.1073/pnas.1418682112CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lézine, A.M., Saliege, J.F., Robert, C., Wertz, F., Inizan, M.L., 1998. Holocene lakes from Ramlat as-Sab’atayn (Yemen) illustrate the impact of monsoon activity in southern Arabia. Quaternary Research 50, 290–299.10.1006/qres.1998.1996CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lokier, S., Steuber, T., 2009. Large‐scale intertidal polygonal features of the Abu Dhabi coastline. Sedimentology 56(3), 609–621.10.1111/j.1365-3091.2008.00988.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lokier, S.W., Fiorini, F., 2016. Temporal evolution of a carbonate coastal system, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Marine Geology 381, 102–113.10.1016/j.margeo.2016.09.001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lokier, S.W., Bateman, M.D., Larkin, N.R., Rye, P., Stewart, J.R., 2015. Late Quaternary sea-level changes of the Persian Gulf. Quaternary Research 84, 69–81.10.1016/j.yqres.2015.04.007CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lu, C., Murray, S.T., Klaus, J., McNeill, D.F., Swart, P.K., 2024. Dual clumped isotopes (Δ47 and Δ48) reveal non-equilibrium formation of freshwater cements. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 379, 145–157.10.1016/j.gca.2024.06.037CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maeda, A., Fujita, K., Horikawa, K., Suzuki, A., Yoshimura, T., Tamenori, Y., Kawahata, H., 2017. Evaluation of oxygen isotope and Mg/Ca ratios in high‐magnesium calcite from benthic foraminifera as a proxy for water temperature. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences 122, 185–199.10.1002/2016JG003587CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Markowska, M., Vonhof, H.B., Groucutt, H.S., Breeze, P.S., Drake, N., Stewart, M., Albert, R., et al., 2025. Recurrent humid phases in Arabia over the past 8 million years. Nature 640, 954–961.10.1038/s41586-025-08859-6CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mauz, B., Shen, Z., Alsuwaidi, M., Melini, D., Spada, G., Purkis, S.J., 2022. The Mid-Holocene sea-level change in the Arabian Gulf. The Holocene 32, 1173–1183.10.1177/09596836221114291CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McClain, M.E., Swart, P.K., Vacher, H.L., 1992. The hydrogeochemistry of early meteoric diagenesis in a Holocene deposit of biogenic carbonates. Journal of Sedimentary Research 62, 1008–1022.Google Scholar
McClure, H.A., 1976. Radiocarbon chronology of late Quaternary lakes in the Arabian Desert. Nature 263, 755–756.10.1038/263755a0CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Melim, L.A., Westphal, H., Swart, P.K., Eberli, G.P., Munnecke, A., 2002. Questioning carbonate diagenetic paradigms: evidence from the Neogene of the Bahamas. Marine Geology 185, 27–53.10.1016/S0025-3227(01)00289-4CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nguyen, A., Gabitov, R., Jimenez, A., Dygert, A., Varco, J., Pérez-Huerta, A., Migdisov, A., Paul, V., Kirkland, B., Dash, P., 2021. Retaining geochemical signatures during aragonite–calcite transformation at hydrothermal conditions. Minerals 11, 1052.10.3390/min11101052CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nicholson, S.L., Pike, A.W., Hosfield, R., Roberts, N., Sahy, D., Woodhead, J., Cheng, H., et al., 2020. Pluvial periods in southern Arabia over the last 1.1 million-years. Quaternary Science Reviews 229, 106112.10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.106112CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Niranjan Kumar, K., Ouarda, T.B.M.J., 2014. Precipitation variability over UAE and global SST teleconnections. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 119, 10–313.Google Scholar
Ouarda, T.B., Charron, C., Kumar, K.N., Marpu, P.R., Ghedira, H., Molini, A., Khayal, I., 2014. Evolution of the rainfall regime in the United Arab Emirates. Journal of Hydrology 514, 258–270.10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.04.032CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paparella, F., Burt, J.A., 2023. Climate of the United Arab Emirates: present, past and impacts on life. In: A Natural History of the Emirates. Cham, Springer Nature, pp. 65–94.Google Scholar
Parker, A., Davies, C., Wilkinson, T., 2006a. The early to Mid-Holocene moist period in Arabia: some recent evidence from lacustrine sequences in eastern and southwestern Arabia. Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies 36, 243–255.Google Scholar
Parker, A.G., Eckersley, L., Smith, M.M., Goudie, A.S., Stokes, S., Ward, S., White, K., Hodson, M.J., 2004. Holocene vegetation dynamics in the northeastern Rub’ al-Khali desert, Arabian Peninsula: a phytolith, pollen and carbon isotope study. Journal of Quaternary Science 19, 665–676.10.1002/jqs.880CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parker, A.G., Goudie, A.S., Stokes, S., White, K., Hodson, M.J., Manning, M., Kennet, D., 2006b. A record of Holocene climate change from lake geochemical analyses in southeastern Arabia. Quaternary Research 66, 465–476.10.1016/j.yqres.2006.07.001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parker, A.G., Preston, G., Walkington, H., Hodson, M.J., 2006c. Developing a framework of Holocene climatic change and landscape archaeology for southeastern Arabia. Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy 17, 125–130.10.1111/j.1600-0471.2006.00261.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parton, A., Farrant, A.R., Leng, M.J., Telfer, M.W., Groucutt, H.S., Petraglia, M.D., Parker, A.G., 2015. Alluvial fan records from southeast Arabia reveal multiple windows for human dispersal. Geology 43, 295–298.10.1130/G36401.1CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Patlakas, P., Stathopoulos, C., Flocas, H., Kalogeri, C., Kallos, G., 2019. Regional climatic features of the Arabian Peninsula. Atmosphere 10, 220.10.3390/atmos10040220CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Preston, G.W., Parker, A.G., Walkington, H., Leng, M.J., Hodson, M.J., 2012. From nomadic herder-hunters to sedentary farmers: the relationship between climate change and ancient subsistence strategies in south-eastern Arabia. Journal of Arid Environments 86, 122–130.10.1016/j.jaridenv.2011.11.030CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Preston, G.W., Thomas, D.S., Goudie, A.S., Atkinson, O.A., Leng, M.J., Hodson, M.J., Walkington, H., et al., 2015. A multi-proxy analysis of the Holocene humid phase from the United Arab Emirates and its implications for southeast Arabia’s Neolithic populations. Quaternary International 382, 277–292.10.1016/j.quaint.2015.01.054CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raafat, H., 2007. Climate. In: Kumar, A. (Ed.), Physical Geography Sector Paper. Environment Agency, Abu Dhabi, pp. 72–89.Google Scholar
Radies, D., Hasiotis, S.T., Preusser, F., Neubert, E., Matter, A., 2005. Paleoclimatic significance of Early Holocene faunal assemblages in wet interdune deposits of the Wahiba Sand Sea, Sultanate of Oman. Journal of Arid Environments 62, 109–125.10.1016/j.jaridenv.2004.09.021CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reimer, P.J., Austin, W.E., Bard, E., Bayliss, A., Blackwell, P.G., Ramsey, C.B., Butzin, M., et al., 2020. The IntCal20 Northern Hemisphere radiocarbon age calibration curve (0–55 cal kBP). Radiocarbon 62, 725–757.10.1017/RDC.2020.41CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Riding, R., 2000. Microbial carbonates: the geological record of calcified bacterial–algal mats and biofilms. Sedimentology, 47, 179–214.10.1046/j.1365-3091.2000.00003.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Riechelmann, D.F., Deininger, M., Scholz, D., Riechelmann, S., Schröder-Ritzrau, A., Spötl, C., Richter, D.K., Mangini, A., Immenhauser, A., 2013. Disequilibrium carbon and oxygen isotope fractionation in recent cave calcite: comparison of cave precipitates and model data. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 103, 232–244.10.1016/j.gca.2012.11.002CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosenberg, T.M., Preusser, F., Fleitmann, D., Schwalb, A., Penkman, K., Schmid, T.W., Al-Shanti, M.A., Kadi, K., Matter, A., 2011. Humid periods in southern Arabia: windows of opportunity for modern human dispersal. Geology 39, 1115–1118.10.1130/G32281.1CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosenberg, T.M., Preusser, F., Risberg, J., Plikk, A., Kadi, K.A., Matter, A., Fleitmann, D., 2013. Middle and Late Pleistocene humid periods recorded in palaeolake deposits of the Nafud desert, Saudi Arabia. Quaternary Science Reviews 70, 109–123.10.1016/j.quascirev.2013.03.017CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rozanski, K., Araguás‐Araguás, L., Gonfiantini, R., 1993. Isotopic patterns in modern global precipitation. Climate Change in Continental Isotopic Records 78, 1–36.Google Scholar
Saeed, W., Shouakar-Stash, O., Unger, A., Wood, W.W., Parker, B., 2021. Chemical evolution of an inland sabkha: a case study from Sabkha Matti, Saudi Arabia. Hydrogeology Journal 29, 1939–1951.10.1007/s10040-021-02346-8CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Saibi, H., Miller, R., Saima, M.A., Elhaj, K., Alshamsi, D., Estwani, S., Akmansoori, H., Alhebsi, H., Murad, A., Aldahan, A., 2024. A review of stable oxygen and hydrogen isotopes in groundwater of the UAE and environmental impact. In Seventh International Conference on Engineering Geophysics, Al Ain, UAE, 16–19 October 2023, Society of Exploration Geophysicists, 299–302.10.1190/iceg2023-068.1CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schneider, T., Bischoff, T., Haug, G.H., 2014. Migrations and dynamics of the intertropical convergence zone. Nature 513, 45–53.10.1038/nature13636CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schulz, E., Whitney, J.W., 1986. Upper Pleistocene and Holocene lakes in the An Nafud, Saudi Arabia. Hydrobiologia 143, 175e190.10.1007/BF00026660CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Segev, E., Erez, J., 2006. Effect of Mg/Ca ratio in seawater on shell composition in shallow benthic foraminifera. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 7. https://doi.org/10.1029/2005GC000969.Google Scholar
Smith, M.E., Swart, P.K., 2022. The influence of diagenesis on carbon and oxygen isotope values in shallow water carbonates from the Atlantic and Pacific: implications for the interpretation of the global carbon cycle. Sedimentary Geology 434, 106147.10.1016/j.sedgeo.2022.106147CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sreenivasan, S.P., Bera, M.K., Samanta, A., 2023. A simple but improved protocol for measuring carbon and oxygen isotope ratios of calcite in calcite–dolomite mixtures. Applied Geochemistry 150, 105600.10.1016/j.apgeochem.2023.105600CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stevens, T., Jestico, M.J., Evans, G., Kirkham, A., 2014. Eustatic control of late Quaternary sea-level change in the Arabian/Persian Gulf. Quaternary Research 82, 175–184.10.1016/j.yqres.2014.03.002CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Strohmenger, C.J., Jameson, J., 2015. Modern coastal systems of Qatar as analogues for arid climate carbonate reservoirs: improving geological and reservoir modelling. First Break 33. https://doi.org/10.3997/1365-2397.2014027.Google Scholar
Styles, M., Ellison, R., Arkley, S., Crowley, Q.G., Farrant, A., Goodenough, K.M., McKervey, J., et al., 2006. The Geology and Geophysics of the United Arab Emirates. Vol. 1, Geology. British Geological Survey.Google Scholar
Swart, P.K., 2015. The geochemistry of carbonate diagenesis: the past, present and future. Sedimentology 62, 1233–1304.10.1111/sed.12205CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Swart, P.K., Oehlert, A.M., 2018. Revised interpretations of stable C and O patterns in carbonate rocks resulting from meteoric diagenesis. Sedimentary Geology 364, 14–23.10.1016/j.sedgeo.2017.12.005CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Swart, P.K., Reijmer, J.J., Otto, R., 2009. A re‐evaluation of facies on great Bahama bank II: variations in the δ13C, δ18O and mineralogy of surface sediments. Perspectives in Carbonate Geology: A Tribute to the Career of Robert Nathan Ginsburg, International Association of Sedimentologists, pp. 47–59.10.1002/9781444312065.ch4CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Teller, J.T., Glennie, K.W., Lancaster, N., Singhvi, A.K., 2000. Calcareous dunes of the United Arab Emirates and Noah’s Flood: the postglacial reflooding of the Persian (Arabian) Gulf. Quaternary International 68, 297–308.10.1016/S1040-6182(00)00052-5CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tian, Y., Fleitmann, D., Zhang, Q., Sha, L., Wassenburg, J.A., Axelsson, J., Zhang, H., et al., 2023. Holocene climate change in southern Oman deciphered by speleothem records and climate model simulations. Nature Communications 14, 4718.10.1038/s41467-023-40454-zCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vallet-Coulomb, C., Gasse, F., Sonzogni, C., 2008. Seasonal evolution of the isotopic composition of atmospheric water vapour above a tropical lake: deuterium excess and implication for water recycling. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 72, 4661–4674.10.1016/j.gca.2008.06.025CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Dijk, I., de Nooijer, L.J., Reichart, G.J., 2017. Trends in element incorporation in hyaline and porcelaneous foraminifera as a function of pCO2. Biogeosciences 14, 497–510.10.5194/bg-14-497-2017CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vincent, B., Brigaud, B., Emmanuel, L., Loreau, J.P., 2017. High resolution ion microprobe investigation of the δ18O of carbonate cements (Jurassic, Paris Basin, France): new insights and pending questions. Sedimentary Geology 350, 42–54.10.1016/j.sedgeo.2017.01.008CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Waelbroeck, C., Labeyrie, L., Michel, E., Duplessy, J.C., Mcmanus, J.F., Lambeck, K., Balbon, E., Labracherie, M., 2002. Sea-level and deep water temperature changes derived from benthic foraminifera isotopic records. Quaternary Science Reviews 21, 295–305.10.1016/S0277-3791(01)00101-9CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Webster, P.J., Magana, V.O., Palmer, T.N., Shukla, J., Tomas, R.A., Yanai, M.U., Yasunari, T., 1998. Monsoons: processes, predictability, and the prospects for prediction. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 103, 14451–14510.10.1029/97JC02719CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weyhenmeyer, C.E., Burns, S.J., Waber, H.N., Macumber, P.G., Matter, A., 2002. Isotope study of moisture sources, recharge areas, and groundwater flow paths within the eastern Batinah coastal plain, Sultanate of Oman. Water Resources Research 38, 2–1.10.1029/2000WR000149CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whitaker, F.F., Smart, P.L., 2007. Geochemistry of meteoric diagenesis in carbonate islands of the northern Bahamas: 2. Geochemical modelling and budgeting of diagenesis. Hydrological Processes: An International Journal 21, 967–982.10.1002/hyp.6533CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilkinson, T.J., 2005. Soil erosion and valley fills in the Yemen highlands and southern Turkey: integrating settlement, geoarchaeology, and climate change. Geoarchaeology: An International Journal 20, 169–192.10.1002/gea.20042CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Williams, A.H., 1999. Glacioeustatic cyclicity in Quaternary carbonates of the southern Arabian Gulf: sedimentology, sequence stratigraphy, palaeoenvironments and climatic record. Unpublished PhD thesis, Aberdeen University, UK.Google Scholar
Williams, A.H., Walkden, G.M., 2001. Carbonate eolianites from a eustatically influenced ramp-like setting: the Quaternary of the southern Arabian Gulf. SEPM Special Publication 71, 77–92.Google Scholar
Williams, A.H., Walkden, G.M., 2002. Late Quaternary highstand deposits of the southern Arabian Gulf: a record of sea-level and climate change. Geological Society of London Special Publication 195, 371–386.10.1144/GSL.SP.2002.195.01.20CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wood, W.W., 2011. Source of paleo-groundwater in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: evidence from unusual oxygen and deuterium isotope data. Hydrogeology Journal 19, 155.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wood, W.W., Bailey, R.M., Hampton, B.A., Kraemer, T.F., Lu, Z., Clark, D.W., James, R.H., Al Ramadan, K., 2012. Rapid late Pleistocene/Holocene uplift and coastal evolution of the southern Arabian (Persian) Gulf. Quaternary Research 77, 215–220.10.1016/j.yqres.2011.10.008CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wood, W.W., Sanford, W.E., Habshi, A.R.S.A., 2002. Source of solutes to the coastal sabkha of Abu Dhabi. Geological Society of America Bulletin 114, 259–268.10.1130/0016-7606(2002)114<0259:SOSTTC>2.0.CO;22.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yuan, S., Chiang, H.W., Liu, G., Bijaksana, S., He, S., Jiang, X., Imran, A.M., Wicaksono, S.A. Wang, X., 2023. The strength, position, and width changes of the intertropical convergence zone since the last glacial maximum. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 120, e2217064120.10.1073/pnas.2217064120CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Supplementary material: File

Sreenivasan et al. supplementary material 1

Sreenivasan et al. supplementary material
Download Sreenivasan et al. supplementary material 1(File)
File 25.5 KB
Supplementary material: File

Sreenivasan et al. supplementary material 2

Sreenivasan et al. supplementary material
Download Sreenivasan et al. supplementary material 2(File)
File 332.3 KB