NOAA/WDS Paleoclimatology - Qunf Cave, Oman d18O, d13C, d17O Excess, Fluid Inclusion Hydrogen Isotope, and Trace Metal Data Over the Past 11,000 Years

Qunf Cave oxygen isotope (d18Oc) record from southern Oman is one of the most significant of few Holocene Indian summer monsoon cave records. However, the interpretation of the Qunf d18Oc remains in dispute. Here we provide multiple proxy records from Qunf Cave and climate model simulations to reconstruct the Holocene local and regional hydroclimate changes. The results indicate that besides the Indian summer monsoon, the North African summer monsoon also contributes water vapor to southern Oman during the early to middle Holocene. In principle, Qunf d18Oc values reflect integrated oxygen-isotope fractionations over a broad moisture transport swath from moisture sources to the cave site, rather than local precipitation amount alone, and thus the Qunf d18Oc record characterizes primary changes in the super-monsoon regime across the Holocene. In contrast, other Qunf Cave proxy records appear to suggest an overall slightly increased or unchanged wetness over the Holocene at the cave site.