Radiocarbon benthic-planktic (B-P) ventilation age data from the sediment core GeoB16206-1, western equatorial Atlantic

Here we present radiocarbon ventilation ages from a western equatorial Atlantic sediment core with a remarkably high sedimentation rate to reconstruct AMOC variability during the last deglaciation, with a focus on Heinrich Stadial 1 (HS1; 17.8-14.8 ka). Notably, within an overall weakened AMOC condition during HS1, our record shows two centennial-scale AMOC intensifications: one from 16.5 to 15.8 ka and another at ~15.4 ka. These centennial-scale episodes of intensified AMOC briefly revitalized Atlantic interhemispheric heat transport during HS1, resulting in decreased precipitation over northeastern Brazil and short-lived but intense changes in climate elsewhere. These episodes of AMOC intensification likely transported substantial volumes of CO2-rich water from the mid-depth Atlantic to the Southern Ocean, where the CO2 was rapidly outgassed to the atmosphere.