Evidence for the 8,200 a BP cooling event in the middle Okinawa Trough

Based on new and existing data on oxygen isotopes, alkenone-surface seawater temperature trends, planktonic foraminifers, lithology, and clay mineral composition of piston cores, a distinct cooling event has been identified around 8,200 cal a B.P. in the middle Okinawa Trough, northwest Pacific. This corresponds to the 8,200 a B.P. cooling event recorded in many places of the Northern Hemisphere. During this event, the local temperature decreased by 1 degrees C, and the delta O-18 value increased by 0.6%omicron. A strengthened Asian winter monsoon is the most probable cause for this event, which thus adds further credibility to the contention that we are dealing here with a global phenomenon.