Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42380158›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Insolation-driven northern Atlantic westerly wind patterns shaped the mid-Pleistocene transition in three phases.

Xiaowen Quan, María F Sánchez Goñi, Qiuzhen Yin, Stefanie Kaboth-Bahr, Paul Moal-Darrigade, Josue M Polanco-Martinez, Zhipeng Wu, André Bahr, Emmanuelle Ducassou, Lucas J Lourens

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Xiaowen QuanEnvironnements et paléoenvironnements océaniques et continentaux (EPOC, UMR 5805), Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, EPHE, PSL University, Pessac, France. quanxw195@163.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0005-7760-8502
María F Sánchez GoñiEnvironnements et paléoenvironnements océaniques et continentaux (EPOC, UMR 5805), Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, EPHE, PSL University, Pessac, France. maria.sanchez-goni@u-bordeaux.fr.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8238-7488
Qiuzhen YinEarth and Life Institute, Earth and Climate Research Center, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7189-8335
Stefanie Kaboth-BahrInstitute of Geological Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Paul Moal-DarrigadeEnvironnements et paléoenvironnements océaniques et continentaux (EPOC, UMR 5805), Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, EPHE, PSL University, Pessac, France.
Josue M Polanco-MartinezDepartment of Statistics & Institute on Fundamental Physics and Mathematics (IUFFyM), Faculty of Sciences, University of Salamanca (USAL), Salamanca, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7164-0185
Zhipeng WuEarth and Life Institute, Earth and Climate Research Center, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4542-9949
André BahrInstitute of Earth Sciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5890-8773
Emmanuelle DucassouEnvironnements et paléoenvironnements océaniques et continentaux (EPOC, UMR 5805), Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, EPHE, PSL University, Pessac, France.
Lucas J LourensDepartment of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3815-7770

Funding

China Scholarship Council (CSC) 202206380020Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) 543992614Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique - FNRS (Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research) T.0246.23Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique - FNRS (Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research) T.W019.23
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The Mid-Pleistocene Transition ( ~ 1200-650 ka) marked a shift to 100-kyr glacial cycles, despite no significant change in insolation cyclicity. In this study, a high-resolution pollen record from the southwestern Iberian margin, combined with climate modeling, reveals a three-phase climate evolution linked to boreal summer insolation amplitude. In the early phase ( ~ 1200-930 ka), strong insolation minima shifted westerlies north, boosting ice accumulation, while maxima promoted melting, limiting ice growth. The middle phase ( ~ 930-790 ka) followed regoliths loss and featured weaker insolation extremes, leading to the southward migration of the westerlies, mega-droughts and greater ice buildup. In the late phase ( ~ 790-680 ka), stronger minima pushed westerlies north, aligning with longer, colder glacials. These findings suggest that changes in insolation amplitude drove shifts in westerly wind patterns, influencing hydroclimate and ice sheet development, and may have contributed to the transition to 100-kyr glacial cycles.

Identifiers

PMID42380158
PMCPMC13458837

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.