Timing and amplitude of hydroclimate changes during the last glacial cycle in southwestern North America

The presently (semi)arid southwestern North America experienced major shifts in hydroclimate during the Quaternary characterized by oscillations between pluvial and arid phases. On orbital timescales, regional moisture availability is attributed to latitudinal shifts of moisture-bearing storm tracks due to the expansion and retreat of North American ice sheets. Millennial-scale variability is superimposed on top of the broader glacial pluvial phases. Groundwater fluctuations recorded by calcite deposits in Devils Hole, Nevada, offer unique insights into the past hydroclimate of the southwestern USA covering both time scales. Here, we increase the resolution of the Devils Hole water table record with an additional 43 water-table markers covering the last interglacial-glacial cycle. The updated record of water-table changes enables a comparison with sea-level records between 120,000 and 70,000 years ago, revealing concurrent changes in both during this period. This strengthens the hypothesis that orbital-scale water-table changes are closely linked to ice-sheet expansion during Marine Isotope Stage 5. New water table markers of the last 60,000 years further support increased pluvial conditions during Heinrich events.