Positive precipitation–evaporation budget from AD 460 to 1090 in the Saloum Delta (Senegal) indicated by mollusk oxygen isotopes

article i nfo There is a critical need to document the long-term variability of the West African Monsoon (WAM) in the Sahel region. We present here a multidecadal proxy record of the past hydrology from AD 460 to 1090 in the Saloum Delta, Senegal. The Saloum Delta is a hypersaline estuary where the salinity and the water isoto- pic composition are highly sensitive to rainfall variations. The past hydrology was studied using the oxygen isotopic ratio of Anadara senilis fossil shells, since mollusk shell isotopic composition (δ 18