Climate variability in the SW Indian Ocean from an 8000-yr long multi-proxy record in the Mauritian lowlands shows a middle to late Holocene shift from negative IOD-state to ENSO-state

The onset of ENSO climate variability followed an anomalously strong negative IOD-like event and shifted teleconnections from the tropical Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. A shift in ENSO activity around ∼2600 cal yr BP signifies the decoupling of ENSO from the Atlantic ITCZ. Subsequently, the influence of ENSO on climate in the western Indian Ocean is indicated by increased storm frequency and drought events after 2660 cal yr BP in Mauritius and reduced monsoon activity in the western and eastern Indian Ocean.