Application of the TEX 86 temperature proxy to the southern North Sea

Abstract

A novel temperature proxy, the tetraether index of lipids with 86 carbon atoms (TEX 86), was applied to the suspended particulate organic matter (POM) and sediment core tops from eight sites in the southern North Sea in different seasons. The TEX 86-derived temperatures in many samples did not correlate with mean annual sea surface temperature (SST), but were shifted toward winter SST, apparently because Crenarchaeota are more abundant and metabolically active during periods of low primary production. This indicates that TEX 86-derived SST estimates do not necessarily reflect annual mean SST and may provide essential information about seasonal SST palaeoreconstruction. High TEX 86-derived SSTs were measured in the water of the river Rhine and in the sediment core tops and seawater from several stations in the southern North Sea. These sites were all characterised by important input of organic matter from soil and peat, as revealed by the relatively high values obtained with the new terrestrial proxy, the branched and isoprenoid tetraether (BIT) index. These data demonstrate that to reconstruct palaeotemperatures it is essential to estimate both TEX 86 and BIT indices to check that TEX 86 temperatures are not biased as a result of large terrestrial input. Important seasonal variations in TEX 86-derived SST were also evident for the surface sediments of several stations characterised by extremely low sedimentation rates, indicating temporary settlement of laterally transported organic matter with a warmer temperature signal. This implies that sediment core top correlations between TEX 86 and mean annual SST should not be carried out in areas characterised by transient sediment deposition.