Climatic “pause” during Termination II identified in shallow and intermediate waters off the Iberian margin

Abstract

The sequence of Termination II, from the end of marine isotopic stage 6 (MIS 6) to MIS 5e, is observed through an isotopic study (δ 18O) of planktic and benthic foraminifera in core MD99-2331 (42°09′N; 09°41′W), collected in the North Atlantic, on the Iberian margin. First, to build an approximate time scale, a record of the planktic δ 18O signal is achieved from the top of the core (Holocene) to MIS 6. The remarkable similarity of this planktic record to the Greenland Ice Core Project ice core δ 18O record allows a rough dating of our core. A focus on Termination II reveals one “standstill” in the benthic record. This “pause” can be linked either to a perturbation of North Atlantic oceanic circulation pattern, as a slowing down of the North Atlantic Deep Water formation, or to an interruption in polar ice sheet melting, which could be a more global phenomenon.