Abstract
Rapid changes in ocean circulation and climate have been observed in marine-sediment and ice cores over the last glacial period and deglaciation, highlighting the non-linear character of the climate system and underlining the possibility of rapid climate shifts in response to anthropogenic greenhouse gas forcing. To date, these rapid changes in climate and ocean circulation are still not fully explained. One obstacle hindering progress in our understanding of the interactions between past ocean circulation and climate changes is the difficulty of accurately dating marine cores. Here, we present a set of 92 marine sediment cores from the Atlantic Ocean for which we have established age-depth models that are consistent with the Greenland GICC05 ice core chronology, and computed the associated dating uncertainties, using a new deposition modeling technique. This is the first set of consistently dated marine sediment cores enabling paleoclimate scientists to evaluate leads/lags between circulation and climate changes over vast regions of the Atlantic Ocean. Moreover, this data set is of direct use in paleoclimate modeling studies.
Highlights
Background & SummaryIn order to decipher the mechanisms at play in observed past climate changes, it is necessary to establish a common temporal framework for paleoclimate records from different archives and from different locations
Radiocarbon dating of marine records is complicated, by a difference between the surface water 14C/12C ratio and that of the contemporaneous atmosphere, due to the balance between the input of atmospheric 14C and its removal by radioactive decay in the water column, advection, and mixing with older waters
Previous studies have revealed that surface reservoir ages have not remained constant over time at high latitudes of the North Atlantic and Southern Ocean due to changes in the location and vigour of deep-water formation[1,2,3,4]
Summary
In order to decipher the mechanisms at play in observed past climate changes, it is necessary to establish a common temporal framework for paleoclimate records from different archives and from different locations. Previous studies have revealed that surface reservoir ages have not remained constant over time at high latitudes of the North Atlantic and Southern Ocean (i.e. poleward of ~38°N and of ~40°S) due to changes in the location and vigour of deep-water formation[1,2,3,4]. In those high-latitude regions, it is necessary to use an alternative dating strategy in lieu of 14C dating of marine organisms. This new data set enables paleoclimate scientists to (i) examine relative phases between Atlantic records (e.g. planktonic and benthic oxygen and carbon isotopes, Pa/Th); and (ii) use the spatial and temporal changes recorded in Atlantic sediments to constrain paleoclimate model simulations
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