High organic carbon deposition in the northern margin of the Aleutian Basin (Bering Sea) before the last deglaciation

Abstract

High-resolution geochemical, isotope and elemental data from core PC23A in the northern margin of the Aleutian Basin (Bering Sea) were used to reconstruct distinct paleoceanographic features of the last deglaciation (pre-Boreal[PB], Bolling-Allerod[BA], Younger Dryas[YD]). The PB and BA intervals are characterized by increased siliceous (diatom) and calcareous (coccolithophores and foraminifers) productivity represented by high biogenic opal and CaCO3 contents, respectively. The enhanced productivity can plausibly be attributed to an elevated sea-surface nutrient supply from increased melt-water input and enhanced Alaskan Stream injection under warm, restricted sea-ice conditions. High Corg/N ratios and low δ13C values of sediment organic matter during the PB and BA intervals reflect the contribution of terrestrial organic matters. The PB and BA intervals were also identified by laminated sediment layers of core PC23A, characterized by high Mo/Al and Cd/Al ratios, indicating that the bottom water condition remained anoxic. High δ15N values during the same period were attributed mainly to the increased nutrient utilization and subsequent denitrification of seawater nitrate. Part of high δ15N values may also be due to incorporation of inorganic nitrogen in the clay minerals. It is worthy of note that high total organic carbon (TOC) deposition occurred approximately 3,000 years before onset of the last deglaciation. Simultaneous high Corg/N ratios and low δ13C values clearly suggest that the high TOC content should be related to terrestrial organic carbon input. Low δ15N values during the high TOC interval also confirm the contribution of terrigenous organic matter. Although abundant calcareous phytoplankton production under cold, nutrient-poor conditions represented by Baex data was reported for high TOC deposition preceding the last deglaciation in an earlier study of the Okhotsk Sea, the main reason for the enhanced TOC deposition in the Bering Sea is an increased terrigenous input from the submerged continental shelves (Beringia) with a sea-level rise; this is further supported by Al enrichment of bulk sediments during the high TOC deposition.