The evolution of deepwater dissolved oxygen in the northern South China Sea since 400 ka

Abstract

The dissolved oxygen (DO) content of the ocean provides potential evidence and clues for the waxing and waning of marine productivity, ocean circulation, global climate change, and the evolution of ecological communities. On the basis of the analysis of the Benthic Foraminiferal Oxygen Index (BFOI), the percentage of epifaunal benthic foraminifers, and the redox-sensitive trace elements (Mo/Al) in Core MD12-3432, we reconstruct the evolution of deep water DO content in the northern South China Sea (SCS) during the past 400ka and discuss the mechanisms of variable DO content. The results show that the changes of BFOI, Mo/Al, and the percentage of epifaunal benthic foraminifer present a similar pattern, which may reflect the variations of the DO content in seawater since 400ka. Both variations in BFOI and Mo/Al indicate that the DO content was high during most time of marine isotope stage (MIS) 11 to mid-MIS 6, then decreased in late-MIS 6, and remained stable in MIS 5. It increased in MIS 4 and decreased until MIS 2, and then rose again. The non-synchronous variations between bottom water DO and benthic foraminiferal δ18O indicate that the DO content is not controlled by glacial-interglacial cyclic environmental variations. Comparing the biomarker productivity index with the DO content of water, we find that the DO content is affected mainly by productivity. Bulimina, Uvigerina and Chilostomella oolina are high productivity species. The accumulation rates of Bulimina and Uvigerina are higher during 61–15kyr interval, but the accumulation rate of C. oolina is higher during 168–130kyr. The results infer that different intensity of primary productivity and DO during these two periods. The DO and phytoplankton total (PT) show the opposite relation, which also indicates that the DO is affected by primary productivity, and the combined action of productivity and DO decides the growth of Bulimina, Uvigerina, and C. oolina. Besides the influences of productivity, the change of DO in the ocean is also affected by oceanic circulation.