Abstract
Bivalve sclerochronological records with annually resolved growth bands are applicable proxies in reconstructing features of the hydro-climate system. Here we evaluate the relationship between growth indices of A. islandica, previously collected at approximately 82 m depth in the North Atlantic, and seasonal subsurface temperature at various depths for the 1900–2005 period. Correlations with sea surface temperature at the collection site are not significant during winter and weak for the remaining seasons. The strongest in-phase correlations persist for summer and autumn below 56 m water depth, whereas weaker correlations are lagged by one or two years. We also observe similarities with distant water bodies in the North Atlantic sector, and a corresponding large-scale oceanographic pattern that increases significantly with water depth along the trajectory of the North Atlantic Current. We suggest that by investigating the relationship with the temperature signal at various depths locally and at large-scale increases the reliability and application of bivalve shells as marine archives.
Highlights
Past temperature reconstructions are extremely valuable in the context of understanding climate and modes of natural variability
We explored the strength of correlation with seasonal subsurface water temperature spatially over the common analysis period 1900–2005 and examined the large-scale temperature effects on growth variability of A. islandica in the North Atlantic sector
This study explored the depth-dependent relationship of an annually-resolved master chronology of A. islandica from the North Icelandic shelf to ocean temperatures
Summary
Past temperature reconstructions are extremely valuable in the context of understanding climate and modes of natural variability. Since the availability of observational data is limited to the last 150 years, marine archives of biogenic carbonate origin have become attractive indicators for temperature reconstructions. To reconstruct ocean temperatures, Weidman et al (1994) linked the oxygen isotopic composition (δ18Oshell) of Arctica islandica with annual growth increments, and showed that bottom temperatures are recorded with a precision of ±1.2◦C. This study instigated a number of publications exploring the relationship for the North Atlantic sector (e.g., Schöne et al, 2004, 2005a,b; Wanamaker et al, 2008a). The ocean quahog, A. islandica became an important climate archive in the North Atlantic sector, which, due to its extreme longevity, allows reconstruction of past environmental signals on multi-centennial time scales
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