The relationship between volcanism and global climate changes in the Tropical Western Pacific over the mid-Pleistocene transition: Evidence from mercury concentration and isotopic composition

Abstract

Volcanoes are a significant component of the Earth system, influencing the interaction between oceans and the atmosphere over large spatial and temporal scales. Being a volcanically dynamic region, the Tropical Western Pacific (TWP) can significantly impact variations in global climate. However, high-resolution continuous records of volcanic activity in this region are lacking, resulting in significant uncertainties regarding the coupling between the deep earth, climate changes, and atmospheric CO2 in the TWP. To address this issue, mercury (Hg) levels, isotopic compositions, and Hg/total organic carbon (Hg/TOC) ratios were determined at site U1486 to track volcanic activity throughout the mid-Pleistocene transition (MPT) from 1.3 Myr to 0.6 Myr. Our results of anomalously high Hg concentrations and Hg/TOC ratios provide evidence of time-varying volcanism throughout the MPT. Mercury isotopes in the Hg-enriched sediments were characterized by near-zero Δ199Hg values, which is consistent with volcanism acting as the primary source of Hg to the sediments. Spectral analysis of the Hg/TOC ratio showed significant periodicity at ~100 kyr and ~ 23 kyr as well as a weaker signal at ~41 kyr consistent with Milankovitch cycles. A cross spectral analysis of Hg/TOC and the LR04 δ18O stack record suggests that the peak in volcanism lags the temperature minimum by ~6 kyr, and occurs prior to the δ18O minimum known as the glacial termination by ~14 ± 2 kyr. The records of volcanic activity in this site are also consistent with a prominent rise in atmospheric CO2 and negative excursion of benthic carbon isotopes throughout the MPT. This study provides direct sedimentary evidence in the TWP of the feedback between volcanic activity, climate change and atmospheric CO2.