Atlantic δ13C Research Articles

Remineralization dominating the δ13C decrease in the mid-depth Atlantic during the last deglaciation

δ13C records from the mid-depth Atlantic show a pronounced decrease during the Heinrich Stadial 1 (HS1), a deglacial episode of dramatically weakened Atlantic Meridional Ocean Circulation (AMOC). Proposed explanations for this mid-depth decrease include a greater fraction of δ13C-depleted southern sourced water (SSW), a δ13C decrease in the North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) end-member, and accumulation of the respired organic carbon. However, the relative importance of these proposed mechanisms cannot be quantitatively constrained from current available observations alone. Here we diagnose the individual contributions to the deglacial Atlantic mid-depth δ13C change from these mechanisms using a transient simulation with carbon isotopes and idealized tracers. We find that although the fraction of the low-δ13C SSW increases in response to a weaker AMOC during HS1, the water mass mixture change only plays a minor role in the mid-depth Atlantic δ13C decrease. Instead, increased remineralization due to the AMOC-induced mid-depth ocean ventilation decrease is the dominant cause. In this study, we differentiate between the deep end-members, which are assigned to deep water regions used in previous paleoceanography studies, and the surface end-members, which are from the near-surface water defined from the physical origin of deep water masses. We find that the deep NADW end-member includes additional remineralized material accumulated when sinking from the surface (surface NADW end-member). Therefore, the surface end-members should be used in diagnosing mechanisms of δ13C changes. Furthermore, our results suggest that remineralization in the surface end-member is more critical than the remineralization along the transport pathway from the near-surface formation region to the deep ocean, especially during the early deglaciation.

A Ternary Mixing Model Approach Using Benthic Foraminifer δ13C‐δ18O Data to Reconstruct Late Pliocene Deep Atlantic Water Mass Mixing

AbstractLate Pliocene deep Atlantic δ13C data have been interpreted as evidence for enhanced Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) compared to the present, but this hypothesis is not supported by the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP). Here, we adopt a new approach to assess variability in deep ocean circulation based on paired stable carbon (δ13C) and oxygen isotopes (δ18O) of benthic foraminifera, both (semi)conservative water mass tracers. Assuming that deep Atlantic benthic δ13C‐δ18O variability is predominantly driven by mixing, we extrapolate the δ13C‐δ18O data outside the sampled range to identify the end‐members. At least three end‐members are needed to explain the spatial δ13C‐δ18O variability in the deep North Atlantic Ocean: two Northern Component Water (NCW) and one Southern Component Water (SCW) water masses. We use a ternary mixing model to quantify the mixing proportions between SCW and NCW in the deep Atlantic Ocean. Our analysis includes new data from Ocean Drilling Program Sites 959 and 662 in the eastern equatorial Atlantic and suggests that the AMOC cell was deeper during the M2 glacial than during late Pliocene interglacials. Moreover, we identify a new cold and well‐ventilated water mass that was geographically restricted to the southeast Atlantic Ocean between 3.6 and 2.7 Ma and did not contribute significantly to the δ13C‐δ18O variability of the rest of the basin. This high‐δ13C high‐δ18O water mass has led to the misconception of a reduced latitudinal δ13C gradient. Our analyses show that the late Pliocene δ13C gradient between NCW and SCW was similar to the present‐day value of 1.1‰.

A Southwest Pacific Perspective on Long‐Term Global Trends in Pliocene‐Pleistocene Stable Isotope Records

AbstractContinuous stable isotope records from marine sediment cores spanning the Pliocene have been used to assess the oceans' response to major perturbations in the climate system as the oceans play an integral role in regulating the global distribution of heat and gases. The Early to mid‐Pliocene has previously been characterized as a time of relative warmth followed by Late Pliocene Southern Hemisphere cooling and bipolar glaciation at ~2.7 Ma. Previous studies have predominantly focused on the Atlantic and Equatorial Pacific Oceans. In this study, we extended the deep water benthic foraminifera stable isotope record from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1123 in the southwest Pacific, back to the warm Early Pliocene. This is a high‐latitude site at the gateway where the abyssal waters enter the Pacific Ocean and provides information about the connection between the Southern Ocean and the Pacific. We identify a dichotomy between the deep southwest Pacific and South Atlantic δ13C records spanning the mid‐Pliocene and suggest that this is most likely the result of variations in the relative contributions of Northern versus Southern Hemisphere deep waters to the different basins. At 3.6 Ma, δ13C values start to decrease; this is interpreted to represent alteration in preformed values as a result of increased remineralization of carbon caused by a reduction in deep ocean ventilation in the Southern Ocean. This is likely the consequence of a greater extent and seasonal duration of sea ice in the Southern Ocean from Antarctic Ice Sheet expansion and cooling.

Carbon isotope offsets between benthic foraminifer species of the genus Cibicides (Cibicidoides) in the glacial sub‐Antarctic Atlantic

AbstractEpibenthic foraminifer δ13C measurements are valuable for reconstructing past bottom water dissolved inorganic carbon δ13C (δ13CDIC), which are used to infer global ocean circulation patterns. Epibenthic δ13C, however, may also reflect the influence of 13C‐depleted phytodetritus, microhabitat changes, and/or variations in carbonate ion concentrations. Here we compare the δ13C of two benthic foraminifer species, Cibicides kullenbergi and Cibicides wuellerstorfi, and their morphotypes, in three sub‐Antarctic Atlantic sediment cores over several glacial‐interglacial transitions. These species are commonly assumed to be epibenthic, living above or directly below the sediment‐water interface. While this might be consistent with the small δ13C offset that we observe between these species during late Pleistocene interglacial periods (Δδ13C = −0.19 ± 0.31‰, N = 63), it is more difficult to reconcile with the significant δ13C offset that is found between these species during glacial periods (Δδ13C = −0.76 ± 0.44‰, N = 44). We test possible scenarios by analyzing Uvigerina spp. δ13C and benthic foraminifer abundances: (1) C. kullenbergi δ13C is biased to light values either due to microhabitat shifts or phytodetritus effects and (2) C. wuellerstorfi δ13C is biased to heavy values, relative to long‐term average conditions, for instance by recording the sporadic occurrence of less depleted deepwater δ13CDIC. Neither of these scenarios can be ruled out unequivocally. However, our findings emphasize that supposedly epibenthic foraminifer δ13C in the sub‐Antarctic Atlantic may reflect several factors rather than being solely a function of bottom water δ13CDIC. This could have a direct bearing on the interpretation of extremely light South Atlantic δ13C values at the Last Glacial Maximum.

Atlantic overturning responses to obliquity and precession over the last 3 Myr

This study analyzes 39 Atlantic and seven Pacific benthic δ13C records to characterize obliquity and precession responses in Atlantic overturning since 3 Ma. Regional benthic δ13C stacks are also analyzed. A major transition in orbital responses is observed at 1.5–1.6 Ma coincident with the first glacial shoaling of Northern Component Water. Since ∼1.5 Ma, the phases of Atlantic benthic δ13C records from 2300 to 4000 m depth lag maximum obliquity by 59° (6.7 kyr) and June perihelion precession forcing by 133° (8.5 kyr). Comparison with North Atlantic sea surface temperature suggests that these orbital responses (particularly precession) in middle deep Atlantic δ13C are associated with changes in ocean heat transport and overturning rates. The mid-Pleistocene transition had little effect on the obliquity and precession phases of benthic δ13C but did result in a ∼50% decrease in the obliquity power of middle deep Atlantic δ13C at 0.6 Ma.

Isotopically depleted carbon in the mid‐depth South Atlantic during the last deglaciation

AbstractThe initial rise in atmospheric CO2 during the last deglaciation was likely driven by input of carbon from a 13C‐depleted reservoir. Here we show that high resolution benthic foraminiferal records from the mid‐depth Brazil Margin display an abrupt drop in δ13C during Heinrich Stadial 1 (HS1) that is similar to but larger than in the atmosphere. Comparing the Brazil Margin results to published records from the North Atlantic, we are unable to account for the South Atlantic δ13C data with conservative mixing between northern and southern component water masses. Rapid input of abyssal water from the Southeast Atlantic could account for deglacial δ13C anomalies at the Brazil Margin but it would require a reversal in deep water flow direction compared to today. A new mid‐depth water mass may explain similar HS1 δ13C values in both the North and South Atlantic, but contrasting oxygen isotopic values between the two basins do not support such a scenario. Instead, it appears that δ13C behaved non‐conservatively during the deglaciation, possibly reflecting the input of carbon from an isotopically depleted source.

Miocene ocean circulation inferred from marine carbon cycle modeling combined with benthic isotope records

In a modeling sensitivity study we investigate the evolution of the ocean circulation and of marine carbon isotope (δ13C) records during the Miocene (about 23–5 million years ago). For this purpose we ran an ocean‐circulation carbon cycle model of intermediate complexity (Large Scale Geostrophic– Hamburg Ocean Carbon Cycle Model, version 2s) exploring various seaway configurations. Our investigations confirm that the Central American Seaway played a decisive role in the history of the Miocene ocean circulation. In simulations with a deep Central American Seaway (depth range 1–3 km), typical for the early to middle Miocene, deep water production in the North Atlantic is absent or weak, while the meridional overturning circulation is dominated by water mass formation in the Southern Ocean. Deep water formation in the North Atlantic begins when the Central American Seaway shoals to a few hundreds of meters, which is typical for the late Miocene. Our results do not support ideas that the mid‐Miocene closing of the Eastern Tethys contributed to Antarctic glaciation. On the other hand, we find some water exchange between the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic via the Eastern Tethys during the early Miocene. Our model results for the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation and for Atlantic δ13C during the late Miocene are largely independent from depth variations of the Greenland‐Scotland Ridge. To a large extent, the evolution of Miocene deep‐sea δ13C records can be explained with large‐scale ocean circulation changes. Our model‐data comparison for the middle and early Miocene suggests that during the early Neogene the seaway effect on benthic δ13C may have been superimposed by further factors such as climate regime shifts and/or terrestrial carbon cycle changes.

Last Glacial Maximum CO2andδ13C successfully reconciled

[1] During the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, ∼21,000 years ago) the cold climate was strongly tied to low atmospheric CO2 concentration (∼190 ppm). Although it is generally assumed that this low CO2 was due to an expansion of the oceanic carbon reservoir, simulating the glacial level has remained a challenge especially with the additional δ13C constraint. Indeed the LGM carbon cycle was also characterized by a modern-like δ13C in the atmosphere and a higher surface to deep Atlantic δ13C gradient indicating probable changes in the thermohaline circulation. Here we show with a model of intermediate complexity, that adding three oceanic mechanisms: brine induced stratification, stratification-dependant diffusion and iron fertilization to the standard glacial simulation (which includes sea level drop, temperature change, carbonate compensation and terrestrial carbon release) decreases CO2 down to the glacial value of ∼190 ppm and simultaneously matches glacial atmospheric and oceanic δ13C inferred from proxy data. LGM CO2 and δ13C can at last be successfully reconciled.

Glacial water mass geometry and the distribution of δ13C of ΣCO2 in the western Atlantic Ocean

Oxygen and carbon isotopic data were produced on the benthic foraminiferal taxa Cibicidoides and Planulina from 25 new piston cores, gravity cores, and multicores from the Brazil margin. The cores span water depths from about 400 to 3000 m and intersect the major water masses in this region. These new data fill a critical gap in the South Atlantic Ocean and provide the motivation for updating the classic glacial western Atlantic δ13C transect of Duplessy et al. (1988). The distribution of δ13C of ΣCO2 requires the presence of three distinct water masses in the glacial Atlantic Ocean: a shallow (∼1000 m), southern source water mass with an end‐member δ13C value of about 0.3–0.5‰ VPDB, a middepth (∼1500 m), northern source water mass with an end‐member value of about 1.5‰, and a deep (>2000 m), southern source water with an end‐member value of less than −0.2‰, and perhaps as low as the −0.9‰ values observed in the South Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean (Ninnemann and Charles, 2002). The origins of the water masses are supported by the meridional gradients in benthic foraminiferal δ18O. A revised glacial section of deep water δ13C documents the positions and gradients among these end‐member intermediate and deep water masses. The large property gradients in the presence of strong vertical mixing can only be maintained by a vigorous overturning circulation.

Carbon 13 in Pacific Deep and Intermediate Waters, 0‐370 ka: Implications for Ocean Circulation and Pleistocene CO2

Stable isotopes in benthic foraminifera from Pacific sediments are used to assess hypotheses of systematic shifts in the depth distribution of oceanic nutrients and carbon during the ice ages. The carbon isotope differences between ∼1400 and ∼3200 m depth in the eastern Pacific are consistently greater in glacial than interglacial maxima over the last ∼370 kyr. This phenomenon of “bottom heavy” glacial nutrient distributions, which Boyle proposed as a cause of Pleistocene CO2 change, occurs primarily in the 1/100 and 1/41 kyr−1 “Milankovitch” orbital frequency bands but appears to lack a coherent 1/23 kyr−1 band related to orbital precession. Averaged over oxygen‐isotope stages, glacial δ13C gradients from ∼1400 to ∼3200 m depth are 0.1‰ greater than interglacial gradients. The range of extreme shifts is somewhat larger, 0.2 to 0.5‰. In both cases, these changes in Pacific δ13C distributions are much smaller than observed in shorter records from the North Atlantic. This may be too small to be a dominant cause of atmospheric pCO2 change, unless current models underestimate the sensitivity of pCO2 to nutrient redistributions. This dampening of Pacific relative to Atlantic δ13C depth gradient favors a North Atlantic origin of the phenomenon, although local variations of Pacific intermediate water masses can not be excluded at present.