Research Article| August 01, 2007 Aegean Sea as driver of hydrographic and ecological changes in the eastern Mediterranean Gianluca Marino; Gianluca Marino 1Institute for Coastal Marine Environment, National Research Council, Porto di Napoli, Calata Porta di Massa, 80133 Naples, Italy Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Eelco J. Rohling; Eelco J. Rohling 2National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, Hampshire SO14 3ZH, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar W. Irene C. Rijpstra; W. Irene C. Rijpstra 3Department of Marine Biogeochemistry and Toxicology, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, PO Box 59, Den Burg, Texel, Netherlands Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Francesca Sangiorgi; Francesca Sangiorgi 4Palaeoecology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Laboratory of Palaeobotany and Palynology, Utrecht University, Budapestlaan 4, 3584 CD Utrecht, Netherlands, and Department of Marine Biogeochemistry and Toxicology, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, PO Box 59, Den Burg, Texel, Netherlands Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Stefan Schouten; Stefan Schouten 5Department of Marine Biogeochemistry and Toxicology, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, PO Box 59, Den Burg, Texel, Netherlands Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté 5Department of Marine Biogeochemistry and Toxicology, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, PO Box 59, Den Burg, Texel, Netherlands Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (2007) 35 (8): 675–678. https://doi.org/10.1130/G23831A.1 Article history received: 24 Feb 2007 rev-recd: 16 Mar 2007 accepted: 17 Mar 2007 first online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share MailTo Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Gianluca Marino, Eelco J. Rohling, W. Irene C. Rijpstra, Francesca Sangiorgi, Stefan Schouten, Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté; Aegean Sea as driver of hydrographic and ecological changes in the eastern Mediterranean. Geology 2007;; 35 (8): 675–678. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G23831A.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract The eastern Mediterranean is undergoing a long-term increase in net evaporation, which may have preconditioned the profound changes that occurred in its deep-sea ventilation over the past two decades. We test the sensitivity of Aegean convective deep-water formation to forcing in the opposite sense, based on a last interglacial episode of enhanced freshwater injection into the eastern Mediterranean. We find that Aegean subsurface ventilation collapsed completely within 40 ± 20 yr, promoting euxinic conditions hostile to aerobic life that expanded toward the photic layer within 650 ± 250 yr. Similar conditions extended throughout the eastern Mediterranean 300 ± 120 yr later. These findings emphasize the exceptional sensitivity of Aegean deep-water formation to climate forcing, driving large-scale hydrographic adjustments throughout the eastern Mediterranean and beyond. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.