Planktonic Foraminifera δ18O Research Articles

Plumbing systems and associated seafloor fluid seepages in deep-water Nigeria: Factors controlling their architecture and cyclic evolution

A range of plumbing systems has been identified in deep-water Nigeria by interpreting multi-scale seismic data sets (reprocessed 3D exploration seismic reflection data and 2D very high-resolution near-bottom seismic reflection data) as well as sedimentological and geochemical data obtained from a long sediment core recovered by the seafloor drill rig MARUM-MeBo70. The plumbing systems are characterized by diverse fault networks and lie above tectonic features including thrust/fold structures and strike-slip faults linked to gravity-driven deformation caused by underlying over-pressured shales. The plumbing systems are associated with fluid seeping structures at the seafloor such as pockmarks, mud volcanoes and seafloor zonations colonized by living benthic macrofauna typical of active fluid flow. The comparison of seismic stratigraphic sequences with climate and environmental proxies determined for sediments including lithology, element ratios such as Ca/Fe and Zr/Rb, sedimentation rates, and planktonic foraminifera δ18O records shows a control of short-term (0.1–0.4 Myr) and long-term (around 1 Myr) sedimentary cycles. During short-term fluctuations, the recurrence of fluid seeping structures is controlled by the lithology (coarse-grained versus fine-grained sediments) linked to glacial-interglacial fluctuations and a monsoon regime. Conditions favorable for fluid flow are related to the deposition of coarse-grained layers, glacial periods, sea-level lowstands, and low sedimentation rates. We hypothesize that cyclic gravity-driven sediment deformations controlled by glacial-interglacial and long-term variations in accommodation and sedimentation, have led to the cyclic evolution of the plumbing systems and associated seeping structures since the Plio-Pleistocene.

Late Pleistocene chronostratigraphy and biostratigraphy of Mentelle Basin and its implications for global correlation

An accurate and high-resolution age model in marine sediments is essential for reconstructing past oceanographic and climate changes. The southeastern Indian Ocean is an important component of oceanographic circulation and global climate. However, the integrated biostratigraphy for the Late Pleistocene interval is not well known in the region. To address this issue, we constructed a new chronology for International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Hole U1516B in the Mentelle Basin, offshore southwestern Australia. We employ planktonic foraminifera δ18O to construct an astronomically tuned age model for Hole U1516B. Biostratigraphic analysis was performed for Hole U1516B using planktonic foraminifera, nannofossils, radiolarian taxa and diatoms. Seven planktonic foraminifera events are recorded, including the PT1a and PT1b boundaries. Eight nannofossil events were recorded including the boundaries between CN14a, CN14b and CN15. The planktonic foraminifera datums marked in Hole U1516B are mostly synchronous with datums reported in the southern hemisphere but are diachronous with datums in the northern hemisphere. The nannofossil datums marked in Hole U1516B have a close affinity with globally reported datums but small inconsistencies are probably due to strong ecological control. The diatom events are inconsistent and only recorded in short intervals during interglacials and several key radiolarians taxa are absent.

Rapid Climate Changes in the Westernmost Mediterranean (Alboran Sea) Over the Last 35 kyr: New Insights From Four Lipid Paleothermometers (UK'37, TEXH86, RI‐OH', and LDI)

AbstractThe westernmost Mediterranean is one of the most sensitive areas to global climate change and high sedimentation rates allow recording high frequency variability. We present a high‐resolution paleotemperature reconstruction over the last 35 kyr using, for the first time, four independent organic sea surface temperature (SST) proxies (UK'37, TEXH86, RI‐OH' and LDI) based on alkenones, (hydroxy) isoprenoid GDGTs, and long‐chain diols. We also generated a δ18O of planktonic foraminifera G. bulloides record together with records of bulk parameters (total organic carbon content, δ13Corg) and the accumulation rates of different biomarkers to provide insights into terrestrial input and primary producers. All derived‐SST records showed similar trends over the last 35 kyr, revealing abrupt temperature variations during the last seven Dansgaard‐Oeschger (D/O) cycles, the three Heinrich (H) events, the Last Glacial Maximum, and the Younger Dryas. H3 is recognized as the coldest event, while H1 was recorded by all SST proxies as the most abrupt one. In general, TEXH86‐, RI‐OH'‐ and LDI‐SST estimates were lower than those obtained from UK'37. The LDI paleothermometer recorded the largest range of absolute SSTs over the whole period (ca. 20°C) followed by RI‐OH' (ca. 16°C). TEXH86, RI‐OH' and LDI proxies reflected sudden SST changes during the D/O 6 and 5 particularly well. Low BIT values and the abundance of C32 1,15‐diol in range with typical marine values indicated only minor input of continental organic matter. Accumulation rates of different lipid biomarkers were generally modulated by D/O cycles, suggesting enhanced productivity during D/O interstadials and the Bölling‐Alleröd period.

Post–glacial tephrochronology record off the Chilean continental margin (∼41° S)

The Southern Volcanic Zone of the Andes (∼33–46° S) is a very active volcanic zone with several volcanic centers recording recurrent historical activity (e.g. Llaima, Villarrica, Puyehue-Cordón Caulle, Osorno, Calbuco and Hudson). Tephrochronology is a valuable tool to help better understand the eruptive history of volcanic centers, essential for producing volcanic hazard maps. Additionally, tephrochronology can also be very useful to synchronize stratigraphic records of different nature such as paleoclimatological, paleoceanographical and archaeological records on land, lakes, ice and the ocean. Here we present a (crypto) tephrochronological record from two marine sediment cores retrieved in the Chilean continental margin at ∼41° S and ∼41.6° S. The records display continuous sedimentation since the late glacial, as robustly constrained by planktonic foraminifera δ18O and 14C dates. During this period, twenty three cryptotephras were identified as glass shard peaks together with two ∼25–30 cm–thick visible tephras (one in each core). The source of the (crypto) tephras was mainly constrained by major and trace element geochemistry of individual glass shards together with their stratigraphic position, since it is not possible to observe physical characteristics, such as color and grain size, when analyzing cryptotephras. From these, one cryptotephra was robustly correlated with the HW7 eruption from the Hudson volcano occurring in the Late Holocene at ∼1.5 cal ka BP; and the two visible tephra layers were identified as distant correlatives of the Lepué tephra originating from Michinmahuida volcano and occurring in the Deglaciation/Holocene transition at around 11 cal ka BP. Additionally, eight cryptotephra occurring at ∼3.6, 6.2, 7.0, 8.5, 9.6, 14.2, 15.9 and 18.2 cal ka BP were robustly identified as sourced from Michinmahuida volcano but where otherwise not correlated, providing novel evidence of pre Holocene activity of this volcanic center.

Contrasting late-glacial paleoceanographic evolution between the upper and lower continental slope of the western South Atlantic

Abstract. The number of sedimentary records collected along the Brazilian continental margin has increased significantly in recent years, but relatively few are located in shallow waters and register paleoceanographic processes in the outer shelf–middle slope prior to 10–15 ka. For instance, the northward flow up to 23–24∘ S of cold and fresh shelf waters sourced from the Subantarctic region is an important feature of current hydrodynamics in the subtropical western South Atlantic Ocean, and yet limited information is available for the long-term changes of this system. Herein, we considered a suite of organic and inorganic proxies – alkenones-derived sea surface temperature (SST), δD-alkenones, δ18O of planktonic foraminifera, and ice-volume free seawater δ18OIVF−SW – in sediment from two cores (RJ-1501 and RJ-1502) collected off the Rio de Janeiro Shelf (SE Brazilian continental shelf) to shed light on SST patterns and relative salinity variations since the end of the last glacial cycle in the region and the implications of these processes over a broader spatial scale. The data indicate that, despite the proximity (∼40 km apart) of both cores, apparently contradictory climatic evolution occurred at the two sites, with the shallower (deeper) core RJ-1501 (RJ-1502) showing consistently cold (warm) and fresh (salt) conditions toward the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and last deglaciation. This can be reconciled by considering that the RJ-1501 core registered a signal from mid- to high latitudes on the upper slope off Rio de Janeiro represented by the influence of the cold and fresh waters composed of Subantarctic Shelf Water and La Plata Plume Water transported northward by the Brazilian Coastal Current (BCC). The data from core RJ-1502 and previous information for deep-cores from the same region support this interpretation. In addition, alkenone-derived SST and δ18OIVF−SW suggest a steep thermal and density gradient formed between the BCC and Brazil Current (BC) during the last climate transition which, in turn, may have generated perturbations in the air–sea heat flux with consequences for the regional climate of SE South America. In a scenario of future weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, the reconstructed gradient may become a prominent feature of the region.

Integrating palaeoclimate time series with rich metadata for uncertainty modelling: strategy and documentation of the PalMod 130k marine palaeoclimate data synthesis

Abstract. Palaeoclimate data hold the unique promise of providing a long-term perspective on climate change and as such can serve as an important benchmark for climate models. However, palaeoclimate data have generally been archived with insufficient standardisation and metadata to allow for transparent and consistent uncertainty assessment in an automated way. Thanks to improved computation capacity, transient palaeoclimate simulations are now possible, calling for data products containing multi-parameter time series rather than information on a single parameter for a single time slice. Efforts are underway to simulate a complete glacial–interglacial cycle using general circulation models (https://www.palmod.de/, last access: 6 May 2020), and to confront these simulations with palaeoclimate data, we have compiled a multi-parameter marine palaeoclimate data synthesis that contains time series spanning 0 to 130 000 years ago. We present the first version of the data product that focuses exclusively on time series for which a robust chronology based on benthic foraminifera δ18O and radiocarbon dating is available. The product contains 896 time series of eight palaeoclimate parameters from 143 individual sites, each associated with rich metadata, age–depth model ensembles, and information to refine and update the chronologies. This version contains 205 time series of benthic foraminifera δ18O; 169 of benthic foraminifera δ13C; 131 of seawater temperature; 174 and 119 of planktonic foraminifera δ18O and δ13C; and 44, 38 and 16 of carbonate, organic carbon and biogenic silica content, respectively. The data product is available in three formats (R, LiPD and netCDF) facilitating use across different software and operating systems and can be downloaded at https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.908831 (Jonkers et al., 2019). This data descriptor presents our data synthesis strategy and describes the contents and format of the data product in detail. It ends with a set of recommendations for data archiving.

δ18O and Mg/Ca Thermometry in Planktonic Foraminifera: A Multiproxy Approach Toward Tracing Coastal Upwelling Dynamics

AbstractPlanktonic foraminifera δ18O and Mg/Ca ratios are widely considered as a powerful proxy to reconstruct past seawater‐column temperature. Due to the complex interpretation of planktonic foraminifera δ18O data in regard to past seawater temperatures, temperature determination based on the foraminifera shell Mg/Ca ratio is believed to be more accurate. Scarce Mg/Ca calibration data exists for coastal upwelling regions, resulting in incoherent results of past seawater reconstructions. The current study along the NW Iberia coastal upwelling system intends to define the best Mg/Ca temperature equation for the most representative species of this region (Neogloboquadrina incompta, Globigerina bulloides, and Globorotalia inflata). Seawater temperature from δ18O and Mg/Ca of these three planktonic foraminifera species was compared with the surface sediments alkenone derived SST and with the in situ temperatures measured at the depths where these foraminifera species currently live and calcify. The equations that better reflect each species calcification depth were selected as our regional equations for δ18O and Mg/Ca temperature reconstructions. The δ18O‐estimated temperatures for surface sediment specimens were comparable with in situ seawater‐column temperature measurements, whereas the Mg/Ca derived temperatures seem to underestimate in situ values, in special for G. bulloides from samples affected by stronger coastal upwelling. The G. bulloides δ18O and Mg/Ca estimated temperatures from samples located offshore, further from coastal upwelling influence, are comparable to surface sediment alkenone derived temperatures. Our study shows that in upwelling areas, regional calibration of planktonic foraminifera Mg/Ca temperature equations is necessary for reliable interpretations of high‐resolution past temperature variability in these important environments.

Salinity changes in the Agulhas leakage area recorded by stable hydrogen isotopes of C<sub>37</sub> alkenones during Termination I and II

Abstract. At the southern tip of Africa, the Agulhas Current reflects back into the Indian Ocean causing so-called "Agulhas rings" to spin off and release relatively warm and saline water into the South Atlantic Ocean. Previous reconstructions of the dynamics of the Agulhas Current, based on paleo-sea surface temperature and sea surface salinity proxies, inferred that Agulhas leakage from the Indian Ocean to the South Atlantic was reduced during glacial stages as a consequence of shifted wind fields and a northwards migration of the subtropical front. Subsequently, this might have led to a buildup of warm saline water in the southern Indian Ocean. To investigate this latter hypothesis, we reconstructed sea surface salinity changes using alkenone δD, and paleo-sea surface temperature using TEXH86 and UK'37, from two sediment cores (MD02-2594, MD96-2080) located in the Agulhas leakage area during Termination I and II. Both UK'37 and TEXH86 temperature reconstructions indicate an abrupt warming during the glacial terminations, while a shift to more negative δDalkenone values of approximately 14‰ during glacial Termination I and II is also observed. Approximately half of the isotopic shift can be attributed to the change in global ice volume, while the residual isotopic shift is attributed to changes in salinity, suggesting relatively high salinities at the core sites during glacials, with subsequent freshening during glacial terminations. Approximate estimations suggest that δDalkenone represents a salinity change of ca. 1.7–1.9 during Termination I and Termination II. These estimations are in good agreement with the proposed changes in salinity derived from previously reported combined planktonic Foraminifera δ18O values and Mg/Ca-based temperature reconstructions. Our results confirm that the δD of alkenones is a potentially suitable tool to reconstruct salinity changes independent of planktonic Foraminifera δ18O.

Gulf Stream – subtropical gyre properties across two Dansgaard–Oeschger cycles

Salinity increase in the subtropical gyre system may have pre-conditioned the North Atlantic Ocean for a rapid return to stronger overturning circulation and high-latitude warming following meltwater events during the Last Glacial period. Here we investigate the Gulf Stream – subtropical gyre system properties over Dansgaard–Oeschger (DO) cycles 14 to 12, including Heinrich ice-rafting event 5. During the Holocene and Last Glacial Maximum a positive gradient in surface dwelling planktonic foraminifera δ18O (Globigerinoides ruber) can be observed between the Gulf Stream and subtropical gyre, due to decreasing temperature, increasing salinity, and a change from summer to year-round occurrence of G. ruber. We assess whether this gradient was a common feature during stadial-interstadial climate oscillations of Marine Isotope Stage 3, by comparing existing G. ruber δ18O from ODP Site 1060 (subtropical gyre location) and new data from ODP Site 1056 (Gulf Stream location) between 54 and 46 ka. Our results suggest that this gradient was largely absent during the period studied. During the major warm DO interstadials 14 and 12 we infer a more zonal and wider Gulf Stream, influencing both ODP Sites 1056 and 1060. A Gulf Stream presence during these major interstadials is also suggested by the large vertical δ18O gradient between shallow dwelling planktonic foraminifera species, especially G. ruber, and the deep dwelling species Globorotalia inflata at site 1056, which we associate with strong summer stratification and Gulf Stream presence. A major reduction in this vertical δ18O gradient from 51 ka until the end of Heinrich event 5 at 48.5 ka suggests site 1056 was situated within the subtropical gyre in this mainly cold period, from which we infer a migration of the Gulf Stream to a position nearer to the continental shelf, indicative of a narrower Gulf Stream with possibly reduced transport.

Eastern equatorial Pacific cold tongue during the Last Glacial Maximum as seen from alkenone paleothermometry

We present new alkenone‐based sea surface temperature (SST) estimates from the eastern equatorial Pacific (EEP) for the last 30 kyr. By combining these new results with recently published records from the region, we reconstruct the spatial pattern of changes in SST during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Alkenone‐based SST estimates show a greater glacial cooling in the upwelling environment of the cold tongue than in sites located further north in the equatorial front and eastern Pacific Warm Pool. This result agrees with the paradigm of stronger glacial winds, increased upwelling, steeper zonal thermocline tilt, and stronger advection of cold water in the Peru Current. Furthermore, we investigate possible changes in glacial surface hydrography by using the alkenone‐based SST reconstructions to correct planktonic foraminifera δ18O for the temperature effect. After additional correction for the global ice volume effect, the residual changes in seawater δ18O show a clear latitudinal pattern that would be consistent with a southward shift of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. We thus suggest that changes in sea surface salinities could explain contrasting SST reconstructions based on planktonic foraminifera δ18O, which implied a weakening of the cold tongue. The controversial LGM dynamics of the EEP reconstructed by different proxies, i.e., a weakening or a strengthening of the cold tongue, highlight the necessity to better assess the influence of various biases on these proxies.

Phase lag between Intertropical Convergence Zone migration and subtropical monsoon onset over the northwestern Indian Ocean during Marine Isotopic Substage 6.5 (MIS 6.5)

High‐resolution faunal and isotopic analyses of foraminifera were performed on core MD96‐2073 (10°94′N, 52°62′E, 3142 m depth), located close to Socotra Island in the upwelling area of the Somali Basin (NW Indian Ocean). This work focuses on Marine Isotopic Stage 6.5 in order to reconstruct paleo‐upwelling changes and their links with the Arabian Sea summer monsoon and the migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Correspondence and cluster analyses of planktonic foraminiferal abundances, partly controlled by temperature and water mass productivity, together with an upwelling intensification index, show the occurrence of a strong upwelling between 176 and 165 ka. This upwelling intensification responds to a northward migration of the ITCZ. An isotopic depletion in the planktonic foraminifera δ18O records occurring between 180 and 167 ka is interpreted as proof of a large salinity decrease in the surface waters, probably linked to a strong input of fresh rainfall waters induced by an intense monsoon activity. The lag between the onset of upwelling intensification and the strong monsoonal impact over the same area suggests a decoupling between both phenomena. The migration of the ITCZ is influenced by obliquity and precessional forcing, while the Arabian Sea summer monsoon precipitation depends only on precessional forcing.

Relative role of productivity vs. stagnation in dark laminated mud formation during the last 25,000 years in the Ulleung Basin, East/Japan Sea

Records of redox-sensitive elements (Mo, Cd, Cu, V and U), δ18O of planktonic foraminifera (δ18Opf), and organic carbon and biogenic opal contents in dark laminated mud (DLM) layers of the East/Japan Sea reveal relative role of primary productivity versus bottom-water stagnation for the formation of these layers during the last 25,000 years. Enrichments of redox-sensitive elements in these layers indicate that bottom waters were reduced during the formation of the lower DLM (22,500-15,00014C yr B.P.) and the upper DLM (10,400-10,20014C yr B.P.), probably to a greater extent in the lower layer. Anomalous low δ18Opf values and minimal contents of both organic carbon and biogenic opal suggest that bottom-water stagnation due to density-stratified water column could be more important than primary productivity for the lower DLM formation. In contrast, the relatively high contents of the organic carbon in the upper DLM invoke a primary role of enhanced productivity in the formation. This inference is, however, questioned by the absence of comparable increase in biogenic opal contents which is expected from generally coupled production of organic carbon and opal in surface water. The discrepancy between the organic carbon and opal records suggests that a bottom-water stagnation, which might have caused the preferential preservation of organic carbon in the reducing bottom-water condition, could be also more important than primary productivity for the upper DLM formation.

Sea surface temperature record off central Japan since the Last Glacial Maximum using planktonic foraminiferal Mg/Ca thermometry

AbstractWe conducted paired measurements of the Mg/Ca ratio and δ18O of planktonic foraminifera, Globigerina bulloides, from a sediment core (MD01‐2420) off central Japan in the northwest Pacific, to reconstruct current movements since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). These methods make it possible to determine the magnitude and timing of the sea surface temperature (SST) changes and to reconstruct the variations of the past seawater δ18O (δ18Ow) off central Japan. The amplitude of Mg/Ca‐based SST changes between the Holocene and the LGM was about 10°C. The strong resemblance of the SSTs estimated from both methods, Mg/Ca‐based and δ18O‐based, suggests that the SST changes were caused primarily by latitudinal displacement of the Kuroshio–Oyashio currents and no distinct change in the carbonate dissolution of the core. The southward migration of the water mass was 5–6° in latitude at the LGM. The values for regional δ18Ow changes, which were obtained by subtracting the ice volume contribution from the calculated δ18Ow, describe the millennial‐scale water mass migration over the last 30 kyr. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Quaternary sea-surface temperatures in the western Coral Sea: Implications for the growth of the Australian Great Barrier Reef

Abstract Recent chronostratigraphic evidence suggests that the central Australian Great Barrier Reef formed within the past 780 k.y. Periplatform sediments of the same age recovered from the western Coral Sea record a progressive decrease in the δ18O of planktonic foraminifera to the present. Several investigators have proposed that this trend represents an appreciable late Pleistocene warming (∼4 °C) of ocean surface temperatures, which they posit catalyzed the growth of the Great Barrier Reef. Contrary to this hypothesis, we demonstrate using alkenone paleothermometry (\batchmode \documentclass[fleqn,10pt,legalpaper]{article} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amsmath} \pagestyle{empty} \begin{document} \(U_{37}^{k{^\prime}}\) \end{document}) on sediments from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 820 that sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) in the western Coral Sea changed by ∼1.5 °C or less during the past ∼800 k.y. If the central Great Barrier Reef rose in the late Quaternary, it was therefore not due to a warming of SSTs. We explore whether a major moisture balance change and/or diagenetic alteration of calcareous microfossils can explain the higher δ18O values observed at depth in the planktonic δ18O record at ODP Site 820. Our results suggest that diagenesis provides a large isotopic overprint.

Late Quaternary sea-surface temperatures in the western Coral Sea: Implications for the growth of the Australian Great Barrier Reef

Research Article| August 01, 2005 Late Quaternary sea-surface temperatures in the western Coral Sea: Implications for the growth of the Australian Great Barrier Reef K.T. Lawrence; K.T. Lawrence 1 Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Box 1846, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar T.D. Herbert T.D. Herbert 1 Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Box 1846, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information K.T. Lawrence 1 Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Box 1846, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA T.D. Herbert 1 Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Box 1846, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 07 Feb 2005 Revision Received: 09 Apr 2005 Accepted: 25 Apr 2005 First Online: 03 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 The Geological Society of America, Inc. Geology (2005) 33 (8): 677–680. https://doi.org/10.1130/G21595AR.1 Article history Received: 07 Feb 2005 Revision Received: 09 Apr 2005 Accepted: 25 Apr 2005 First Online: 03 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation K.T. Lawrence, T.D. Herbert; Late Quaternary sea-surface temperatures in the western Coral Sea: Implications for the growth of the Australian Great Barrier Reef. Geology 2005;; 33 (8): 677–680. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G21595AR.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 Recent chronostratigraphic evidence suggests that the central Australian Great Barrier Reef formed within the past 780 k.y. Periplatform sediments of the same age recovered from the western Coral Sea record a progressive decrease in the δ18O of planktonic foraminifera to the present. Several investigators have proposed that this trend represents an appreciable late Pleistocene warming (∼4 °C) of ocean surface temperatures, which they posit catalyzed the growth of the Great Barrier Reef. Contrary to this hypothesis, we demonstrate using alkenone paleothermometry (⁠ \(U_{37}^{k{^\prime}}\) ⁠) on sediments from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 820 that sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) in the western Coral Sea changed by ∼1.5 °C or less during the past ∼800 k.y. If the central Great Barrier Reef rose in the late Quaternary, it was therefore not due to a warming of SSTs. We explore whether a major moisture balance change and/or diagenetic alteration of calcareous microfossils can explain the higher δ18O values observed at depth in the planktonic δ18O record at ODP Site 820. Our results suggest that diagenesis provides a large isotopic overprint. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.

Reconstructing sea surface temperature, sea surface salinity and partial pressure of carbon dioxide in atmosphere in the Okinawa Trough during the Holocene and their paleoclimatic implications

The sediment core DGKS9603 collected from the Okinawa Trough was used as research target. By use of unsaturated indexU37k of long-chain alkenone, δ13C of POC and of planktonic foraminifera (G. sacculifer), the evolutions of sea surface temperature and partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere during the Holocene were reconstructed in the Okinawa Trough. And in combination of δ18O of planktonic foraminifera, the relative difference of sea surface salinity during the Holocene was also reconstructed. Consequently, three cooling events (E1-E3) were identified, each of which occurred at 1.7-1.6, 5.1-4.8 and 8.1-7.4 kaBP (cal), respectively. Of the three events, E2 and E3 are globally comparable, their occurrence mechanism would be that the main stream of the Kuroshio Current shifted eastward due to the enhanced circulation of the northeastern Pacific Ocean, which was driven in turn by amplified intensity of sunshine and subsequent enhancement of subtropical high pressure; E1 corresponds to the Small Ice-Age Event occurring between 1550 and 1850AD in China. In the Oki-nawa Trough, E1 might be also related to the eastward shift of main stream of the Kuroshio current driven by powerful Asia winter monsoon.

Freshwater supply by Korean rivers to the East Sea during the last glacial maximum: a review and new evidence from the Korea Strait region

This study presents a review of extensive literature and reports new findings extracted from previously collected cores. Globally lowered sea level during the last glacial maximum (LGM) reduced the cross-sectional area in the Korea Strait, minimizing volume transport of the paleo-Tsushima Current and increasing freshwater input to the East Sea. The higher supply of freshwater played an important role in compositional changes of surface water in the sea, indicated by low sea surface salinity (down to about 20‰) and light δ18O of planktonic Foraminifera (lighter than 1‰) recorded in core sediments. The Korean fluvial systems (Nakdong and Seomjin rivers) emptying into the southeastern sea of Korea may have contributed substantially to freshwater supply to the surface layer of the LGM East Sea, although Chinese paleo-river (Huanghe and Yangtze rivers) waters, together with the paleo-Tsushima Current, also seem to have supplied some freshwater to the sea. The higher supply of river waters to the East Sea is strongly evidenced by the high amount of terrigenous material (quartz, feldspar and rock fragments) in core sediments. In addition, high magnetic susceptibility, high grain density, and high C/N ratios were documented in cores MB98PC-11 and 95PC-1. In contrast with earlier studies, we propose that Korean rivers played a more substantial role in supplying freshwater to the East Sea during the LGM than previously thought.

Millennial climate oscillations in NE Pacific surface waters over the last 82 kyr: New evidence from alkenones

A climate instability in the last glacial, corresponding to Dansgaard‐Oeschger (D‐O) events, has been already recognized in the California margin in northeast Pacific. Detailed sea surface temperature (SST) changes in this region, however, have not been so far well elucidated. Here we report estimates of alkenone‐derived SSTs with the DO‐time scale from ODP Hole 1017E, off Point Conception, over the last 80 kyr. Our results show that alkenone SSTs clearly record D‐O and Heinrich Events. We also found that alkenone‐SSTs during 82‐58 ka and 18‐15 ka were considerably higher, and those in 15‐12 ka were lower than those derived from δ18O of planktonic foraminifera. These results appear to reflect fluctuations of water masses.

The progressive intensification of northern hemisphere glaciation as seen from the North Pacific

Ocean Drilling Project (ODP) site 882 (50°22′N, 167°36′E) provides the first high-resolution GRAPE density, magnetic susceptibility, carbonate, opal and foraminifera (planktonic and benthic) stable isotopes records between 3.2 and 2.4 Ma in the Northwest Pacific. We observed a dramatic increase in ice rafting debris at site 882 at 2.75 Ma, which is coeval with that found in the Norwegian Sea, suggesting that the Eurasian Arctic and Northeast Asia were significantly glaciated from 2.75 Ma onwards. Prior to 2.75 Ma planktonic foraminifera δ18O records indicate a warming or freshening trend of 4°C or 2‰ over 80 ka. If this is interpreted as a warm pre-glacial Pliocene North Pacific, it may have provided the additional moisture required to initially build up the northern hemisphere continental ice sheet. The dramatic drop in sea surface temperatures (SST>7.5°C) at 2.75 Ma ended this suggested period of enhanced SST and thus the proposed moisture pump. Moreover, at 2.79 and 2.73 Ma opal mass accumulation rates (MAR) decrease in two steps by five fold and is accompanied by a more gradual long-term decrease in CaCO3 MARs. Evidence from the Southern Ocean (ODP site 704) indicates that just prior to 2.6 Ma there is a massive increase in opal MARs, the opposite to what is found in the North Pacific. This indicates that the intensification of northern hemisphere glaciation was accompanied by a major reorganisation of global oceanic chemical budget, possibly caused by changes in deep ocean circulation. The initiation of northern hemisphere glaciation occurred in the late Miocene with a significant build up of ice on southern Greenland. However, the progressive intensification did not occur until 3.5–3 Ma when the Greenland ice sheet expanded to include northern Greenland. Following this stage we suggest that the Eurasian Arctic and Northeast Asia glaciated at 2.75 Ma, approximately 100 ka before the glaciation of Alaska (2.65 Ma) and 200 ka before the glaciation of the North East American continent (2.54 Ma).

Small changes in the sea surface temperature during the last 20,000 years: Molecular evidence from the western tropical Pacific

One of the most controversial problems of glacial paleoclimatology is the conservative change in tropical sea surface temperature (SST) in contrast with the large high altitude temperature change in the western tropical Pacific. In this report SST was estimated for the last 20,000 years using alkenones preserved in marine sediments recovered from a site 800 km north of New Guinea. The UK37 (unsaturation degree of long‐chain alkenones synthesized by planktonic prymnesiophyte algae) record suggests that SST decreased at most 1.5°C at the last glacial maximum. This small changes in SST of the western tropical Pacific is concordant with results previously reported in UK37 studies from the eastern equatorial Pacific and the equatorial Atlantic. The UK37‐based SST estimates are in good agreement with the CLIMAP results and planktonic foraminifera δ18O, but much smaller than those (ca. −5°C) obtained from coral Sr/Ca and δ18O thermometries and glacial vegetation reconstruction.