Site U1313 Research Articles

Pleistocene calcareous nannofossil biochronology at IODP Site U1385 (Expedition 339)

During Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 339, Site U1385 (37°34′N, 10°7′W, 2578m below sea level) was drilled in the lower slope of the Portuguese margin, to provide a marine reference section of Pleistocene millennial-scale climate variability. Five holes were cored using the Advanced Piston Corer (APC) to a depth of ~151m below sea floor (mbsf) recovering a continuous stratigraphic record covering the past 1.4Ma. Here we present results of the succession of standard and unconventional calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphic events. The quantitative study of calcareous nannofossils showed well-preserved and abundant assemblages throughout the core. Most conventional Pleistocene events were recognized and the timing of bioevents were calibrated using correlation to the new oxygen isotope stratigraphy record developed for the Site U1385. The analyses provide further data on the stratigraphic distribution of selected species and genera, such as the large Emiliania huxleyi (>4μm), Gephyrocapsa caribbeanica, Helicosphaera inversa, Gephyrocapsa omega and Reticulofenestra asanoi (>6μm) and other circular–subcircular small reticulofenestrids, resulting in new insights into the environmental control of their stratigraphic patterns. Finally, the comparison between nannofossil datums and oxygen isotope stratigraphy on the same samples has resulted in an accurate revision of timing of the events, providing valuable biochronologic information.

Coupled ocean–land millennial-scale changes 1.26 million years ago, recorded at Site U1385 off Portugal

While a growing body of evidence indicates that North Atlantic millennial-scale climate variability extends to the Early Pleistocene, its impact on terrestrial ecosystems has not been established. Here we present ultra-high resolution (70–140year) joint foraminiferal isotopic and pollen analyses from IODP Site U1385 off Portugal, focusing on a short glacial section of Marine Isotope Stage 38, ~1.26millionyears ago. Our records reveal the presence of millennial-scale variability in the coupled ocean–atmosphere–land system in the North Atlantic and provide the first direct evidence for the response of western Iberian vegetation to abrupt climate changes in the Early Pleistocene. The magnitude and pacing of changes bear significant similarities to Dansgaard–Oeschger variability of the last two glacials.

Carbon and oxygen isotopes of bulk carbonate in sediment deposited beneath the eastern equatorial Pacific over the last 8 million years

AbstractTo improve the understanding and utility of bulk carbonate stable carbon and oxygen isotope measurements, we examine sediment from cores in the eastern equatorial Pacific that span the last 8 Ma. We measured δ13C and δ18O in 791 samples from Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Site U1338 and Deep Sea Drilling Project Site 573, both located close to the Pacific equator. In 100 samples, we measured δ13C and δ18O on isolated <63 µm and <38 µm fractions, which concentrates calcareous nannofossil carbonate and progressively excludes foraminiferal carbonate. Bulk carbonate δ13C and δ18O records are similar to published records from other sites drilled near the equator and seem to reflect mixed layer conditions, albeit with some important caveats involving the precipitation of calcite by coccolithophores. The comparatively lower δ13C and δ18O of the <63 µm and <38 µm fractions in sediments younger than 4.4 Ma is attributed to an increase in deep‐dwelling planktic foraminifera material in bulk carbonate, shifting the bulk isotopic signals toward higher values. Bulk carbonate δ13C is similar over 2500 km along the Pacific equator, suggesting covarying concentrations and δ13C of dissolved inorganic carbon within surface waters since 8 Ma. Greater bulk sediment δ13C and δ18O, higher sedimentation rates, and low content of coarse material suggest intensified wind‐driven upwelling and enhanced primary productivity along the Pacific equator between 8.0 and 4.4 Ma, although a full understanding of bulk carbonate records will require extensive future work.

Stratigraphic variation in ichnofabrics at the “Shackleton Site” (IODP Site U1385) on the Iberian Margin: Paleoenvironmental implications

Ichnofabric analysis was conducted on cores from Site U1385 (IODP Expedition 339) to interpret paleoenvironmental conditions at the southwest margin of the Iberian Peninsula during the Pleistocene. Site U1385 provides an important record for the study of orbital and suborbital-scale climate variability, changes related to ocean/atmosphere dynamics, and affected environmental parameters. A detailed study of the ichnofabric characterization is presented, focusing on the types of ichnofabrics, relative abundance, amount of bioturbation, grouping, ichnofabric succession/transitions and vertical distribution. Seven ichnofabrics were differentiated; green mottled ichnofabric, Planolites ichnofabric, Taenidium &Planolites ichnofabric, Thalassinoides-like &Palaeophycus ichnofabric, Planolites &Thalassinoides/Thalassinoides-like ichnofabric, Zoophycos ichnofabric, and Chondrites ichnofabric. They exhibit significant differences in terms of ichnofabric features as well as in their stratigraphic distribution. The most abundant ichnofabrics are Planolites &Thalassinoides/Thalassinoides-like ichnofabric and green mottled ichnofabrics, with a dominance of the middle tier ichnofabrics. The degree of bioturbation is moderate, with a mean BI around 3, but showing a clear bimodal distribution: one group of intervals is characterized by high bioturbation (BI=6), while another displays low-moderate BI values (BI=1–2). In general, ichnofabric features confirm generally good environmental conditions (oxic environment and high food availability) for the macrobenthic tracemaker community, especially favorable in the uppermost part of the sediment. A complete ichnofabric succession, from deep to shallow tier ichnofabrics, is commonly registered (i.e., Zoophycos ichnofabric or Chondrites ichnofabric to Planolites &Thalassinoides/Thalassinoides-like ichnofabric, and then either to green mottled ichnofabric, or to Planolites ichnofabric and then green mottled ichnofabric). However, there are some intervals where an incomplete succession between deep and shallow ichnofabrics is observed (i.e., Chondrites ichnofabric to green mottled ichnofabric or Zoophycos ichnofabric to green mottled ichnofabric), indicating relevant modifications of environmental parameters such as oxygen or food supply. Types of ichnofabrics and the Bioturbation Index show significant short-term changes through the studied core. Such variations are probably correlated to millennial-scale climatic perturbations, such as glacial terminations and related phenomena (Heinrich events, ice-rafting events, etc.), or long-term cyclic patterns related to orbital climate variability. The patterns could be tied to a significant change in the climate system, such as the one associated with the middle Pleistocene transition.

Modelling the Lost City hydrothermal field: influence of topography and permeability structure

AbstractThe Lost City hydrothermal field (LCHF) is hosted in serpentinite at the crest of the Atlantis Massif, an oceanic core complex close to the mid‐Atlantic Ridge. It is remarkable for its longevity and for venting low‐temperature (40–91°C) alkaline fluids rich in hydrogen and methane. IODP Hole U1309D, 5 km north of the LCHF, penetrated 1415 m of gabbroic rocks and contains a near‐conductive thermal gradient close to 100°C km−1. This is remarkable so close to an active hydrothermal field. We present hydrothermal modelling using a topographic profile through the vent field and IODP site U1309. Long‐lived circulation with vent temperatures similar to the LCHF can be sustained at moderate permeabilities of 10−14 to 10−15 m2 with a basal heatflow of 0.22 W m−2. Seafloor topography is an important control, with vents tending to form and remain in higher topography. Models with a uniform permeability throughout the Massif cannot simultaneously maintain circulation at the LCHF and the near‐conductive gradient in the borehole, where permeabilities <10−16 m2 are required. A steeply dipping permeability discontinuity between the LCHF and the drill hole is required to stabilize venting at the summit of the massif by creating a lateral conductive boundary layer. The discontinuity needs to be close to the vent site, supporting previous inferences that high permeability is most likely produced by faulting related to the transform fault. Rapid increases in modelled fluid temperatures with depth beneath the vent agree with previous estimates of reaction temperature based on geochemical modelling.

Response of macrobenthic and foraminifer communities to changes in deep-sea environmental conditions from Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 12 to 11 at the “Shackleton Site”

Integrative research including facies characterization, ichnological composition and foraminifer analysis has been conducted on cores from Site U1385 of the IODP Expedition 339 to evaluate the incidence of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 12 and MIS 11 on deep-sea environmental changes. Four color facies groups have been differentiated, showing variable transitions between them (bioturbated, gradual and sharp contacts). Trace fossil assemblage, assigned to the Zoophycos ichnofacies, consists of light and dark filled structures, with Alcyonidiopsis, Chondrites, Nereites, Planolites, Spirophyton, Thalassinoides, Thalassinoides-like structures, and Zoophycos. A deep-sea multi-tiered trace fossil community is interpreted, revealing predominance of well-oxygenated bottom and pore-waters, as well as abundance of food in the sediment for macrobenthic tracemaker community. Changes in environmental parameters are interpreted to be associated with significant variations in trace fossil distribution according to the differentiated intervals (A to M). Benthic foraminifer concentration in the sediments and variations of the planktonic foraminifer assemblages suggest significant changes in surface productivity and food supply to the sea floor since the ending of MIS 13 to the end of MIS 11 that could be correlated with the registered changes in facies and trace fossil assemblages. At the end of MIS 13 values of annual export productivity were very low, that together with the presence of light-color sediments and the continuous presence of light Planolites and Thalassinoides, reveal lower organic carbon flux to the bottom and high oxygen conditions (interval A). Afterwards the organic matter supply increased rapidly and remained very high until Termination V, determining an eutrophic environment, expressed by high benthic foraminifer accumulation rates, and reduced availability of oxygen, that correlate with the record of Spirophyton and Zoophycos, and the presence of Chondrites, observed in intervals B and D. Lower benthic foraminifer accumulation rates during MIS 11 suggest an oligotrophic environment at the bottom consistent with lower inputs of organic carbon, associated with high oxygen content of bottom waters that agrees with the lighter color of the sediments as well as by the continuous presence of light Planolites and Thalassinoides in the differentiated interval M. The evolution of the macrobenthic tracemaker community during MIS 12 and MIS 11 responds to major changes in bottom water ventilation probably linked to variations in deep water (North Atlantic) thermohaline circulation, determining variations in oxygen and food availability.

Coccolithophore variability from the Shackleton Site (IODP Site U1385) through MIS 16-10

Coccolithophore assemblages have been investigated at Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Site U1385, on the western Iberian margin, through Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 16 to 10, between the end of the Mid-Pleistocene Transition and the Mid-Brunhes interval, with the aim to reconstruct orbital and millennial-scale surface water modifications. Assemblage variations are interpreted in terms of paleoclimate and paleoproductivity proxies. The pattern of C37 alkenones is also presented as an additional indicator of primary paleoproductivity. The overall proxies are compared with the available benthic and planktonic δ18O records and Ca/Ti profile. A new benthic and planktonic δ13C dataset is also shown. The coccolithophore abundance mirrors the Ca/Ti pattern indicating that coccolith-derived carbonate is the dominant contributor to carbonate production in the studied interval. The distinct increase in the coccolithophore abundance, as well as in the accumulation rate, occurring at the MIS 14/13 transition, reflects the beginning of the worldwide-scale mid-Brunhes blooming of Gephyrocapsa caribbeanica and triggers the increase in carbonate production imprinted on the Ca/Ti profile. Interglacials are marked by enhanced abundances of the coccolithophore warm water group (wwt group) that also displays high frequency variability related to precessional/insolation forcing. Warmest surface water conditions are recorded during MIS 15, suggesting an intensified contribution of the subtropical AzC, essentially during MIS 15.5 and 15.1. Reduced productivity in these intervals is in agreement with a major influence of nutrient-poor and less ventilated subtropical waters. On the other hand, productive and mixed surface water conditions can be inferred during MIS 13 in agreement with other North Atlantic records. A long lasting period of warm, stratified and oligotrophic waters is inferred during MIS 11.3, indicating a continuous and more persistent influence of subtropical waters at the site location. Glacial phases are marked by increases of Coccolithus pelagicus ssp. pelagicus and of Gephyrocapsa margereli–Gephyrocapsa muellerae. The pattern of C. pelagicus ssp. pelagicus during MIS 16 is in agreement with a southern position of the Polar Front at the end of the Mid-Pleistocene Transition with respect to younger counterparts, whereas the pattern of the wwt group during MIS 14 attests the influence of subtropical water during this weak glacial. Throughout the interval, short-lived increases of C. pelagicus ssp. pelagicus, G. margereli–G. muellerae>4μm and of reworked taxa are concomitant to decreases of coccolithophore productivity and heavier values of planktonic δ18O, testifying the occurrence of abrupt cold episodes related to North Hemisphere millennial-scale climate oscillations.

A reference time scale for Site U1385 (Shackleton Site) on the SW Iberian Margin

We produced a composite depth scale and chronology for Site U1385 on the SW Iberian Margin. Using log(Ca/Ti) measured by core scanning XRF at 1-cm resolution in all holes, a composite section was constructed to 166.5meter composite depth (mcd) that corrects for stretching and squeezing in each core. Oxygen isotopes of benthic foraminifera were correlated to a stacked δ18O reference signal (LR04) to produce an oxygen isotope stratigraphy and age model.Variations in sediment color contain very strong precession signals at Site U1385, and the amplitude modulation of these cycles provides a powerful tool for developing an orbitally-tuned age model. We tuned the U1385 record by correlating peaks in L* to the local summer insolation maxima at 37°N. The benthic δ18O record of Site U1385, when placed on the tuned age model, generally agrees with other time scales within their respective chronologic uncertainties.The age model is transferred to down-core data to produce a continuous time series of log(Ca/Ti) that reflect relative changes of biogenic carbonate and detrital sediment. Biogenic carbonate increases during interglacial and interstadial climate states and decreases during glacial and stadial periods. Much of the variance in the log(Ca/Ti) is explained by a linear combination of orbital frequencies (precession, tilt and eccentricity), whereas the residual signal reflects suborbital climate variability. The strong correlation between suborbital log(Ca/Ti) variability and Greenland temperature over the last glacial cycle at Site U1385 suggests that this signal can be used as a proxy for millennial-scale climate variability over the past 1.5Ma.Millennial climate variability, as expressed by log(Ca/Ti) at Site U1385, was a persistent feature of glacial climates over the past 1.5Ma, including glacial periods of the early Pleistocene (‘41-kyr world’) when boundary conditions differed significantly from those of the late Pleistocene (‘100-kyr world’). Suborbital variability was suppressed during interglacial stages and enhanced during glacial periods, especially when benthic δ18O surpassed ~3.3–3.5‰. Each glacial inception was marked by appearance of strong millennial variability and each deglaciation was preceded by a terminal stadial event. Suborbital variability may be a symptomatic feature of glacial climate or, alternatively, may play a more active role in the inception and/or termination of glacial cycles.

Paleoproductivity and paleoceanography of the last 4.3 Myrs at IODP Expedition 323 Site U1341 in the Bering Sea based on biogenic opal content

Site U1341 in the southern Bering Sea was drilled and cored down to 600 meters below sea-floor (mbsf) during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 323, covering a nearly complete record of the last 4.3 million years (Myrs). Analyses of the biogenic opal content of sediments at the site provide detailed and useful information on past biological productivity and paleoceanographic changes that occurred in the region including shifts in the oceanographic condition during the intensification of the Northern Hemisphere Glaciation (NHG) and the Mid-Pleistocene Transition (MPT). An overall decreasing trend in the %biogenic opal record, combined with evidence from microfossil assemblages, indicates a gradual shift in environmental conditions during the last 4.3Myrs, from warm and nutrient-rich conditions to cool conditions with sea-ice. On the other hand, biogenic opal mass accumulation rates (MAR) were high during 2.6–2.1Ma after the intensification of the NHG, unlike in the western North Pacific. High biological productivity during this specific interval is consistent with the results of previous studies in the other Marginal Seas, possibly suggesting that iron leakage from the Bering Continental Shelf occurred. After the MPT, the data suggest that there was sea-ice expansion and discharge of lithogenic matter during glacial periods, and high productivity during interglacial periods.

Pliocene and Pleistocene paleoceanography in the western subarctic Pacific based on diatom analyses of ODP Leg 145 Hole 884B and IODP Expedition 323 Holes U1341B and U1343E

Late Pliocene–Pleistocene fossil diatom assemblages from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 145 Hole 884B in the western subarctic Pacific were investigated to improve the diatom biostratigraphy. Moreover, the paleoceanographic records at Hole 884B were compared with those in Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 323 Holes U1341B and U1343E in the Bering Sea for the time interval of 2.5–0Ma in order to clarify the differences in the diatom assemblage fluctuations and the history of past ocean circulations around the subarctic Pacific. In Hole 884B, five diatom zones from the Neodenticula koizumii–Neodenticula kamtschatica Zone to the Neodenticula seminae Zone were identified. The decreases in the relative abundance of temperate-water species were recognized at ca. 1.9Ma in Hole U1343E, ca. 2.1Ma in Holes 884B and U1341B. The decreases of the temperate-water species at these sites indicate that a widespread cooling event must have occurred over the subarctic Pacific at ~2Ma. In addition, the continuous low occurrences of the sea-ice related species from around 2Ma onward, which indicate the presence of sea-ice, were observed at Sites 884 and U1341. We also point out that the age differences in decrease of temperate-water species at the three sites (i.e., delay in response of the temperate-water species at Site U1343) may be related to changes of seawater inflow from the North Pacific to Sites U1341 and U1343 and of the East Kamchatka Current from the Bering Sea to Site 884.

A micropalaeontological perspective on export productivity, oxygenation and temperature in NE Atlantic deep-waters across Terminations I and II

Census counts of benthic foraminifera were studied from the SW Iberian Margin to reconstruct past changes in deep-water hydrography across Terminations I and II. Detailed benthic faunal data (>125μm size-fraction) allow us to evaluate the limitations imposed by taphonomic processes and restricted size-fractions. The comparison of recent (mudline) and fossil assemblages at IODP Site U1385 indicates the quick post-mortem disintegration of shells of astrorhizoid taxa (~80% of the present-day fauna), resulting in impoverished fossil assemblages. While the application of quantitative proxy methods is problematic under these circumstances, the fossil assemblages can still provide a qualitative palaeoenvironmental signal that, while most fully expressed in the 125–212μm size-fraction, is nonetheless also expressed to some degree in the >212μm size-fraction.Variations in the benthic foraminiferal assemblages reveal information about changing organic matter supply, deep-water oxygenation and temperature. MIS 2 is generally characterized by an elevated trophic state and variable oxic conditions, with oxygenation minima culminating in the Younger Dryas (YD) and Heinrich Stadials (HS) 1, 2 and 3. Low oxic conditions coincide with decreased water-temperature and lower benthic δ13C, pointing to the strong influence of a southern sourced water-mass during these periods. HS 1 is the most extreme of these intervals, providing further evidence for a severe temporary reduction or even shutdown of AMOC. With the inception of MIS 1, organic matter supply reduced and a better ventilated deep-water environment bathed by NEADW is established.For Termination II, clear indications of southern-sourced water are limited to the early phase of HS 11. During the latter part of HS 11, the deep-water environment seems to be determined by strongly increased supply of organic matter, potentially explaining the decoupling of benthic δ13C and Mg/Ca records of earlier studies as a phytodetritus effect on the carbon isotope signal. However, the presence of a warm, nutrient-rich and poorly oxygenated water-mass cannot be ruled out. With the inception of interglacial MIS 5e trophic conditions are reduced and ventilation by NEADW increases.

Deep-sea trace fossil and benthic foraminiferal assemblages across glacial Terminations 1, 2 and 4 at the “Shackleton Site” (IODP Expedition 339, Site U1385)

Numerous studies focused on the transitions between glacial and interglacial periods, the so-called terminations, due to the associated significant reorganizations of the ocean–atmosphere system. However, analyses combining macro- and micropaleontological information are near absent. In this research, an integrative study of trace fossils and benthic foraminiferal assemblages is conducted in order to improve the characterization of Terminations 1, 2 and 4, as revealing the response of the macro-and microbenthic habitats to the involved paleoenvironmental changes. For this purpose, selected cores from Site U1385 (IODP Expedition 339) located off the western Iberian Margin, have been studied. Changes in trace fossils and benthic foraminifera related to both long-term variations at the glacial/interglacial scale, and short-term millennial-scale climatic events. Food and oxygen availability have been identified as the main factors determining variations in the macro- and microbenthic community structure across glacial terminations in the context of changes in water mass distribution and productivity in the NE Atlantic. A deep-sea multi-tiered tracemaker community, consisting of biodeformational structures, Chondrites, ?Nereites, Palaeophycus, Planolites, Thalassinoides, and Zoophycos, suggest generally well-oxygenated bottom and pore-water conditions during interglacial as well as glacial intervals, with punctual decreases in oxygenation. Short-climatic events registered during Terminations 1, 2, and 4 induce a similar response of trace fossil and benthic foraminifera communities to the variable incidence of food and oxygen availability. Termination 1 shows a severe deterioration of oxic conditions and increasing food availability during the YD and HS 1, favoring appearance/dominance of Zoophycos, together with the lowest miliolid and the highest deep infaunal taxa abundances. Short-term climatic events (HS 11, IRE 10.1) associated with Terminations 2 and 4 are characterized by a major incidence of export productivity and accumulation of organic matter respect to depletion oxygenation, especially affecting the microbenthic habitat. Dark sediment intervals of HS 11 and IRE 10.1 are characterized by higher abundances of Zoophycos, together with strong peaks in hBFAR values, significant lows in miliolids and lower abundance of deep infaunal taxa. The presence of Chondrites during IRE 10.1 also indicates the impoverishment in pore-water conditions deep within the sediment.

Sea-surface dynamics and palaeoenvironmental changes in the North Atlantic Ocean (IODP Site U1313) during Marine Isotope Stage 19 inferred from coccolithophore assemblages

Abstract Coccolithophore assemblages recovered from Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Site U1313 are investigated to reconstruct the palaeoceanographic evolution of a sector of the North Atlantic during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 19 (~ 790–760 ka) at orbital, suborbital and millennial time-scales. The end of the glacial MIS 20 is marked by the arrival of cold waters, deriving from ice melting at higher latitudes, as recorded by Coccolithus pelagicus pelagicus. The MIS 19c is characterised by an extension of warmer North Atlantic Transitional Waters (NATW) reflecting the intensification of subtropical gyre influence on Site U1313, identified by an increase in warm species Umbilicosphaera sibogae. The influence on the site of cooler NATW is inferred from higher percentages of Gephyrocapsa margereli, which starts increasing from ~ 779 ka. Finally, the transition from MIS 19a to MIS 18 is characterised by a southward shift of the palaeoceanographic system due to a southward extension of the subpolar front, as indicated by an increase of cold subspecies C. pelagicus pelagicus. The evolution of the palaeoproductivity proxy records (number of coccoliths/g of sediment and Nannofossil Accumulation Rate — NAR) and the abundances of small Gephyrocapsa, G. margereli, U. sibogae and C. pelagicus pelagicus show that fluctuations in sea-surface productivity and alternations between cooling and warming phases occurred on the precessional timescale. Spectral analyses of U. sibogae, number of coccoliths/g of sediment and NAR indicate a significant concentration of variance close to half precession (~ 10 kyr); this reflects a nonlinear response of the mid-latitude North Atlantic surface ocean to low-latitude insolation forcing. Furthermore, millennial to multi-centennial instability in sea-surface dynamics is highlighted by spectral and wavelet analyses of U. sibogae, G. margereli and C. pelagicus pelagicus percentages, number of coccoliths/g of sediment and NAR, which reveal the occurrence of rapid events, related to stadial and interstadial-type conditions.

Biogenic sediment regimes in the Neogene equatorial Pacific, IODP Site U1338: Burial, production, and diatom community

The equatorial Pacific experienced significant changes in productivity and microfossil assemblage since 16 million years ago (Ma). We compiled a record of those changes from IODP Site U1338 using a reconnaissance of diatom assemblages and high-resolution XRF-scan chemical profiles (1–2 kyr spacing). Productivity and CaCO 3 dissolution intervals are defined by sediment component ratios, in particular opal/clay opal/BaSO 4 and CaCO 3 /BaSO 4 or CaCO 3 /clay. There are large abrupt changes in export production in the Miocene, especially compared to the Pleistocene and Pliocene and average levels of export production are higher throughout the Miocene compared to the Pliocene and Pleistocene. Using diatom assemblages and bulk sediment composition, the U1338 sediment record is divided into several distinct deposition regimes: (1) a Middle Miocene Regime > 13.2 Ma marked by low diatom numbers and a few short-lived productivity intervals, (2) a Carbonate Crash Regime distinguished by an older substage (13.2–10.2 Ma) with relatively high abundances of productivity-related diatoms and common productivity-related depositional intervals interspersed with CaCO 3 dissolution intervals and a younger Carbonate Crash substage (10.2–8.0 Ma) with weaker brief productivity intervals, high CaCO 3 dissolution, and moderately high numbers of upwelling diatom species, (3) the Biogenic Bloom Regime (8.0–4.5 Ma) marked by extended periods of high opal and CaCO 3 deposition with a maximum between 7.0 and 6.4 Ma, and (4) a Pliocene–Modern Regime (4.5–0 Ma) with lower productivity and high cyclic CaCO 3 dissolution. Changes in production and dissolution result from reorganizations of nutrient supply to the equatorial Pacific, not by higher wind-driven upwelling. We propose that nutrients were more accessible in the Miocene because of a combination of factors including higher organic matter degradation in the upper water column and deep-intermediate nutrient pathways that efficiently recycled nutrients to upwelling zones. Closure of the Central American Seaway was likely a prime cause of the Biogenic Bloom. • XRF scanning measures sediment chemical composition and biogenic component%. • Elemental ratios track high export production intervals in the equatorial Pacific. • Diatom assemblage responds partly to production, partly to surface ocean properties. • Erratic large abrupt changes in export production mark middle Miocene Pacific. • Central American Seaway closure causes extended late Miocene Biogenic Bloom.

Late Pliocene to early Pleistocene (2.4–1.25 Ma) paleoproductivity changes in the Bering Sea: IODP expedition 323 Hole U1343E

Late Pliocene to early Pleistocene paleoproductivity changes in the Bering Sea were reconstructed using geochemical concentrations and mass accumulation rates (MARs) of CaCO3, biogenic opal, and total organic carbon (TOC), and sedimentary nitrogen isotope ratios (δ15N) at IODP Expedition 323 Hole U1343E, drilled in the northern slope area (1956m deep) of the Bering Sea. CaCO3 concentration is generally low, but prominent CaCO3 peaks occur intermittently due to subseafloor authigenic carbonate formation rather than biogenic accumulation, regardless of glacial–interglacial variations. Biogenic opal concentrations reflect orbital-scale glacial–interglacial variations. However, TOC concentration did not show clear glacial–interglacial variation, probably due to poor preservation. The sedimentary δ15N values vary synchronously with biogenic opal concentration on orbital timescales. The co-varying pattern of opal productivity and δ15N values at Hole U1343E is a result of nutrient utilization controlled by diatom productivity in the Bering slope area where Fe is not a limiting factor. Biogenic opal and TOC MARs showed a temporal shift at around 1.9Ma from a high productivity period under nutrient-enriched conditions to a low productivity period under relatively nutrient-depleted conditions. High diatom productivity with low δ15N values before 1.9Ma is associated with abundant nutrient supply by upwelling in relation to strong surface current system. This productivity decrease at about 1.9Ma was also found in the southern Bering Sea (Site U1341) and may be related to global opal reorganization.

Bering Sea radiolarian biostratigraphy and paleoceanography at IODP Site U1341 during the last four million years

Radiolarian assemblages in sediment cores were investigated at the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Site U1341 on Bowers Ridge in the southern Bering Sea. Radiolarian biozones at Site U1341 spanned the last 4My from the youngest Amphimelissa setosa Zone (late Quaternary), via the Stylatractus universes Zone, the Eucyrtidium matuyamai Zone and a part of the Cycladophora sakaii Zone (middle to late Pliocene). The A. setosa Zone, newly proposed in this paper, is well correlated with the Botryostrobus aquilonaris Zone in the North Pacific Ocean. The bottom of the S. universus and top of the E. matuyamai Zones are emended in this paper by using the first common occurrence of A. setosa. Seventeen radiolarian datum points were identified at Site U1341 and tied to the geomagnetic and oxygen isotope stratigraphy. Radiolarian assemblages during the last 4My showed a turnover from subarctic-transitional species (Spongopyle osculosa and Larcopyle buetschlii) to subarctic species (Ceratospyris borealis) between 3.6 and 2.4Ma, corresponding to the intensification of the Northern Hemisphere Glaciation (NHG). Recent polar species (A. setosa and Actinomma boreale) appeared abundantly after the Mid-Pleistocene Transition (MPT, 1.2–0.8Ma). Repeated numbers of individual peaks of the abundances of Cycladophora davisiana, dwelling in cold and well-ventilated intermediate water, suggest intermediate to deep water formation in the Bering Sea during the last 1My.

Planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphy and assemblages in the Bering Sea during the Pliocene and Pleistocene: IODP sites U1340 and U1343

IODP Site U1340 and Site U1343 in the Bering Sea have been investigated with regard to planktonic foraminifers and fragmentation. The base of Site U1340 dates back to the Early Pliocene and the base of Site U1343 to the Early Pleistocene. Site U1340 is situated at Bowers Ridge, the southern Bering Sea. Site U1343 is situated near the gateway to the Arctic Ocean in the northern Bering Sea. At both sites there are none or very few planktonic foraminifers during the Pliocene and early Pleistocene. After 1.3–1.4Ma the planktonic foraminifers are continuously present for most of the samples examined. Three stratigraphic events have been identified in this study. The first occurrence (FO) of Neogloboquadrina inglei is observed at 1.4–1.5Ma, although this event may be affected by poor preservation of foraminifers in older sediments. The observed age of the change in the coiling ratio of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma from right to left at 1.2Ma agrees with the dating of the same event at the Californian margin. The age of the last occurrence (LO) of N. inglei also seems to match the same event from the Californian margin at 0.7Ma. This implies that these events are robust regional events for the entire northern Pacific. Multivariate analyses of the quantitative planktonic foraminifer data show three main faunal assemblages. The oldest assemblage from 1.3–1.4Ma to 1.2Ma is dominated by N pachyderma s.l. (dex) together with Globigerina bulloides. Other species in this fauna are N. inglei, N. pachyderma s.l. (sin), Globigerina umbilicata and Turborotalita quinqueloba. After 1.2Ma the faunal assemblage is dominated by N. pachyderma s.l. (sin), but the remaining species are the same as before. At 0.7Ma N. inglei disappears, whilst the remaining fauna assemblage stays the same, with N. pachyderma s.l. (sin) still dominating, reflecting subpolar–polar conditions. Prior to 1.4–1.3Ma there are very few or no planktonic foraminifers. Low shell fragmentation and lower TOC suggest that the lack of planktonic foraminifers in these sediments cannot be explained either by a shoaling of the carbonate compensation depth or by enhanced supralysoclinal dissolution. Instead, we argue that the appearance of abundant foraminifers in the sediment reflects the same evolutionary adaption of N. pachyderma (sin) to cold conditions to have occurred after 1.1–1.0Ma as in the North Atlantic.

Clay mineral assemblages at IODP Site U1340 in the Bering Sea and their paleoclimatic significance

Clay mineral assemblages and crystallinities in sediments from IODP Site 1340 in the Bering Sea were analyzed in order to trace sediment sources and reconstruct the paleoclimatic history of the Bering Sea since Pliocene (the last ∼4.3 Myr). The results show that clay minerals at Site U1340 are dominated by illite, with a moderate amount of smectite and chlorite, and minor kaolinite. Sediment source studies suggest that the clay mineral assemblages and their sources in the studied core are controlled primarily by the climate conditions. During the warm periods, clay minerals originated mainly from the adjacent Aleutian Islands, and smectite/(illite+chlorite) ratios increased. During the cold periods, clay minerals were derived primarily from the Alaskan region, and smectite/(illite+chlorite) ratios decreased. Based on smectite/(illite+chlorite) ratios and clay mineral crystallinities, the evolutionary history of the paleoclimate was revealed in the Bering Sea. In general, the Bering Sea was characterized by warm and wet climate condition from 4.3 to 3.94 Myr, and then cold and dry condition associated with the enhanced volcanism from 3.94 to 3.6 Myr. Thereafter, the climate gradually became cold and wet, and then was dominated by a cold and dry condition since 2.74 Myr, probably induced by the intensification of the Northern Hemisphere Glaciation. The interval from 1.95 to 1.07 Myr was a transitional period of the climate gradually becoming cold and wet. After the middle Pleistocene transition (1.07 to 0.8 Myr), the Bering Sea was governed mainly by cold and wet climate with several intervals of warm climate at ∼0.42 Ma (MIS 11), ∼0.33 Ma (MIS 9) and ∼0.12 Ma (MIS 5), respectively. During the last 9.21 kyr (the Holocene), the Bering Sea was characterized primarily by relatively warm and wet climatic conditions.

Global perturbation of the carbon cycle at the onset of the Miocene Climatic Optimum

The Miocene Climatic Optimum (MCO; ca. 17-14.7 Ma) represents one of several major interruptions in the long-term cooling trend of the past 50 m.y. To date, the processes driving high-amplitude climate variability and sustaining global warmth during this remarkable interval remain highly enigmatic. We present high-resolution benthic foraminiferal and bulk carbonate stable isotope records in an exceptional, continuous, carbonate-rich sedimentary archive (Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Site U1337, eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean), which offer a new view of climate evolution over the onset of the MCO. A sharp decline in delta O-18 and delta C-13 at ca. 16.9 Ma, contemporaneous with a massive increase in carbonate dissolution, demonstrates that abrupt warming was coupled to an intense perturbation of the carbon cycle. The rapid recovery in delta C-13 at ca. 16.7 Ma, similar to 250 k.y. after the beginning of the MCO, marks the onset of the first carbon isotope maximum within the long-lasting Monterey Excursion. These results lend support to the notion that atmospheric pCO(2) variations drove profound changes in the global carbon reservoir through the MCO, implying a delicate balance between changing CO2 fluxes, rates of silicate weathering, and global carbon sequestration. Comparison with a high-resolution delta C-13 record spanning the onset of the Cretaceous Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a (similar to 120 m.y. ago) reveals common forcing factors and climatic responses, providing a long-term perspective to understand climate-carbon cycle feedbacks during warmer periods of Earth's climate with markedly different atmospheric CO2 concentrations.

Impact of early Oligocene deep water circulation to the benthic foraminifera in the eastern equatorial Pacific

We investigated benthic foraminifera in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean at the Integrated OceanDrilling Program Site U1334 (~3580 to 3650m paleo-depth) during a time interval of ~33.2–31.9Ma, which is characterized by paleoceanographic changes after the “overshoot” associated with the Antarctic glaciation across the Eocene-Oligocene transition. Correlation between MDS axis 1 (faunal composition of benthic foraminifera) and the fragmentation rate of planktonic foraminifera was positive. MDS axis 1 was also positively correlatedwith the d13C values of benthic foraminifera at Site 1218. The positive correlation between the benthic foraminiferal d13C values at Site 1218 and the fragmentation rate at Site U1334 did not correspond to the general relationship between the benthic foraminiferal d13C values and carbonate corrosivity. Transient common occurrence and subsequent gradual decrease of Astrononion echnolsi, a characteristic species of MDS axis 1 that appeared to expand temporarily from the Southern Ocean to the abyssal Pacific, occurred abundantly during ~33.2–31.9Ma. The similarities among MDS axis 1, the fragmentation rate and the benthic foraminiferal d13C values were likely explained by the heterogeneity in carbonate corrosivity changes, associated with different extent of export production in the Southern Ocean compared to other oceans after the Oi-1 Antarctic glaciation. Such heterogeneity might result from the transient expansion of the Southern Ocean deep water into the abyssal Pacific during the earliest Oligocene.