South Atlantic Basin Research Articles

U-Pb ages of pre- to post-salt carbonates, Santos and Campos basins, SE Brazil: Implications for the evolution of the South Atlantic

The exploration campaigns and independent studies conducted in the central South Atlantic basins after the discovery of giant oil accumulations in the Lower Cretaceous lacustrine carbonates sealed by the salt layer resulted in a new panorama of the tectonic framework, stratigraphic architecture, and petroleum systems of the investigated basins and passive margins in general. Despite these remarkable advances, the ages of the carbonate reservoirs and the sealing evaporites remain uncertain. Aiming to fill this gap, we present here the results of 30 U-Pb LA-ICP-MS calcite and dolomite age determinations representative of the depositional/eo-diagenetic processes and subsequent phases of carbonate cementation recorded by pre-to post-salt units of the Santos and Campos basins of southeastern Brazil. Microcrystalline calcite of a mudstone of the Itapema Formation (Santos Basin) yielded a minimum age of 126.8 ± 4.7 Ma. 19 depositional/eo-diagenetic ages obtained in mudstones, grainstones, shrubstones, spherulitestones, and travertines of the correlative Barra Velha and Macabu pre-salt lacustrine carbonates cluster around 124.1 ± 2.2 and 122.1 ± 2.3 Ma. Considering the errors, these results limit the deposition/eo-diagenesis of these units to the 126.2–120.0 Ma interval. Two determinations carried out in calcite laminae of a nodular anhydrite sample extracted from the lower portion of the Retiro Evaporite (Campos Basin) returned the ages of 119.2 ± 1.6 Ma and 119.18 ± 0.79 Ma, which we interpreted as the best approximation of the timing of the salt deposition. Analyses performed in 3 samples from the post-salt Quissamã carbonates (Campos Basin) provide a minimum age of 114.2 ± 2.8 Ma yielded by interparticle dolomite cement. Other phases of calcite and dolomite cements present in the investigated units were dated at ca. 119.4, 116.5, and 110.7 Ma. The stratigraphically coherent spectrum of ages obtained differs significantly from most available data, providing a new perspective for the ongoing discussions on the tectonic evolution of the South Atlantic and probably impacting the current views of the burial history and petroleum system of the Santos and Campos basins.

The Volcanism of the Meseta del Lago Buenos Aires, Patagonia: the Transition from Subduction to Slab Window

Abstract The Meseta del Lago Buenos Aires (MLBA) in southern Patagonia, a volcanic plateau formed from ~12 Ma to present, provides an opportunity to investigate the temporal evolution in volcanism as this region transitions from the subduction of the Nazca plate to the formation of the slab window produced by the collision of the Chile Ridge and the Andean subduction zone. Here, we report new major, minor, and trace element contents, as well as Sr, Nd, Pb, and Hf isotopes of the MLBA lavas. Three distinct geochemical endmembers can be distinguished in the MLBA basalts: a subduction-influenced endmember, a transitional component similar to the South Atlantic enriched mid-ocean ridge basalts, and an enriched component akin to the EM1 mantle composition. Lavas older than ~1.5 Ma define a compositional continuum between the subduction-influenced and transitional endmembers; this trend is also present in many other southern Patagonian plateaus regardless of their distance to the trench, eruption age, and the composition of the continental blocks where they are located. In contrast, MLBA basalts younger than ~1.5 Ma uniquely define a transition into the EM1 mantle component at the time when this region was affected by the slab window. The estimated pressures and temperatures of mantle-melt equilibration for the MLBA basalts indicates an increase in both parameters after the formation of the slab window that roughly correlate with the changes in lava composition. The basalts’ composition from all southern Patagonia plateaus points to the presence of the South Atlantic mid-ocean ridge basalt mantle influenced by the Discovery, Shona, and Bouvet hotspots rather than the sub-slab mantle, as represented by the Chile Ridge basalts. This observation challenges the hypothesis that the sub-slab mantle within the slab window has had an important role in the composition of the erupted lavas. Instead, it suggests the presence of a South Atlantic mantle beneath southern Patagonia either within the mantle wedge, consistent with a long-lasting South Atlantic convection cell beneath South America, or in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle metasomatized before or just after the opening of the South Atlantic basin, as demonstrated by the composition of southern Patagonia mantle xenoliths. Although it is difficult to precisely distinguish the contributions of the asthenosphere from that of the metasomatized subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath this region, our work suggests significant contributions from the latter in the composition of the MLBA lavas.

The Atlantic Jigsaw Puzzle and the geoheritage of Angola

Abstract The jigsaw-puzzle fit of South America and Africa is an icon of plate tectonics and continental drift. Fieldwork in Angola since 2002 allows the correlation of onshore outcrops and offshore geophysical and well-core data in the context of rift, sag, salt, and post-salt drift phases of the opening of the central South Atlantic. These outcrops, ranging in age from >130 Ma to <71 Ma, record Early Cretaceous outpouring of the Etendeka–Paraná Large Igneous Province (Bero Volcanic Complex) and rifting, followed by continental carbonate and siliciclastic deposition (Tumbalunda Formation) during the sagging of the nascent central South Atlantic basin. By the Aptian, evaporation of sea water resulted in thick salt deposits (Bambata Formation), terminated by seafloor spreading. The Equatorial Atlantic Gateway began opening by the early Late Cretaceous (100 Ma) and allowed flow of currents between the North and South Atlantic, creating environmental conditions that heralded the introduction of marine reptiles. These dramatic outcrops are a unique element of geoheritage because they arguably comprise the most complete terrestrially exposed geological record of the puzzle-like icon of continental drift.

Quantifying the related precipitation and moisture sources in the lifecycle of subtropical cyclones in the South Atlantic basin

AbstractThis study applies a Lagrangian approach to identify the origin of moisture for subtropical cyclones (SCs) along their tracks in the South Atlantic Ocean (SAO) basin from 1980 to 2015. The analysis shows that the local evaporation cannot fully explain the moisture gained by SCs, highlighting the role of external sources in moisture support, mainly through the northeasterly winds associated with the South Atlantic Subtropical Anticyclone. Overall, the northwestern SAO was the principal moisture source for SCs. It was noticeable that its contribution (~40%–45%) remained quasi‐constant during the year. Conversely, the moisture supplied from the northeastern SAO, southwestern SAO and the terrestrial source southeastern Brazil exhibited a marked seasonal variability. While contributions from the southwestern SAO intensify (weaken) in austral winter (summer), the southeastern Brazil source is more intense (weak) in summer (winter). In addition, SCs predominantly gain atmospheric humidity from sources close to their position, which reduces the mean water vapor residence time to ~3.2 days. Interestingly, we also found that ~42%–47% of the moisture that reached the SCs precipitates. These findings constitute a further step toward improving our knowledge of mechanisms underlying SC activity in the SAO basin.

High-resolution stratigraphy and characterization of reservoir-critical heterogeneities in the giant Tupi Field, pre-salt Santos Basin, Brazil

Abstract The large oil discoveries that have occurred in recent decades in the pre-salt section of the South Atlantic sedimentary basins have promoted a significant volume of scientific research regarding the origin of these deposits. Most of the current studies of this stratigraphic interval focus on regional aspects or sedimentological and diagenetic processes. However, few studies encompass the geological characteristics of the pre-salt deposits from a reservoir-scale perspective. This work addresses the construction of a detailed reservoir-oriented stratigraphic framework for the giant Tupi Field. Discovered in 2006 following a successful exploratory campaign in the southeastern Brazilian deep-water, the Tupi Field's main reservoirs are sag-phase carbonates from the Aptian-aged Barra Velha Formation. These rocks accumulated in alkaline to highly alkaline lacustrine settings, which allowed the development of unusual syngenetic elements, such as magnesian clays, calcitic spherulites and calcitic shrubs. The reservoirs' depositional organization was essentially conditioned by climatic oscillations and tectonic activity, which controlled sedimentation rates and accommodation styles through space and time. The high-resolution stratigraphic framework established in this article supports a detailed understanding, at different scales, of the Tupi Field's sedimentological evolution and its main vertical and lateral facies distribution. These aspects have, in turn, provided essential inputs for reservoir characterization and constrained critical heterogeneities of the 3D geocellular model, even in reservoirs affected by diagenetic processes.

Filling the data gaps: Transferring models from data-rich to data-poor deep-sea areas to support spatial management

Spatial management of the deep sea is challenging due to limited available data on the distribution of species and habitats to support decision making. In the well-studied North Atlantic, predictive models of species distribution and habitat suitability have been used to fill data gaps and support sustainable management. In the South Atlantic and other poorly studied regions, this is not possible due to a massive lack of data. In this study, we investigated whether models constructed in data-rich areas can be used to inform data-poor regions (with otherwise similar environmental conditions). We used a novel model transfer approach to identify to what extent a habitat suitability model for Desmophyllum pertusum reef, built in a data-rich basin (North Atlantic), could be transferred usefully to a data-poor basin (South Atlantic). The transferred model was built using the Maximum Entropy algorithm and constructed with 227 presence and 3064 pseudo-absence points, and 200 m resolution environmental grids. Performance in the transferred region was validated using an independent dataset of D. pertusum presences and absences, with assessments made using both threshold-dependent and -independent metrics. We found that a model for D. pertusum reef fitted to North Atlantic data transferred reasonably well to the South Atlantic basin, with an area under the curve of 0.70. Suitable habitat for D. pertusum reef was predicted on 20 of the assessed 27 features including seamounts. Nationally managed Marine Protected Areas provide significant protection for D. pertusum reef habitat in the region, affording full protection from bottom trawling to 14 of the 20 suitable features. In areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ), we found four seamounts that provided suitable habitat for D. pertusum reef to be at least partially protected from bottom trawling, whilst two did not fall within fisheries closures. There are factors to consider when developing models for transfer including data resolution and predictor type. Nevertheless, the promising results of this application demonstrate that model transfer approaches stand to provide significant contributions to spatial planning processes through provision of new, best available data. This is particularly true for ABNJ and areas that have previously undergone little scientific exploration such as the global south.

The early opening of the Equatorial Atlantic gateway and the evolution of Cretaceous peak warming

Abstract The Cretaceous opening of the Equatorial Atlantic gateway (EAG) is considered a driver of major changes in global oceanography, carbon cycling, and climate. However, the early stages of EAG opening are poorly understood. We present seawater Nd-isotope, bulk geochemical, and micropaleontological data from two South Atlantic drill cores that constrain the onset of shallow (<500 m) and intermediate (<~1000 m) water mass exchange across the EAG to 113 Ma and 107 Ma, respectively. Deep water mass exchange (>2000 m) was enabled by at least ca. 100 Ma, as much as 10 m.y. earlier than previously estimated. In response to EAG opening, deep-water ventilation in the South Atlantic, North Atlantic, and Tethys basins intensified, thereby triggering basin-scale reductions in organic carbon burial. We propose that the consequent drop in carbon sequestration in concert with increased atmospheric CO2 fluxes from subduction zones acted as major amplifiers of global warming that culminated in peak greenhouse conditions during the mid-Cretaceous.

Early Cretaceous marine incursions into South Atlantic rift basins originated from the south

The breakup of Gondwana resulted in sedimentary deposits recording lacustrine to marine environmental transitions in the South Atlantic rift basins during the Early Cretaceous. Currently, ambiguity pervades our understanding of the timing and orientation of the initial seawater incursion. Here we investigated hydrocarbon biomarkers in sediments from two drill cores off West Africa with stratigraphic coverage from the Berriasian-Barremian to Albian. Based on biomarkers that can distinguish non-marine from marine-influenced settings, initial seawater influx occurred through the southern entrance across the Rio Grande Rise-Walvis Ridge during the early Aptian stage. Transitional conditions prevailed during the Aptian stage as the seawater incursion induced microbial community and environmental reorganization until the Albian when fully marine conditions prevailed. Overall, results of this study are valuable in deciphering the final opening of the South Atlantic Ocean, fulfilling the global comparison of paleoenvironments, and facilitating future petroleum exploration along the South Atlantic conjugate margins.

Issues in the identification of the Aptian/Albian boundary in South Atlantic basins and beyond

The use of taxonomic-phylogenetic criteria established for planktonic foraminifera in the 2000's and the definition of the Albian Global Stratotype Section Point (GSSP-Alb) have resulted in a major change in the interpretation of the carbonate sections overlying the giant layer of salt present in basins of the South Central Atlantic (CSA) and their equivalent strata in the Equatorial South Atlantic (ESA), and interior of northeastern Brazil (BNE). These post-salt carbonates have long been considered Albian in age, but they contain a planktonic foraminifera association characteristically Aptian. Great conflicts arise, however, when this faunal association is compared with biostratigraphic successions based on other fossil groups or with lithostratigraphic and geochronological data. Controversies similar to those observed at sites 363 and 364 of the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) leg 40, drilled almost 45 years ago, have resurfaced. Thus, it is paradoxical that the remarkable disappearance of large species of planktonic foraminifera, associated with the top of the Paraticinella rohri Zone (of the upper Aptian), occurred stratigraphically above a typical Albian calcareous nannofossil succession (as the First Stratigraphic Occurrences of Hayesites albiensis, Tranolithus orionatus, Axopodorhabdus biramiculatus, and Eiffellithus turriseiffelli) or the FOs of three known species of pelagic calcispheres, all assumed to be of Albian age. Another notorious conflict lies in the fact that these carbonates rest directly on the salt layer onlapping the South Atlantic Middle Barrier (SAMB), where trachyandesite has been dated at 113.2 ± 0.1 Ma, identical to the value established for the GSSP-Alb. Detailed examination of 16 stratigraphic sections from around the world shows that the difficulties of fully applying the GSSP-Alb criteria are not limited to the CSA, ESA, and BNE basins. The explanation of these controversies may lie in the specific conditions of the water mass of the primitive South Atlantic that may have influenced morphological alterations or affected the temporal amplitude of taxa. But until geochronological, biostratigraphic, and lithostratigraphic incompatibilities can be clarified, it is here recommended to use the base of the evaporitic layer as the reference for the Aptian/Albian transition in CSA, ESA, and BNE basins.

Oceanographic conditions of the continental slope and deep waters in Santos Basin: the SANSED cruise (winter 2019)

This work describes the circulation over the continental slope and the São Paulo Plateau in the Santos Basin during the SANSED winter 2019 survey. The cruise consisted of four legs in the period between June, 11 and August, 03 2019. The observed circulation is dominated by the Atlantic southwestern boundary current regime and remotely-generated anticyclones and cyclones. The former is composed by the Brazil Current, the Intermediate Western Boundary Current and their mesoscale meanders; the latter are 300km vortical rings with origin in the eastern side of the South Atlantic Basin. A Lagrangian scheme applied over satellite altimeter maps indicate that the origin of these rings is primarily the Cape Basin of South Africa. The interaction between the boundary currents, their cyclonic meanders, and the anticyclonic rings is complex, and varies widely. During the SANSED winter 2019 survey period, three anticyclones interacted with the Brazil Current, instabilizing it, forming dipoles with the current cyclonic meanders, leading to their downstream propagation. Ancienter cyclonic eddies within Santos Basin may interfere with the propagation of the large anticyclones further south. In addition, the continuous arrival of remotely-originated anticyclones, the larger portion over the São Paulo Plateau presented a tendency of counter-clockwise circulation during the whole cruise period.

Synoptic Climatology of Subtropical Cyclone Impacts on Near‐Surface Winds Over the South Atlantic Basin

AbstractWinds and precipitation are two meteorological variables of great impact on the economy and society, especially when extreme events occur. The objective of this study is to investigate the subtropical cyclone (SC) impacts on near‐surface wind extremes (defined by 95th percentile) and precipitation in the South Atlantic basin. For the period 1979–2015, the analysis used two reanalysis data (ERA5 and Climate Forecast System Reanalysis [CFSR]) and estimated precipitation from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) considering the extended warm (from September to February) and cold (from March to August) seasons. A total of 169 SCs occurred in the warm season against 87 in the cold one. Two approaches are used to quantify SC impacts: Lagrangian, where the composites follow the cyclone center, and Eulerian, which considers the averaged environment during the cyclone lifecycle. In general, both approaches indicate SC contribution to the positive anomalies of mean and extreme near‐surface wind speeds to the east and northeast of a cyclogenetic region in southeastern Brazil (RG1). For all analyses conducted, wind speeds from CFSR are higher than in ERA5. The SC activity contributes to the enhancement of precipitation to the east and inside RG1 in an organized northwest‐southeast positive anomaly band from the continent to the ocean, while favoring drier conditions to the south. These positive precipitation anomalies are associated with an anomalous low pressure, low‐level moisture flux convergence and warm advection occurring at the same time with an upper‐level divergent flow near RG1. All these features are intensified in the cold season.

Assessment of the soil-erosion-sediment for sustainable development of South America

One of the greatest threats to maintaining sustainable agro-ecosystems is mitigating the episodic soil loss from farm operations, further exacerbated by meteorological extremes. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) is a model that combines the effects of rain, soil erodibility, topography, land cover, and conservation practices for estimating the annual average soil losses. This study aims to quantify soil water erosion to continental South America (S.A.) through RUSLE using available datasets and characterizing the average sediment delivery rate (SDR) to the major S.A. basins. Soil erodibility was estimated from the Global Gridded Soil Information soil database. LS-factor's topographical parameter was derived from Digital Elevation Models using the “Shuttle Radar Topography Mission” dataset. The R-factor was estimated from a previous study developed for S.A. and the C-factor from the Global Land Cover (Copernicus Global Land Services) database. We used a modeling study for SDR that simulated the annual average sediment transport in 27 basins in S.A. RUSLE set up presented a satisfactory performance compared to other applications on a continental scale with an estimated averaged soil loss for S.A. of 3.8 t ha−1 year−1. Chile (>20.0 t ha−1 year−1) and Colombia (8.1 t ha−1 year−1) showed the highest soil loss. Regarding SDR, Suriname, French Guyana, and Guyana presented the lowest values (<1.0 t ha−1 year−1). The highest soil losses were found in the Andes Cordillera of Colombia and the Center-South Region of Chile. In the former, the combination of “high” K-factor, “very high” C-factor, and “very high” LS-factor were the leading causes. In the latter, agriculture, livestock, deforestation, and aggressive R-factor explained the high soil loss. Basins with the highest SDR were located in the North Argentina – South Atlantic basin (27.73%), Mar Chiquitita (2.66%), Amazon River basin (2.32%), Magdalena (2.14%) (in Andes Cordillera), and Orinoco (1.83%).

Evolution of the Atlantic Intertropical Convergence Zone, and the South American and African Monsoons Over the Past 95‐Myr and Their Impact on the Tropical Rainforests

AbstractThe widening of the South Atlantic Basin led to the reorganization of regional atmospheric and oceanic circulations. However, the response of the Atlantic Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), and South American and African monsoons across paleoclimate states, especially under constant paleogeographic and climatic changes, has not been well understood. Here we report on paleoclimate simulations of the Cenomanian (∼95 Ma), early Eocene (∼55 Ma), and middle Miocene (∼14 Ma) using the Community Earth System Model version 1.2 to understand how the migration of the South American and African continents to their modern‐day positions, uplift of the Andes and East African Rift Zone, and the decline of atmospheric CO2 changed the Atlantic ITCZ, and the South American and African monsoons and rainforests. Our work demonstrates that the South Atlantic widening developed the Atlantic ITCZ. The South Atlantic widening and Andean orogeny led to a stronger South American monsoon. We find the orogeny of the East African Rift Zone is the primary mechanism that strengthened the East African monsoon, whereas the West African monsoon became weaker through time as West Africa migrated toward the subtropics and CO2 levels fell below 500 ppm. We utilize the Köppen‐Geiger Climate Classification as an indicator for maximum rainforest extent. We find that during the Cenomanian and early Eocene, a Pan‐African rainforest existed, while the Amazon rainforest was restricted toward the northwestern corner of South America. During the middle Miocene, the Pan‐African rainforest was reduced to near its modern‐day size, while the Amazon rainforest expanded eastward.

Global Evapotranspiration Datasets Assessment Using Water Balance in South America

Evapotranspiration (ET) connects the land to the atmosphere, linking water, energy, and carbon cycles. ET is an essential climate variable with a fundamental importance, and accurate assessments of the spatiotemporal trends and variability in ET are needed from regional to continental scales. This study compared eight global actual ET datasets (ETgl) and the average actual ET ensemble (ETens) based on remote sensing, climate reanalysis, land-surface, and biophysical models to ET computed from basin-scale water balance (ETwb) in South America on monthly time scale. The 50 small-to-large basins covered major rivers and different biomes and climate types. We also examined the magnitude, seasonality, and interannual variability of ET, comparing ETgl and ETens with ETwb. Global ET datasets were evaluated between 2003 and 2014 from the following datasets: Breathing Earth System Simulator (BESS), ECMWF Reanalysis 5 (ERA5), Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS), Global Land Evaporation Amsterdam Model (GLEAM), MOD16, Penman–Monteith–Leuning (PML), Operational Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEBop) and Terra Climate. By using ETwb as a basis for comparison, correlation coefficients ranged from 0.45 (SSEBop) to 0.60 (ETens), and RMSE ranged from 35.6 (ETens) to 40.5 mm·month−1 (MOD16). Overall, ETgl estimates ranged from 0 to 150 mm·month−1 in most basins in South America, while ETwb estimates showed maximum rates up to 250 mm·month−1. ETgl varied by hydroclimatic regions: (i) basins located in humid climates with low seasonality in precipitation, including the Amazon, Uruguay, and South Atlantic basins, yielded weak correlation coefficients between monthly ETgl and ETwb, and (ii) tropical and semiarid basins (areas where precipitation demonstrates a strong seasonality, as in the São Francisco, Northeast Atlantic, Paraná/Paraguay, and Tocantins basins) yielded moderate-to-strong correlation coefficients. An assessment of the interannual variability demonstrated a disagreement between ETgl and ETwb in the humid tropics (in the Amazon), with ETgl showing a wide range of interannual variability. However, in tropical, subtropical, and semiarid climates, including the Tocantins, São Francisco, Paraná, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Atlantic basins (Northeast, East, and South), we found a stronger agreement between ETgl and ETwb for interannual variability. Assessing ET datasets enables the understanding of land–atmosphere exchanges in South America, to improvement of ET estimation and monitoring for water management.

Organic geochemical evidence for the transition of Aptian-Albian hypersaline environments into marine restricted seas: The South Atlantic oceanic northern gateway and its implications for the pre-salt deposits

The transition between Aptian and Albian stages of the Lower Cretaceous (∼113 Ma) was a critical moment in the development of the proto–South Atlantic Ocean. At this time, marine ingressions in Brazilian sedimentary basins occurred in the northeastern region and deposited organic-rich mudstones and sulfate evaporites. However, the paleogeographic configuration that controlled sedimentation and biota dynamics remains poorly understood. This study presents new paleogeographic insights based on tectonic reconstructed Gplate models and a high-resolution chemostratigraphic framework. We explore new isotopic data of bulk organic carbon and nitrogen as well as saturated fraction biomarkers collected from a well-preserved section in the eastern part of the Brazilian northeastern Parnaíba Basin (Codó Formation). We also present new biomarker data for samples from the Barra Velha Formation from a well in the Santos Basin, which belongs to the same local stage of the Codó Formation (Alagoas Stage). For the Parnaíba Basin section, geochemical proxies subdivide the environmental evolution into five stages. These stages reflect a transition from a highly saline environment (stage A) that experienced transient marine influxes and eventually transitioned into a closed evaporitic system (stage B). A major marine ingression established an epicontinental anoxic sea (Stage C) that subsequently experienced an increase in water circulation and water depth; turning into an oxic marine environment (Stage D). Interruption of the connection with the sea and constant terrestrial input led to a continentalization process establishing a lacustrine/continental environment (Stage E). For the Santos Basin section (Barra Velha Formation), we measured the occurrence of the C30 tetracyclic polyprenoids which are consistent with a dominant lacustrine saline environment. Our paleogeographic model suggests that marine ingressions towards the southern basins, during the first stages of Pangea breakup, occurred through the northern portion of the Borborema Province and produced an interior seaway that possibly connected the Brazilian northeastern with the southeastern basins through the Recôncavo/Tucano rift system. Our findings and the environmental interpretations for stratigraphic correlated units from the southern continental basins infers that the greater marine influence in the northeastern areas shifted from hypersaline environments into restricted marine environments that resulted in the deposition of shales and mesohaline/penesaline salts. Concomitantly, the existence of a Brazilian-African landbridge acted as a barrier point for the first marine inflows towards the south. The restricted marine connection transformed south alkaline environments into extensive areas of superhaline conditions that resulted in giant thick salt successions of the South Atlantic basins. Finally, further tectonic evolution and complete breakup of Pangea terminated the Brazilian-African landbridge and shutoff interior marine routes that later became terrestrial environments. As the continents steadily became rifted-segments, the proto-South Atlantic Ocean expanded leaving a marine record in the southern basins.

Submesoscale Coherent Vortices in the South Atlantic Ocean: A Pathway for Energy Dissipation

AbstractMesoscale eddies propagate westward across the South Atlantic basin. As they reach the westernmost part of the basin, at approximately 20°S, they interact with a quasi‐zonal seamount chain, the Vitória‐Trindade Ridge (VTR). The interactions with the local topography lead to submesoscales instabilities, which ignite the formation of submesoscale coherent vortices (SCVs) such as those described in the present study for the first time in the VTR region. Here, using high‐resolution hydrographic and microstructure measurements, we describe the dynamics of two adjacent SCVs wandering through the ridge. We find that the anticyclonic SCVs are characterized by a low potential vorticity and angular momentum signature, and are therefore prone to both centrifugal and symmetric instabilities. This dynamic regime suggests small‐scale turbulence is actively cascading energy down to dissipation, diagnosed from turbulent kinetic energy dissipation estimates within one of the SCVs through microstructure measurements. The energy dissipation levels observed within the SCV are two orders of magnitude larger than in surrounding waters. The thermohaline signatures of each SCV reveal homogenized waters in their cores but with small thermohaline anomalies when compared to surrounding waters, suggesting a remote generation site. Here, we argue that such vortices are essential agents for energy dissipation in the ocean. We speculate that the observed SCVs were formed due to mesoscale eddy‐topography interaction along the VTR and advected by the meandering South Equatorial Current to the location of field observations.

The recent normalization of historical marine heat extremes

Climate change exposes marine ecosystems to extreme conditions with increasing frequency. Capitalizing on the global reconstruction of sea surface temperature (SST) records from 1870-present, we present a centennial-scale index of extreme marine heat within a coherent and comparable statistical framework. A spatially (1° × 1°) and temporally (monthly) resolved index of the normalized historical extreme marine heat events was expressed as a fraction of a year that exceeds a locally determined, monthly varying 98th percentile of SST gradients derived from the first 50 years of climatological records (1870–1919). For the year 2019, our index reports that 57% of the global ocean surface recorded extreme heat, which was comparatively rare (approximately 2%) during the period of the second industrial revolution. Significant increases in the extent of extreme marine events over the past century resulted in many local climates to have shifted out of their historical SST bounds across many economically and ecologically important marine regions. For the global ocean, 2014 was the first year to exceed the 50% threshold of extreme heat thereby becoming “normal”, with the South Atlantic (1998) and Indian (2007) basins crossing this barrier earlier. By focusing on heat extremes, we provide an alternative framework that may help better contextualize the dramatic changes currently occurring in marine systems.

Planktonic foraminifera from the Aptian section of the Southeastern Brazilian Atlantic margin

Upper Aptian planktonic foraminifera assemblages recorded in the post-salt section of the Santos, Campos and Espírito Santo Brazilian marginal basins are described and interpreted in terms of biostratigraphy and relative ages. The studied section represents the first marine sedimentary rocks deposited above the evaporitic sequence. Material from 26 Petrobras wells, including core, sidewalls and cuttings samples was analyzed. The upper Aptian planktonic foraminifera assemblages are composed mainly of cosmopolitan and chronostratigraphically long-ranging species, among which 22 species have been commonly recorded in the Tethyan Realm and other South Atlantic basins. Considering the biostratigraphic distribution, deposition of the studied section spans from the upper Aptian Globigerinelloides ferreolensis to Paraticinella rohri zones. Hence, the present study allowed the reassessment of the biostratigraphic framework, pointing out to an upper Aptian age for the marine section deposited immediately above the evaporitic sequence in the Santos, Campos and Espírito Santo basins. Indeed, a marine environment was established 5 to 10 Ma earlier than previously proposed. The reevaluation of the age constraints for the section provides new insight to the understanding of early South Atlantic Ocean geological evolution.

Future climate trends of subtropical cyclones in the South Atlantic basin in an ensemble of global and regional projections

Future climate trends of subtropical cyclones in the South Atlantic basin in an ensemble of global and regional projections

The Influence of South Pacific Convergence Zone Heating on the South Pacific Subtropical Anticyclone

AbstractSubtropical anticyclones and midlatitude storm tracks are key components of the large-scale atmospheric circulation. Focusing on the Southern Hemisphere, the seasonality of the three dominant subtropical anticyclones, situated over the South Pacific, South Atlantic, and south Indian Ocean basins, has a large influence on local weather and climate within South America, southern Africa, and Australia, respectively. Generally speaking, sea level pressure within the Southern Hemisphere subtropics reaches its seasonal maximum during the winter season when the Southern Hemisphere Hadley cell is at its strongest. One exception to this is the seasonal evolution of the South Pacific subtropical anticyclone. While winter maxima are seen in the South Atlantic and south Indian subtropical anticyclones, the South Pacific subtropical anticyclone reaches its seasonal maximum during local spring with elevated values extending into summer. In this study, we investigate the hypothesis that the strength of the austral summer South Pacific subtropical anticyclone is largely due to heating over the South Pacific convergence zone. Using added-cooling and added-heating atmospheric general circulation model experiments to artificially change the strength of austral summer diabatic heating over the South Pacific convergence zone, our results show that increased heating, through increased upper-level divergence, triggers a Rossby wave train that extends into the Southern Hemisphere midlatitudes. This propagating Rossby wave train creates a high and low sea level pressure pattern that projects onto the center of the South Pacific subtropical anticyclone to intensify its area and strength.