(Table 2) Stable isotopes in foraminifers at DSDP Leg 78

Analyses of stable isotopes of monospecific planktonic foraminifers (G. quadrilobatus group) and monogeneric benthic foraminifers (Cibicidoides spp.) from late Neogene Atlantic Site 502 and Pacific Site 503 were conducted in order to determine the paleoceanographic changes resulting from the late Neogene uplift of the Panama Isthmus and from climatic cooling. In general, results at each site are similar to those from previous studies for the late Miocene and late Pliocene time interval, documenting the late Miocene (6 Ma) shift in carbon isotopes and the inferred growth of permanent Northern Hemisphere continental ice sheets beginning about 3.2 Ma. Comparison of Atlantic-Pacific planktonic-benthic isotope data for four stratigraphic intervals (~6-8, ~5-6, ~3-5, and ~2-3 Ma) suggests that increasing isolation of Atlantic and Pacific low-latitude waters may be related to the emergence of the Panama Isthmus. The contrast between Atlantic and Pacific benthic foraminiferal d13C increased in two steps from 0.60 per mil to 1 per mil (the modern contrast) at about 6 Ma and 3 Ma. The first increase (0.15 per mil) may represent the end of previously limited deep-water communication between the Atlantic and Pacific at the present location of Panama. The second increase (0.25 per mil) may be due to increased production of North Atlantic Deep Water. This probably reflects the development of modern deep-sea circulation. The d18O of planktonic foraminifers begins to increase in Atlantic Site 502 at 4.2 Ma and may reflect the increasing salinity of the North Atlantic Ocean arising from diminishing surface-water exchange across Panama. This increase is clearly shown by contrasting the d18O of Atlantic and Pacific planktonic foraminifers, as well as the d18O of planktonic and benthic foraminifers at Site 502. This inferred increase in surface-water salinity begins at the time of increasing provinciality of Atlantic and Pacific planktonic foraminifers.

Absolute abundances of benthic foraminifers and stable isotopes from the Alvin dives 3709-3712

The presence of gas hydrates on the Blake Ridge diapir, northeastern Atlantic Ocean, offers an opportunity to study the impact of methane seepage on the ecology and geochemistry of benthic foraminifera in the late Holocene. Three push cores, covering a time span of ~ 1000 yrs, were retrieved from three distinct microhabitats at the top of the diapir at a water depth of ~ 2150 m: (i) sediments away from seepage (control core), (ii) sediments overlain by clusters of methanotrophic and thiotrophic bivalves, and (iii) chemoautotrophic microbial mats. The foraminiferal assemblages at the two seep sites are marked by a reduction in benthic foraminiferal species diversity, coupled with a near-absence of agglutinated species. However, an opportunistic population rise in CH4- or H2S-tolerant calcareous species (e.g., Globocassidulina subglobosa and Cassidulina laevigata) that utilize the abundant trophic resources at the seeps has led to an increase in the overall assemblage density there. The delta18O and delta13C values of three species of benthic foraminifera - Gyroidinoides laevigatus, Globocassidulina subglobosa, and Uvigerina peregrina - and the planktonic species Globorotalia menardii were acquired from all three cores. The benthic species from methane seeps yield delta13C values of 0.1 to - 4.2 (per mil VPDB), that are distinctly more 13C-depleted relative to the delta13C of 0.4 to - 1.0 (per mil VPDB) at the control (off seep) site. The species from a mussel-bed site exhibit more negative delta13C values than those from microbial mats, possibly reflecting different food sources and higher rate of anaerobic oxidation of methane. The positive delta13C values in the paired planktonic species suggest that authigenic carbonate precipitation did not overprint the observed 13C depletions. Hence the probable cause of negative delta13C of benthic foraminifera is primary calcification from Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (DIC) containing mixed carbon fractions from (a) highly 13C-depleted, microbially-oxidized methane and (b) a seawater source.

Stable isotopes measured on Miocene benthic foraminifera from ODP sites 202-1237 and 184-1146

One of the most enigmatic features of Cenozoic long-term climate evolution is the long-lasting positive carbon-isotope excursion or "Monterey Excursion", which started during a period of global warmth after 16.9 Ma and ended at not, vert, similar 13.5 Ma, approximately 400 kyr after major expansion of the Antarctic ice-sheet. We present high-resolution (1-9 kyr) astronomically-tuned climate proxy records in two complete sedimentary successions from the northwestern and southeastern Pacific (ODP Sites 1146 and 1237), which shed new light on the middle Miocene carbon-isotope excursion and associated climatic transition over the interval 17.1-12.7 Ma. We recognize three distinct climate phases with different imprints of orbital variations into the climatic signals (1146 and 1237 d18O, d13C; 1237 XRF Fe, fraction > 63 µm): (1) climate optimum prior to 14.7 Ma characterized by minimum ice volume and prominent 100 and 400 kyr variability, (2) long-term cooling from 14.7 to 13.9 Ma, principally driven by obliquity and culminating with rapid cryosphere expansion and global cooling at the onset of the last and most pronounced d13C increase, (3) "Icehouse" mode after 13.9 Ma with distinct 100 kyr variability and improved ventilation of the deep Pacific. The "Monterey" carbon-isotope excursion (16.9-13.5 Ma) consists overall of nine 400 kyr cycles, which show high coherence with the long eccentricity period. Superposed on these low-frequency oscillations are high-frequency variations (100 kyr), which closely track the amplitude modulation of the short eccentricity period. In contrast to d13C, the d18O signal additionally shows significant power in the 41 kyr band, and the 1.2 Myr amplitude modulation of the obliquity cycle is clearly imprinted in the 1146 d18O signal. Our results suggest that eccentricity was a prime pacemaker of middle Miocene climate evolution through the modulation of long-term carbon budgets and that obliquity-paced changes in high-latitude seasonality favored the transition into the "Icehouse" climate.

Stable isotopes and XRF data over the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum from IODP Sites U1403 and U1409

During the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) about 56 million years ago, thousands of petagrams of carbon were released into the atmosphere and ocean in just a few thousand years, followed by a gradual sequestration over approximately 200,000 years. If silicate weathering is one of the key negative feedbacks that removed this carbon, a period of seawater calcium carbonate saturation greater than pre-event levels is expected during the event's recovery phase. In marine sediments, this should be recorded as a temporary deepening of the depth below which no calcite is preserved - the calcite compensation depth (CCD). Previous and new sedimentary records from sites that were above the pre-PETM calcite compensation depth show enhanced carbonate accumulation following the PETM. A new record from an abyssal site in the North Atlantic that lay below the pre-PETM calcite compensation depth shows a period of carbonate preservation beginning about 70,000 years after the onset of the PETM, providing the first direct evidence for an over-deepening of the calcite compensation depth. This record confirms an overshoot in ocean carbonate saturation during the PETM recovery. Simulations with two earth system models support scenarios for the PETM that involve both a large initial carbon release followed by prolonged low-level emissions, consistent with the timing of CCD deepening in our record. Our findings indicate that sequestration of these carbon emissions was most likely the result of both globally enhanced calcite burial above the calcite compensation depth and, at least in the North Atlantic, by a temporary over-deepening of the calcite compensation depth.

Oceanography and stable isotopes on planktonic foraminifera from the North Atlantic

With the examination of multinet catches (63 µm mesh size), the present study analyzes the distribution of planktonic foraminifera in Polar regions: the Labrador Sea, Greenland Sea at 75°N and Fram Strait at 80°N. The community of the planktonic foraminifera, which in the study area mainly consists of six species: left and right-coiling N. pachyderma, T. quinqueloba, G. bulloides, G. glutinata and G. uvula, is primarily controlled by the temperature in the different water masses. Besides hydrographic parameters, the changes in the horizontal and vertical distribution of N. pachyderma (s.) and T. quinqueloba as well as their shell size distribution in the study area are primarily influenced by the synchrone reproduction, which is coupled to the lunar cycle. Detailed examinations of the isotope signal in dependency on the shell size and weight for N. pachyderma (s.) and T. quinqueloba from plankton tows, indicated the weight or degree of calcification to not be the primary factor controlling the isotope signal of encrusted specimens.The d18O vital effect is primarily caused by the thermal stratification of the water column, whereas the d13C vital effect mainly results from the ontogenetic development.

(Table 1) Organic carbon and radiogenic isotopes analysis of DSDP Hole 22-218 sediments

Modern erosion of the Himalaya, the world's largest mountain range, transfers huge dissolved and particulate loads to the ocean. It plays an important role in the long-term global carbon cycle, mostly through enhanced organic carbon burial in the Bengal Fan. To understand the role of past Himalayan erosion, the influence of changing climate and tectonic on erosion must be determined. Here we use a 12 Myr sedimentary record from the distal Bengal Fan (Deep Sea Drilling Project Site 218) to reconstruct the Mio-Pliocene history of Himalayan erosion. We use carbon stable isotopes (d13C) of bulk organic matter as paleo-environmental proxy and stratigraphic tool. Multi-isotopic - Sr, Nd and Os - data are used as proxies for the source of the sediments deposited in the Bengal Fan over time. d13C values of bulk organic matter shift dramatically towards less depleted values, revealing the widespread Late Miocene (ca. 7.4 Ma) expansion of C4 plants in the basin. Sr, Nd and Os isotopic compositions indicate a rather stable erosion pattern in the Himalaya range during the past 12 Myr. This supports the existence of a strong connection between the southern Tibetan plateau and the Bengal Fan. The tectonic evolution of the Himalaya range and Southern Tibet seems to have been unable to produce large re-organisation of the drainage system. Moreover, our data do not suggest a rapid change of the altitude of the southern Tibetan plateau during the past 12 Myr. Variations in Sr and Nd isotopic compositions around the late Miocene expansion of C4 plants are suggestive of a relative increase in the erosion of High Himalaya Crystalline rock (i.e. a simultaneous reduction of both Transhimalayan batholiths and Lesser Himalaya relative contributions). This could be related to an increase in aridity as suggested by the ecological and sedimentological changes at that time. A reversed trend in Sr and Nd isotopic compositions is observed at the Plio-Pleistocene transition that is likely related to higher precipitation and the development of glaciers in the Himalaya. These almost synchronous moderate changes in erosion pattern and climate changes during the late Miocene and at the Plio-Pleistocene transition support the notion of a dominant control of climate on Himalayan erosion during this time period. However, stable erosion regime during the Pleistocene is suggestive of a limited influence of the glacier development on Himalayan erosion.

Termination II record, stable isotopes and trace elements of Stagamite MF-3 from Schafsloch Cave

The timing and nature of the penultimate deglaciation, also known as Termination II (T-II), is subject of controversial discussions due to the scarcity of precisely-dated palaeoclimate records. Here we present a new precisely-dated and highly-resolved multi-proxy stalagmite record covering T-II from the high alpine Schafsloch Cave in Switzerland, an area where climate is governed by the North Atlantic. The inception of stalagmite growth at 137.4 ± 1.4 kyr before present (BP) indicates the presence of drip water and cave air temperatures of above 0 °C, and is related to a climate-induced change in the thermal state (from cold-to warm-based) of the glacier above the cave. The cessation of stalagmite growth between 133.1 ± 0.7 and 131.9 ± 0.6 kyr BP is most likely related to distinct drop in temperature associated with Heinrich stadial 11. The resumption of stalagmite growth at 131.9 ± 0.6 kyr BP is accompanied by an abrupt increase in temperature and precipitation as indicated by distinct shifts in the oxygen and carbon isotopic composition as well as in trace element concentrations. The mid-point of T-II is around 131.8 ± 0.6 kyr BP in the Schafsloch Cave record is significantly earlier compared to the age of 129.1 ± 0.1 kyr BP in the Sanbao Cave record from China. The different ages between both records can be best explained by the competing effects of insolation and glacial boundary forcing on seasonality and snow cover extent in Eurasia.

Age models and stable isotopes of sediment cores from the northern seas

Oxygen and carbon isotope measurements were carried out on tests of planktic foraminifers N. pachyderma (sin.) from eight sediment cores taken from the eastern Arctic Ocean, the Fram Strait, and the lceland Sea, in order to reconstruct Arctic Ocean and Norwegian-Greenland Sea circulation patterns and ice covers during the last 130,000 years. In addition, the influence of ice, temperature and salinity effects on the isotopic signal was quantified. Isotope measurements on foraminifers from sediment surface samples were used to elucidate the ecology of N. pachyderma (sin.). Changes in the oxygen and carbon isotope composition of N. pachyderma (sin.) from sediment surface samples document the horizontal and vertical changes of water mass boundaries controlled by water temperature and salinity, because N. pachyderma (sin.) shows drastic changes in depth habitats, depending on the water mass properties. It was able to be shown that in the investigated areas a regional and spatial apparent increase of the ice effect occurred. This happened especially during the termination I by direct advection of meltwaters from nearby continents or during the termination and in interglacials by supply of isotopically light water from rivers. A northwardly proceeding overprint of the 'global' ice effect, increasing from the Norwegian-Greenland Sea to the Arctic Ocean, was not able to be demonstrated. By means of a model the influence of temperature and salinity on the global ice volume signal during the last 130,000 years was recorded. In combination with the results of this study, the model was the basis for a reconstruction of the paleoceanographic development of the Arctic Ocean and the Norwegian-Greenland Sea during this time interval. The conception of a relatively thick and permanent sea ice cover in the Nordic Seas during glacial times should be replaced by the model of a seasonally and regionally highly variable ice cover. Only during isotope stage 5e may there have been a local deep water formation in the Fram Strait.

Stable isotopes, PCBs and pesticide concentrations in zooplankton, seawater and POM from Kongsfjorden and Liefdefjorden, Svalbard

Differences in bioaccumulation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) between fjords characterized by different water masses were investigated by comparing POP concentrations, patterns and bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) in seven species of zooplankton from Liefdefjorden (Arctic water mass) and Kongsfjorden (Atlantic water mass), Svalbard, Norway. No difference in concentrations and patterns of POPs was observed in seawater and POM; however higher concentrations and BAFs for certain POPs were found in species of zooplankton from Kongsfjorden. The same species were sampled in both fjords and the differences in concentrations of POPs and BAFs were most likely due to fjord specific characteristics, such as ice cover and timing of snow/glacier melt. These confounding factors make it difficult to conclude on water mass (Arctic vs. Atlantic) specific differences and further to extrapolate these results to possible climate change effects on accumulation of POPs in zooplankton. The present study suggests that zooplankton do biomagnify POPs, which is important for understanding contaminant uptake and flux in zooplankton, though consciousness regarding the method of evaluation is important.