Terrigenous input and marine productivity for the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean based on lipid biomarkers

In this study, we present a new multiproxy data set of terrigenous input, marine productivity and sea surface temperature (SST) from 52 surface sediment samples collected along E-W transects in the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean. Allochtonous terrigenous input was characterized by the distribution of plant wax n-alkanes and soil-derived branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs). 230Th-normalized burial rates of both compound groups were highest close to the potential sources in Australia and New Zealand and are strongly related to lithogenic contents, indicating common sources and transport. Detection of both long-chain n-alkanes and brGDGTs at the most remote sites in the open ocean strongly suggests a primarily eolian transport mechanism to at least 110°W, i.e. by prevailing westerly winds. Two independent organic SST proxies were used, the UK'37 based on long-chain alkenones, and the TEX86 based on isoprenoid GDGTs. Both, UK'37 and TEX86 indices show robust relationships with temperature over a temperature range between 0.5 and 20°C, likely implying different seasonal and regional imprints on the temperature signal. While alkenone-based temperature estimates reliably reflect modern SST even at the low temperature end, large temperature residuals are observed for the polar ocean using the TEX86 index. 230Th-normalized burial rates of alkenones are highest close to the Subtropical Front and are positively related to lithogenic fluxes throughout the study area. In contrast, highest isoGDGT burial south of the Antarctic Polar Front is not related with dust flux but may be largely controlled by diatom blooms, and thus high opal fluxes during austral summer.

(Table 1) Lipid biomarkers in surface sediments from the Gulf of Genoa

A series of molecular organic markers were determined in surface sediments from the Gulf of Genoa (Ligurian Sea) in order to evaluate their potential for palaeo-environmental reconstructions. Allochthonous input can be characterized by the distributions of n-C29 and n-C31 alkanes, n-C26 and n-C28 alkanols and branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs), whose concentrations are generally highest near the river mouths. In the open basin however, terrestrial n-alkanes and n-alkanols may have an additional, aeolian source. Autochthonous input is represented by crenarchaeol and isoprenoid GDGTs. Their concentrations are highest in the open basin showing the preference of Thaumarchaeota for oligotrophic waters. Indications of a significant degradation of sterols and C37 alkenones exclude these lipids as reliable productivity proxies. Using terrestrial and aquatic lipids as end-members allows estimating the percentage of terrestrial organic matter between 20% and 58% in the coastal area decreasing to 1 to 30% in the deep basin. The spatial distribution of sea surface temperature (SST) estimates using the alkenone-based UK'37 index is very similar to the autumnal (November) mean satellite-based SST distribution. Conversely, TEXH86-derived SST estimates are close to winter SSTs in the coastal area and summer SSTs in the open basin. This pattern reflects presumably a shift in the main production of Thaumarchaeota from the coastal area in winter to the open basin in summer. This study represents a major prerequisite for the future application of lipid biomarkers on sediment cores from the Gulf of Genoa.

Diatoms and biomarkers in sediments from the Antarctic Peninsula

The Antarctic Peninsula (AP) has been identified as one of the most rapidly warming region on Earth. Satellite monitoring currently allows for a detailed understanding of the relationship between sea ice extent and duration and atmospheric and oceanic circulations in this region. However, our knowledge on ocean-ice-atmosphere interactions is still relatively poor for the period extending beyond the last 30 years. Here, we describe environmental conditions in Northwestern and Northeastern Antarctic Peninsula areas over the last century using diatom census counts and diatom specific biomarkers (HBIs) in two marine sediment multicores (MTC-38C and -18A, respectively). Diatom census counts and HBIs show abrupt changes between 1935 and 1950, marked by ocean warming and sea ice retreat in both sides of the AP. Since 1950, inferred environmental conditions do not provide evidence for any trend related to the recent warming but demonstrate a pronounced variability on pluri-annual to decadal time scale. We propose that multi-decadal sea ice variations over the last century are forced by the recent warming, while the annual-to-decadal variability is mainly governed by synoptic and regional wind fields in relation with the position and intensity of the atmospheric low-pressure trough around the AP. However, the positive shift of the SAM since the last two decades cannot explain the regional trend observed in this study, probably due to the effect of local processes on the response of our biological proxies.