Current meter data from mooring stations in the English Channel (Table 1)

A new technique for the harmonic analysis of current observations is described. It consists in applying a linear band pass filter which separates the various species and removes the contribution of non-tidal effects at intertidal frequencies. The tidal constituents are then evaluated through the method of least squares. In spite of the narrowness of the filter, only three days of data are lost through the filtering procedure and the only requirement on the data is that the time interval between samples be an integer fraction of one day. This technique is illustrated through the analysis of a few French current observations from the English Channel within the framework of INOUT. The characteristics of the main tidal constituents are given.

Late Albian foraminiferal carbon and oxygen isotope data and biostratigraphic datums from ODP holes 171-1050C and 171-1052E

A late Albian-early Cenomanian record (~103.3 to 99.0 Ma), including organic-rich deposits and a d13C increase associated with oceanic anoxic event 1d (OAE 1d), is described from Ocean Drilling Program sites 1050 and 1052 in the subtropical Atlantic. Foraminifera are well preserved at these sites. Paleotemperatures estimated from benthic d18O values average ~14°C for middle bathyal Site 1050 and ~17°C for upper bathyal Site 1052, whereas surface temperatures are estimated to have ranged from 26°C to 31°C at both sites. Among planktonic foraminifera, there is a steady balance of speciation and extinction with no discrete time of major faunal turnover. OAE 1d is recognized on the basis of a 1.2 per mill d13C increase (~100.0-99.6 Ma), which is similar in age and magnitude to d13C excursions documented in the North Atlantic and western Tethys. Organic-rich "black shales" are present throughout the studied interval at both sites. However, deposition of individual black shale beds was not synchronous between sites, and most of the black shale was deposited before the OAE 1d d13C increase. A similar pattern is observed at the other sites where OAE 1d has been recognized indicating that the site(s) of excess organic carbon burial that could have caused the d13C increase has (have) yet to be found. Our findings add weight to the view that OAEs should be chemostratigraphically (d13C) rather than lithostratigraphically defined.

Isotope ratios, trace elements and ultrastructure results of Mytilus galloprovincialis shells and experimental site data off Ischia (Italy)

Bivalve shells can provide excellent archives of past environmental change but have not been used to interpret ocean acidification events. We investigated carbon, oxygen and trace element records from different shell layers in the mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis combined with detailed investigations of the shell ultrastructure. Mussels from the harbour of Ischia (Mediterranean, Italy) were transplanted and grown in water with mean pHT 7.3 and mean pHT 8.1 near CO2 vents on the east coast of the island. Most prominently, the shells recorded the shock of transplantation, both in their shell ultrastructure, textural and geochemical record. Shell calcite, precipitated subsequently under acidified seawater responded to the pH gradient by an in part disturbed ultrastructure. Geochemical data from all test sites show a strong metabolic effect that exceeds the influence of the low-pH environment. These field experiments showed that care is needed when interpreting potential ocean acidification signals because various parameters affect shell chemistry and ultrastructure. Besides metabolic processes, seawater pH, factors such as salinity, water temperature, food availability and population density all affect the biogenic carbonate shell archive.

Sample locations, CTD data, mean spring and annual temperatures and salinities from World Ocean Atlas (WOA, 2001), and ICP-OES Mg/Ca data

Due to its strong gradient in salinity and small temperature gradient the Mediterranean provides an ideal setting to study the impact of salinity on the incorporation of Mg into foraminiferal tests. We have investigated tests of Globorotalia inflata and Globigerina bulloides in plankton tow and core top samples from the Western Mediterranean using ICP-OES for bulk analyses and LA-ICP-MS for analyses of individual chambers in single specimens. Mg/Ca observed in G. inflata are consistent with existing calibrations, whereas G. bulloides had significantly higher Mg/Ca than predicted, particularly in core top samples from the easterly stations. Scanning Electron Microscopy and Laser Ablation ICP-MS revealed secondary overgrowths on some tests, which could explain the observed high core top Mg/Ca. We suggest that the Mediterranean intermediate and deep water supersaturated with respect to calcite cause these overgrowths and therefore increased bulk Mg/Ca. However, the different species are influenced by diagenesis to different degrees probably due to different test morphologies. Our results provide new perspectives on reported anomalously high Mg/Ca in sedimentary foraminifera and the applicability of the Mg/Ca paleothermometry in high salinity settings, by showing that (1) part of the signal is generated by precipitation of inorganic calcite on the foraminifer test due to increased calcite saturation state of the water and (2) species with high surface-to-volume shell surfaces are potentially more affected by secondary Mg-rich calcite encrustation.

Barents and Kara Seas oceanographic data base (BarKode)

Oceanographic data collected by ocean research organisations in Russia, the USA, the United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, and Poland for the Barents, Kara and White Seas region are presented in this atlas. Recently declassified naval data from Norway, the USA, and the UK are also included. More than 1,000,000 oceanographic stations containing temperature and/or sea-water salinity data were originally selected. After correcting errors and eliminating duplicates, data from 206,300 checked stations were placed on CD-ROM, together with many figures describing the characteristics of both the single-input and combined data set. In addition, temperature and salinity measurements were interpolated to the following standard horizons: 0, 25, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300 m, and bottom. This atlas covers the 100-year period 1898 to 1998 and is, to date, the most complete oceanographic data collection for these Arctic shelf seas. This data set is complemented by more than 9,000 measurements of sea surface temperature, which were recently digitized from ships' logbooks. They cover the same geographical area within the time period 1867-1912.

Benthic foraminifera abundance data of sediment core GeoB7926-2

We present a high resolution, multiproxy study of the relationship between pelagic and benthic environments of a coastal upwelling system in the subtropical NE Atlantic Ocean. Marine sediments corresponding to late MIS3 to the Holocene in the radiocarbon dated core GeoB7926, retrieved off Mauritania (21°N) were analysed to reconstruct productivity in surface waters and its linkage to deep waters during the last 35 ka BP. High latitude cold events and changes in atmospheric and oceanographic dynamics influenced upwelling intensity over this time period. Subsequently, this caused changes in primary productivity off this low-latitude coastal upwelling locality. The benthic foraminiferal fauna displays four main community shifts corresponding to fundamental climatic events, first of all during late MIS3 (35-28 ka BP), secondly from 28 to 19 ka BP (including Heinrich event 2 and the LGM), thirdly within Heinrich event 1, the Bølling Allerød and the Younger Dryas (18-11.5 ka BP) and finally during the Holocene (11.5-0 ka BP). In particular, strong pelagic-benthic coupling is apparent in MIS 3, as demonstrated by increased primary productivity, indicated by moderate DAR and the dominance of benthic foraminiferal species which prefer fresh phytodetritus. A decline in upwelling intensity and nutrient availability follows, which resulted in a proportionately larger amount of older, degraded matter, provoking a shift in the benthic foraminifera fauna composition. This rapid response of the benthic environment continues with a progressive increase in upwelling intensity due to sea level and oceanographic changes and according high surface production during the LGM. During Heinrich event 1 and the Younger Dryas, extreme levels of primary production actually hindered benthic environment through the development of low oxygen conditions. After this period, a final change in benthic foraminiferal community composition occurs which indicates a return to more oxygenated conditions during the Holocene.

Rare earth element data for sediments from ODP Leg 127

The relative effects of paleoceanographic and paleogeographic variations, sediment lithology, and diagenetic processes on the recorded rare earth element (REE) chemistry of Japan Sea sediments are evaluated by investigating REE total abundances and relative fractionations in 59 samples from Ocean Drilling Program Leg 127. REE total abundances (Sum REE) in the Japan Sea are strongly dependent upon the paleoceanographic position of a given site with respect to terrigenous and biogenic sources. REE concentrations at Site 794 (Yamato Basin) overall correspond well to aluminosilicate chemical indices and are strongly diluted by SiO2 within the late Miocene-Pliocene diatomaceous sequence. Eu/Eu* values at Site 794 reach a maximum through the diatomaceous interval as well, most likely suggesting an association of Eu/Eu* with the siliceous component, or reflecting slight incorporation of a detrital feldspar phase. Sum REE at Site 795 (Japan Basin) also is affiliated strongly with aluminosilicate phases, yet is diluted only slightly by siliceous input. At Site 797 (Yamato Basin), REE is not as clearly associated with the aluminosilicate fraction, is correlated moderately to siliceous input, and may be sporadically influenced by detrital heavy minerals originating from the nearby rifted continental fragment composing the Yamato Rise. The biogenic influence is largest at Site 794, moderately developed at Site 797, and of only minor importance at Site 795, reflecting basinal contrasts in productivity such that the Yamato Basin records greater biogenic input than the Japan Basin, while the most productive waters overlie the easternmost sequence of Site 794. Ce/Ce* profiles at all three sites increase monotonically with depth, and record progressive diagenetic LREE fractionation. The observed Ce/Ce* record does not respond to changes in oxygenation state of the overlying water, and Ce/Ce* correlates slightly better with depth than with age. The downhole increase in Ce/Ce* at Site 794 and Site 797 is a passive response to diagenetic transfer of LREE (except Ce) from sediment to interstitial water. At Site 795, the overall lack of correlation between Ce/Ce* and La_n/Yb_n suggests that other processes are occurring which mask the diagenetic behavior of all LREEs. First-order calculations of the Ce budget in Japan Sea waters and sediment indicate that ~20% of the excess Ce adsorbed by settling particles is recycled within the water column, and that an additional ~38% is recycled at or near the seafloor (data from Masuzawa and Koyama, 1989). Thus, because the remaining excess Ce is only ~10% of the total Ce, there is not a large source of Ce to the deeply buried sediment, further suggesting that the downhole increase in Ce/Ce* is a passive response to diagenetic behavior of the other LREEs. The REE chemistry of Japan Sea sediment therefore predicts successive downhole addition of LREEs to deeply-buried interstitial waters.

Early - Late Miocene palaeoclimate data and palaefloras of 48 samples from Southern China

Southern China, especially Yunnan, has undergone high tectonic activity caused by the uplift of Himalayan Mountains during the Neogene, which led to a fast changing palaeogeography. Previous study shows that Southern China has been influenced by the Asian Monsoon since at least the Early Miocene. However, it is yet not well understood how intense the Miocene monsoon system was. In the present study, 63 fossil floras of 16 localities from Southern China are compiled and evaluated for obtaining available information concerning floristic composition, stratigraphic age, sedimentology, etc. Based on such reliable information, selected mega- and micro-floras have been analysed with the coexistence approach to obtain quantitative palaeoclimate data. Visualization of climate results in maps shows a distinct spatial differentiation in Southern China during the Miocene. Higher seasonalities of temperature and precipitation occur in the north and south parts of Southern China, respectively. During the Miocene, most regions of Southern China and Europe were both warm and humid. Central Eurasia was likely to be an arid center, which gradually spread westward and eastward. Our data provide information about Miocene climate patterns in Southern China and about the evolution of these patterns throughout the Miocene, and is also crucial to unravel and understand the climatic signals of global cooling and tectonic uplift.

Part of the global DOC versus AOU (dissolved organic carbon/apparent oxygen utilization) data compilation, Southern Ocean

Recent evidence that dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is a significant component of the organic carbon flux below the photic layer of the ocean (1), together with verification of high respiration rates in the dark ocean (2), suggests that the downward flux of DOC may play a major role in supporting respiration there. Here we show, on the basis of examination of the relation between DOC and apparent oxygen utilization (AOU), that the DOC flux supports ~10% of the respiration in the dark ocean. The contribution of DOC to pelagic respiration below the surface mixed layer can be inferred from the relation between DOC and apparent oxygen utilization (AOU, µM O2), a variable quantifying the cumulative oxygen consumption since a water parcel was last in contact with the atmosphere. However, assessments of DOC/AOU relations have been limited to specific regions of the ocean (3, 4) and have not considered the global ocean. We assembled a large data set (N = 9824) of concurrent DOC and AOU observations collected in cruises conducted throughout the world's oceans (fig. S1, table S1) to examine the relative contribution of DOC to AOU and, therefore, respiration in the dark ocean. AOU increased from an average (±SE) 96.3 ± 2.0 µM at the base of the surface mixed layer (100 m) to 165.5 ± 4.3 µM at the bottom of the main thermocline (1000 m), with a parallel decline in the average DOC from 53.5 ± 0.2 to 43.4 ± 0.3 µM C (Fig. 1). In contrast, there is no significant decline in DOC with increasing depth beyond 1000 m depth (Fig. 1), indicating that DOC exported with overturning circulation plays a minor role in supporting respiration in the ocean interior (5). Assuming a molar respiratory quotient of 0.69, the decline in DOC accounts for 19.6 ± 0.4% of the AOU within the top 1000 m (Fig. 1). This estimate represents, however, an upper limit, because the correlation between DOC and AOU is partly due to mixing of DOC-rich warm surface waters with DOC-poor cold thermocline waters (6). Removal of this effect by regressing DOC against AOU and water temperature indicates that DOC supports only 8.4 ± 0.3% of the respiration in the mesopelagic waters.