Sedimentation rates and geochemical analysis of surface sediments from the South Atlantic

Extensive investigations of sedimentary barium were performed in the southern South Atlantic in order to assess the reliability of the barium signal in Antarctic sediments as a proxy for paleoproductivity. Maximum accumulation rates of excess barium were calculated for the Antarctic zone south of the polar front where silica accumulates at high rates. The correspondence between barium and opal supports the applicability of barium as a proxy for productivity. Within the Antarctic zone north of today's average sea ice maximum, interglacial vertical rain rates of excess barium are high, with a maximum occurring during the last deglaciation and early Holocene and during oxygen isotope chronozone 5.5. During these periods, the maximum silica accumulation was supposedly located south of the polar front. Glacial paleoproductivity, instead, was low within the Antarctic zone. North of the polar front, significantly higher barium accumulation occurs during glacial times. The vertical rain rates, however, are as high as in the glacial Antarctic zone. Therefore there was no evidence for an increased productivity in the glacial Southern Ocean.

Accumulation rates of bulk sediment and opal in surface sediments of the South Atlantic

A set of 114 samples from the sediment surface of the Atlantic, eastern Pacific and western Indian sectors of the Southern Ocean has been analyzed for 230Th and biogenic silica. Maps of opal content, Th-normalized mass flux, and Th-normalized biogenic opal flux into the sediment have been derived. Significant differences in sedimentation patterns between the regions can be detected. The mean bulk vertical fluxes integrated into the sediment in the open Southern Ocean are found in a narrow range from 2.9 g/m**2 yr (Eastern Weddell Gyre) to 15.8 g/m**2 yr (Indian sector), setting upper and lower limits to the vertically received fraction of open ocean sediments. The silica flux to sediments of the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean is found to be 4.2 ± 1.4 * 10**11 mol/yr, just one half of the last estimate. This adjustment represents 6% of the output term in the global marine silica budget.

Organic carbon accumulation in the South Atlantic Ocean

A compilation of 1118 surface sediment samples from the South Atlantic was used to map modern seafloor distribution of organic carbon content in this ocean basin. Using new data on Holocene sedimentation rates, we estimated the annual organic carbon accumulation in the pelagic realm (>3000 m water depth) to be approximately 1.8*10**12 g C/year. In the sediments underlying the divergence zone in the Eastern Equatorial Atlantic (EEA), only small amounts of organic carbon accumulate in spite of the high surface water productivity observed in that area. This implies that in the Eastern Equatorial Atlantic, organic carbon accumulation is strongly reduced by efficient degradation of organic matter prior to its burial. During the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), accumulation of organic carbon was higher than during the mid-Holocene along the continental margins of Africa and South America (Brazil) as well as in the equatorial region. In the Eastern Equatorial Atlantic in particular, large relative differences between LGM and mid-Holocene accumulation rates are found. This is probably to a great extent due to better preservation of organic matter related to changes in bottom water circulation and not just a result of strongly enhanced export productivity during the glacial period. On average, a two- to three-fold increase in organic carbon accumulation during the LGM compared to mid-Holocene conditions can be deduced from our cores. However, for the deep-sea sediments this cannot be solely attributed to a glacial productivity increase, as changes in South Atlantic deep-water circulation seem to result in better organic carbon preservation during the LGM.

Physical properties and sedimentology of 4 profiles fom the South Atlantic

Ultrasonic P wavc transmission seismograms recorded on sediment cores have been analyzed to study the acoustic and estimate the clastic properties of marine sediments from different provinces dominated by terrigenous, calcareous, amI diatomaceous sedimentation. Instantaneous frequencies computed from the transmission seismograms are displayed as gray-shaded images to give an acoustic overview of the lithology of each core. Ccntirneter-scale variations in the ultrasonic waveforms associated with lithological changes are illustrated by wiggle traces in detail. Cross-correlation, multiple-filter, and spectral ratio techniques are applied to derive P wave velocities and attenuation coefficients. S wave velocities and attenuation coefficients, elastic moduli, and permeabilities are calculated by an inversion scheme based on the Biot-Stoll viscoelastic model. Together wilh porosity measurements, P and S wave scatter diagrams are constructed to characterize different sediment types by their velocity- and attenuation-porosity relationships. They demonstrate that terrigenous, calcareous, and diatomaceous sediments cover different velocity- and attenuation-porosity ranges. In terrigcnous sediments, P wave vclocities and attenuation coefficients decrease rapidly with increasing porosity, whereas S wave velocities and shear moduli are very low. Calcareous sediments behave similarly at relatively higher porosities. Foraminifera skeletons in compositions of terrigenous mud and calcareous ooze cause a stiffening of the frame accompanied by higher shear moduli, P wave velocities, and attenuation coefficients. In diatomaceous ooze the contribution of the shear modulus becomes increasingly important and is controlled by the opal content, whereas attenuation is very low. This leads to the opportunity to predict the opal content from nondestructive P wave velocity measurements at centimeter-scale resolution.

Organic geochemistry from different DSDP Holes in the subtropical South Atlantic Ocean

Organic matter has been characterized in samples of Pleistocene, Pliocene, and Miocene sediments from seven Deep Sea Drilling Project sites in the subtropical South Atlantic Ocean. Organic carbon concentrations average 0.3% for most samples, and n-alkanoic acid, n-alkanol, and alkane biomarkers indicate extensive microbial reworking of organic matter in these organic-carbon-lean sediments. Samples from the easternmost parts of the South Atlantic contain an average of 4.1% organic carbon and reflect the high productivity associated with the Benguela Current. Lipid biomarkers show less microbial reworking in these sediments. Eolian transport of land-derived hydrocarbons is evident at most of these oceanic locations.

Phytoplanktonic microfossil groups of sediments from the South and Equatorial Atlantic

Individual planktonic microfossil species, or assemblage groups of different species, are often used to, qualitatively and/or quantitatively, reconstruct past (sub)surface-water conditions of the world's oceans and seas. Until now, little information has been available on the surface sediment distribution patterns and paleoenvironmental reconstruction potential of coccolith, calcareous dinoflagellate cyst and organic-walled dinoflagellate cyst assemblages of the South and equatorial Atlantic, especially at the species level. This paper (i) summarizes the distributions of these three phytoplanktonic microfossil groups in numerous Atlantic surface sediments from 20°N-50°S and 30°E-65°W and determines their relationship with the physicochemical and trophic conditions of the overlying (sub)surface-waters, and (ii) determines the synecology of the three phytoplankton groups by carrying out statistical analyses (i.e. detrended and canonical correspondence analyses) on all groups simultaneously. Ecological relationships are additionally strengthened by statistically comparing the distribution patterns of the phytoplankton groups with those of planktonic foraminifera (Pflaumann et al. 1996; Niebler et al. 1998), as the ecological preferences of the latter are much better known. Many of the analyzed phytoplanktonic microfossil species or groups of species in the surface sediments do show restricted distributions which primarily reflect the environmental conditions of the upper water masses above them (e.g. sea-surface temperature, productivity, stratification). The acquired 'reference' data sets are large and diverse enough to allow future development of transfer functions for the reconstruction of past surface-water conditions, and show that there is still an enormous paleoenvironmental reconstruction potential concealed in many fossil coccolith and dinoflagellate cyst assemblages.

Clay mineralogy of South Atlantic surface sediments

Surface samples, mostly from abyssal sediments of the South Atlantic, from parts of the equatorial Atlantic, and of the Antarctic Ocean, were investigated for clay content and clay mineral composition. Maps of relative clay mineral content were compiled, which improve previous maps by showing more details, especially at high latitudes. Large-scale relations regarding the origin and transport paths of detrital clay are revealed. High smectite concentrations are observed in abyssal regions, primarily derived from southernmost South America and from minor sources in Southwest Africa. Near submarine volcanoes of the Antarctic Ocean (South Sandwich, Bouvet Island) smectite contents exhibit distinct maxima, which is ascribed to the weathering of altered basalts and volcanic glasses. The illite distribution can be subdivided into five major zones including two maxima revealing both South African and Antarctic sources. A particularly high amount of Mg- and Fe-rich illites are observed close to East Antarctica. They are derived from biotite-bearing crystalline rocks and transported to the west by the East Antarctic Coastal Current. Chiorite and well-crystallized dioctaedral illite are typical minerals enriched within the Subantarctic and Polarfrontal-Zone but of minor importance off East Antarctica. Kaolinite dominates the clay mineral assemblage at low latitudes, where the continental source rocks (West Africa, Brazil) are mainly affected by intensive chemical weathering. Surprisingly, a slight increase of kaolinite is observed in the Enderby Basin and near the Filchner-Ronne Ice shelf. The investigated area can be subdivided into ten, large-scale clay facies zones with characteristic possible source regions and transport paths. Clay mineral assemblages of the largest part of the South Atlantic, especially of the western basins are dominated by chlorite and illite derived from the Antarctic Peninsula and southernmost South America and supported by advection within the Circumantarctic Deep Water flow. In contrast, the East Antarctic provinces are relatively small. Assemblages of the eastern basins north of 30°S are strongly influenced by African sources, controlled by weathering regimes on land and by a complex interaction of wind, river and deep ocean transport. The strong gradient in clay mineral composition at the Brazilian slope indicate a relatively low contribution of tropically derived assemblages to the western basins.

Occurrence of Inoceramus in the South Atlantic and oxygen isotopic paleotemperatures in DSDP Hole 75-530A

Inoceramus occurs in every DSDP hole that penetrated Cretaceous sediments in the South Atlantic Ocean, and specimen occurrence has been mapped in detail for each core. Oxygen and carbon isotope measurements were completed on 18 Inoceramus specimens from Hole 530A. Textural evidence of diagenesis is accompanied by depletion in 18O. Paleotemperature results were obtained from 11 well-preserved specimens. Bottom water temperatures in the Angola Basin decreased from 23°C during the Coniacian to 13°C near the end of the Campanian.

Total number of benthic foraminifera in sediments below the K/T boundary in the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean

Most species of Late Cretaceous deep-sea benthic foraminifera are believed to be cosmopolitan and therefore to exhibit only minor biogeographical differences. In this preliminary report, six Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) sites from different oceans, paleolatitudes, and paleodepths were analyzed for terminal Cretaceous abyssal-bathyal benthic foraminifera in order to investigate their assumed cosmopolitan distribution and the question of whether different faunal compositions are related to time, different paleolatitudes, and/or different paleodepths. The material studied was obtained from the low-latitude Site 465 (Pacific Ocean), and the intermediate-latitude Sites 384 (North Atlantic) and 356, 516, 525, and 527 (South Atlantic). The material analyzed represents a time slice encompassing the last 20-50 k.y. of the Cretaceous. The faunas contain numerous "Velasco-type" species, such as Gavelinella beccariiformis (White), Cibicidoides velascoensis (Cushman), Nuttallides truempyi (Nuttall), Gaudryina pyramidata Cushman, and various gyroidinoids and buliminids. The results contradict the general assumption of the cosmopolitan nature of Late Cretaceous deep-sea benthic foraminifera advocated in the literature. Only about 9% of the taxa identified were found to be truly "cosmopolitan" through their occurrence at all the sites analyzed. On the basis of correspondence analysis and relative abundance data, three assemblages and three subassemblages were recognized: (1) a bathyal-abyssal assemblage [Nuttallinella sp. A, Cibicidoides hyphalus (Fisher), Valvalabamina sp. evolute form, and Gyroidinoides spp.] at the South Atlantic Sites 356, 516, 525, and 527, divided into three subassemblages, namely (a) a middle bathyal subassemblage [Eouvigerina subsculptura McNeil and Caldwell, Truaxia aspera (Cushman), and G. pyramidata] at Sites 516 and 525, (b) a lower bathyal subassemblage [Osangularia? sp., Pyramidina rudita (Cushman and Parker), and Quadrimorphina camerata (Brotzen)] at Site 356, and (c) an abyssal subassemblage [Gyroidinoides sp. C, Hyperammina-Bathysiphon, Gyroidinoides beisseli (White), and Globorotalites sp. B] at Site 527; (2) an abyssal assemblage [Buliminella cf. plana (Cushman and Parker) and Bulimina incisa Cushman] at the North Atlantic Site 384; and (3) a middle bathyal assemblage [Vulvulina sp. A, Osangularia navarroana (Cushman), Alabamina? sp., Bulimina velascoensis (Cushman), Spiroplectammina spp. calcareous forms, and Bulimina trinitatensis Cushman and Jarvis] at the Pacific Site 465.

Stable isotope composition of early Danian sediments from the Atlantic Ocean

A long-standing question in Paleogene climate concerns the frequency and mechanism of transient greenhouse gas-driven climate shifts (hyperthermals). The discovery of the greenhouse gas-driven Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM; ~55 Ma) has spawned a search for analogous events in other parts of the Paleogene record. On the basis of high-resolution bulk sediment and foraminiferal stable isotope analyses performed on three lower Danian sections of the Atlantic Ocean, we report the discovery of a possible greenhouse gas-driven climatic event in the earliest Paleogene. This event - that we term the Dan-C2 event - is characterized by a conspicuous double negative excursion in delta13C and delta18O, associated with a double spike in increased clay content and decreased carbonate content. This suggests a double period of transient greenhouse gas-driven warming and dissolution of carbonates on the seafloor analogous to the PETMin the early Paleocene at ~65.2 Ma. However, the shape of the two negative carbon isotope excursions that make up the Dan-C2 event is different from the PETM carbon isotope profile. In the Dan-C2 event, these excursions are fairly symmetrical and each persisted for about ~40 ky and are separated by a short plateau that brings the combined duration to ~100 ky, suggesting a possible orbital control on the event. Because of the absence of a long recovery phase, we interpret the Dan-C2 event to have been associated with a redistribution of carbon that was already in the biosphere. The Dan-C2 event and other early Paleogene hyperthermals such as the short-lived early Eocene ELMO eventmay reflect amplification of a regular cycle in the size and productivity of the marine biosphere and the balance between burial of organic and carbonate carbon.

Benthic foraminifers in Mesozoic and Cenozoic sediments of the southwestern Atlantic

Benthic foraminiferal assemblages in Mesozoic and Cenozoic sediments were studied at Sites 511, 512, 513, and 514 drilled during Leg 71 in the southwestern Atlantic on the Maurice Ewing Bank and in the Argentine Basin. Benthic foraminifers in almost all stratigraphic subdivisions of Sites 511 and 512 reflect the gradual subsidence of the Falkland Plateau from shelf depths in the Barremian-Albian, when a semiclosed basin with restricted circulation of water masses and anaerobic conditions existed, to lower bathyal depths in the Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic, with an abrupt acceleration at the boundary of Lower and Upper Cretaceous. The composition, distribution, and preservation of Late Cretaceous assemblages of benthic foraminifers suggest considerable fluctuations of the foraminiferal lysocline and the CCD. This is evidenced by dissolution facies and foraminiferal assemblages in which agglutinated and resistant calcareous forms predominated during high stands of the CCD and by calcareous facies in which rich assemblages of calcareous species predominated during low stands. The highest position of the CCD on the Plateau (less than 1500-2000 m) was in the late Cenomanian, Turonian, and Coniacian. In the Santonian and Campanian the CCD was at depths below 1500-2000 meters. At the end of the Campanian the CCD shifted again to depths comparable with those of Cenomanian and Turonian time. In the latest Campanian and the Maestrichtian the CCD was low and nanno-foraminiferal oozes with a rich assemblage of benthic foraminifers accumulated. Foraminiferal assemblages at Sites 513 and 514 in the Argentine Basin also testify to oceanic subsidence from lower bathyal depths in the Oligocene to abyssal ones at present. This process was complicated by the influence of geographical migrations of the Polar Front caused by extensions of the ice sheet in the Antarctic after the opening of the Drake Passage during the Oligocene. In Mesozoic and Cenozoic deposits of the Falkland Plateau and the Argentine Basin seven assemblages of benthic foraminifers were distinguished by age: early-middle Albian, middle-late Albian, Late Cretaceous (including four groups), middle Eocene, late Eocene-early Miocene, middle-late Miocene, and Pliocene-Quaternary. The Albian assemblages contain many species common to the foraminiferal fauna of the Austral Biogeographical Province. The Late Cretaceous assemblage contains, along with Austral species, species common to foraminifers of North America, Western Europe, the Russian platform, and the south of the U.S.S.R. Deep-sea cosmopolitan species prevail in Cenozoic assemblages.

Radiolarian-based paleotemperatures of ODP Site 177-1089 in the Atlantic Sector of the Southern Ocean

Two cores, Site 1089 (ODP Leg 177) and PS2821-1, recovered from the same location (40°56'S; 9°54'E) at the Subtropical Front (STF) in the Atlantic Sector of the Southern Ocean, provide a high-resolution climatic record, with an average temporal resolution of less than 600 yr. A multi-proxy approach was used to produce an age model for Core PS2821-1, and to correlate the two cores. Both cores document the last climatic cycle, from Marine Isotopic Stage 6 (MIS 6, ca. 160 kyr BP, ka) to present. Summer sea-surface temperatures (SSSTs) have been estimated, with a standard error of ca. +/-1.16°C, for the down core record by using Q-mode factor analysis (Imbrie and Kipp method). The paleotemperatures show a 7°C warming at Termination II (last interglacial, transition from MIS 6 to MIS 5). This transition from glacial to interglacial paleotemperatures (with maximum temperatures ca. 3°C warmer than present at the core location) occurs earlier than the corresponding shift in delta18O values for benthic foraminifera from the same core; this suggests a lead of Southern Ocean paleotemperature changes compared to the global ice-volume changes, as indicated by the benthic isotopic record. The climatic evolution of the record continues with a progressive temperature deterioration towards MIS 2. High-frequency, millennial-scale climatic instability has been documented for MIS 3 and part of MIS 4, with sudden temperature variations of almost the same magnitude as those observed at the transitions between glacial and interglacial times. These changes occur during the same time interval as the Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles recognized in the delta18Oice record of the GRIP and GISP ice cores from Greenland, and seem to be connected to rapid changes in the STF position in relation to the core location. Sudden cooling episodes ('Younger Dryas (YD)-type' and 'Antarctic Cold Reversal (ACR)-type' of events) have been recognized for both Termination I (ACR-I and YD-I events) and II (ACR-II and YD-II events), and imply that our core is located in an optimal position in order to record events triggered by phenomena occurring in both hemispheres. Spectral analysis of our SSST record displays strong analogies, particularly for high, sub-orbital frequencies, to equivalent records from Vostok (Antarctica) and from the Subtropical North Atlantic ocean. This implies that the climatic variability of widely separated areas (the Antarctic continent, the Subtropical North Atlantic, and the Subantarctic South Atlantic) can be strongly coupled and co-varying at millennial time scales (a few to 10-ka periods), and eventually induced by the same triggering mechanisms. Climatic variability has also been documented for supposedly warm and stable interglacial intervals (MIS 1 and 5), with several cold events which can be correlated to other Southern Ocean and North Atlantic sediment records.