Geochemical and palynological measurements from the ODP Leg 189 at Site 1172 on the East Tasman Plateau

A brief (~150 kyr) period of widespread global average surface warming marks the transition between the Paleocene and Eocene epochs, ~56 million years ago. This so-called "Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum" (PETM) is associated with the massive injection of 13C-depleted carbon, reflected in a negative carbon isotope excursion (CIE). Biotic responses include a global abundance peak (acme) of the subtropical dinoflagellate Apectodinium. Here we identify the PETM in a marine sedimentary sequence deposited on the East Tasman Plateau at Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1172 and show, based on the organic paleothermometer TEX86, that southwest Pacific sea surface temperatures increased from ~26 °C to ~33°C during the PETM. Such temperatures before, during and after the PETM are >10 °C warmer than predicted by paleoclimate model simulations for this latitude. In part, this discrepancy may be explained by potential seasonal biases in the TEX86 proxy in polar oceans. Additionally, the data suggest that not only Arctic, but also Antarctic temperatures may be underestimated in simulations of ancient greenhouse climates by current generation fully coupled climate models. An early influx of abundant Apectodinium confirms that environmental change preceded the CIE on a global scale. Organic dinoflagellate cyst assemblages suggest a local decrease in the amount of river run off reaching the core site during the PETM, possibly in concert with eustatic rise. Moreover, the assemblages suggest changes in seasonality of the regional hydrological system and storm activity. Finally, significant variation in dinoflagellate cyst assemblages during the PETM indicates that southwest Pacific climates varied significantly over time scales of 103 - 104 years during this event, a finding comparable to similar studies of PETM successions from the New Jersey Shelf.

Neodymium isotopes in benthic foraminifera from the South Atlantic

Records of the past neodymium (Nd) isotope composition of the deep ocean can resolve ambiguities in the interpretation of other tracers. We present the first Nd isotope data for sedimentary benthic foraminifera. Comparison of the epsilon-Nd of core-top foraminifera from a depth transect on the Cape Basin side of the Walvis Ridge to published seawater data, and to the modern dissolved SiO2- epsilon-Nd trend of the deep Atlantic, suggests that benthic foraminifera represent a reliable archive of the deep water Nd isotope composition. Neodymium isotope values of benthic foraminifera from ODP Site 1264A (Angola Basin side of the Walvis Ridge) from the last 8 Ma agree with Fe-Mn oxide coatings from the same samples and are also broadly consistent with existing fish teeth data for the deep South Atlantic, yielding confidence in the preservation of the marine Nd isotope signal in all these archives. The marine origin of the Nd in the coatings is confirmed by their marine Sr isotope values. These important results allow application of the technique to down-core samples. The new epsilon-Nd datasets, along with ancillary Cd/Ca and Nd/Ca ratios from the same foraminiferal samples, are interpreted in the context of debates on the Neogene history of North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) export to the South Atlantic. In general, the epsilon-Nd and delta13C records are closely correlated over the past 4.5 Ma. The Nd isotope data suggest strong NADW export from 8 to 5 Ma, consistent with one interpretation of published delta13C gradients. Where the epsilon-Nd record differs from the nutrient-based records, changes in the pre-formed delta13C or Cd/Ca of southern-derived deep water might account for the difference. Maximum NADW-export for the entire record is suggested by all proxies at 3.5-4 Ma. Chemical conditions from 3 to 1 Ma are totally different, showing, on average, the lowest NADW export of the record. Modern-day values again imply NADW export that is about as strong as at any stage over the past 8 Ma.

Stable isotope composition of Holocene benthic foraminifers from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

Temporal and regional changes in paleoproductivity and paleoceanography in the eastern Mediterranean Sea during the past 12 kyr were reconstructed on the basis of the stable oxygen and carbon isotope composition of the epibenthic Planulina ariminensis and the shallow endobenthic Uvigerina mediterranea from three sediment cores of the Aegean Sea and Levantine Basin. The Younger Dryas is characterized by high d18O values, indicating enhanced salinities and low temperatures of deep water masses at all investigated sites. With the onset of the Holocene, d18O records show a continuous decrease towards the onset of sapropel S1 formation, mainly caused by a freshening and warming of surface waters at deep water formation sites. In the middle and late Holocene, the similarity of d18O values from the southern Aegean Sea and Levantine Basin suggests the influence of isotopically identical deep water masses. By contrast, slightly higher d18O values are observed the northern Aegean Sea, which probably point to lower temperatures of North Aegean deep waters. The epifaunal d13C records reveal clear changes in sources and residence times of eastern Mediterranean deep waters associated with period of S1 formation. Available data for the early and late phase of sapropel S1 formation and for the interruption around 8.2 kyr display drops by 0.5 and 1.5 per mil, indicating the slow-down of deep water circulation and enhanced riverine input of isotopically light dissolved inorganic carbon from terrestrial sources into the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The decrease in epifaunal d13C signals is particularly expressed in the southern Aegean Sea and Levantine Basin, while it is less pronounced in the northern Aegean Sea. This points to a strong reduction in deep water exchange rates in the southern areas, but the persistence of local deep water formation in the northern Aegean Sea. The d13C values of U. mediterranea records reveal temporal and regional differences in paleoproductivity during the past 12 kyr, with rather eutrophic and mesotrophic conditions in the North Aegean Sea and southeast Levantine Basin, respectively, while the South Aegean Sea is characterized by rather oligotrophic conditions. After S1 formation, increasing d13C values reflect a progressive decrease in surface water productivity in the eastern Mediterranean Sea during the middle and late Holocene. In the northern Aegean Sea, this time interval is marked by repetitive changes in organic matter fluxes documented by significant fluctuations in the d13C signal of U. mediterranea on millennial- to multi-centennial time scales. These fluctuations can be linked to short-term changes in river runoff driven by northern hemisphere climatic variability.

(Table 4) Estimated surface water phosphate concentrations for the past 200 kyr at the location of sediment core GeoB1016-3

We compared ocean atlas values of surface water [PO4]3- and [CO2(aq)] against the carbon isotopic fractionation (ep) of alkenones obtained from surface sediments of the South Atlantic and the central Pacific (Pacific data are from Pagani et al. 2002, doi:10.1029/2002PA000756). We observed a positive correlation between ep and 1/[CO2(aq)], which is opposite of what would be expected if the concentration of CO2(aq) were the major factor controlling the carbon isotopic fractionation of C37:2 alkenones. Instead, we found inverse relationships between ep and [PO4]3- for the two ocean basins (for the Atlantic, ep = -4.6*[PO4]3- + 15.1, R = 0.76; for the Pacific, ep = -4.1*[PO4]3- + 13.7, R = 0.64), suggesting that ep is predominantly controlled by growth rate, which in turn is related to nutrient concentration. The similarity of the slopes implies that a general relationship between both parameters may exist. Using the relationship obtained from the South Atlantic, we estimated surface water nutrient concentrations for the past 200,000 years from a deep-sea sediment core recovered off Angola. Low ep values, indicating high nutrient concentrations, coincide with high contents of total organic carbon and C37 alkenones, low surface water temperatures, and decreased bulk d15N values, suggesting an increased upwelling of nutrient-rich cool subsurface waters as the main cause for the observed ep decrease.

Alkenones and coccolithophorids in late Quaternary sediments from the Walvis Ridge

Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) derived from the alkenone UK'37) record of Quaternary sediments may be subject to bias if algae with different temperature sensitivities have contributed to the sedimentary alkenone record. The alkenone-derived SST records are usually based on a UK'37-temperature relationship which was measured in culture experiments using the coccolithophorid Emiliania huxleyi (F.G. Prahl, L.A. Muehlhausen and D.L. Zahnle, 1988. Further evaluation of long-chain alkenones as indicators of paleoceanographic conditions. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 52, 2303-2310). To assess possible effects of past species changes on the UK'37-temperature signal, we have analyzed long-chain alkenones and coccolithophorids in a late Quaternary sediment core from the Walvis Ridge and compared the results to SST estimates extracted from the d18O record of the planktonic foraminifer Globigerinoides ruber. Alkenones and isotopes were determined over the entire 400-kyr core record while the coccolithophorid study was confined to the last 200 kyr when the most pronounced changes in alkenone content occurred. Throughout oxygen-isotope stages 6 and 5, species of the genus Gephyrocapsa were the predominating coccolithophorids. E. huxleyi began to increase systematically in relative abundance since the stage 5/4 transition, became dominant over Gephyrocapsa spp. during stage 3 and reached the highest abundances in the Holocene. Carbon-normalized alkenone concentrations are inversely related to the relative abundances of E. huxleyi, and directly related to that of Gephyrocapsa spp., suggesting that species of this genus were the principal alkenone contributors to the sediments. Nevertheless, SST values obtained from the UK'37-temperature relationship for E. huxleyi compare favourably to the isotope-derived temperatures. The recently reported UK'37-temperature relationship for a single strain of Gephyrocapsa oceanica (J.K. Volkman. S.M. Barrett, S.I. Blackburn and E.L. Sikes, 1995. Alkenones in Gephyrocapsa oceanica: Implications for studies of paleoclimate. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 59, 513-520) produces unrealistically high SST values indicating that the temperature response of the examined strain is not typical for the genus Gephyrocapsa. This is supported by the C37:C38, alkenone ratios of the sediments which are comparable to average ratios reported for E. huxleyi, but significantly higher than for the G. oceanica strain. Most notably, the general accordance of the alkenone characteristics between sediments and E. huxleyi persists through stages 8 to 5 and even in times that predate the first appearance of this species (268 ka; H.R. Thierstein, K.R. Geitzenauer and B. Molfino, 1977. Global synchroneity of late Quaternary coccolith datum levels: Validation by oxygen isotopes. Geology 5, 400-404). Our results suggest that UK'37-temperature relationships based on E. huxleyi produce reasonable paleo-SST estimates even for late Quaternary periods when this species was scarce or absent because other alkenone-synthesizing algae, e.g. of the genus Gephyrocapsa.

Pollen analysis of sediment cores from the mouth of the river Congo to Walvis Bay and Lüderitz

The distribution of pollen in marine sediments is used to record vegetation changes over the past 30,000 years on the adjacent continent. A transect of marine pollen sequences from the mouth of the river Congo (~5°S) to Walvis Bay and Lüderitz (~25°S) shows vegetation changes in Congo, Angola and Namibia from the last glacial period into the Holocene. The comparison of pollen records from different latitudes provides information about the latitudinal shift of open forest and savannahs (Poaceae pollen), the extension of lowland forest (rain forest pollen) and Afromontane forest (Podocarpus pollen), and the position of the desert fringe (pollen of Caryophyllaceae, Chenopodiaceae and Amaranthaceae). High Cyperaceae pollen percentages in sediments from the last glacial period off the mouth of the river Congo suggest the presence of open swamps rather than savannah vegetation in the Congo Basin. Pollen from Restionaceae in combination with Stoebe-type pollen (probably from Elytropappus) indicates a possible northwards extension of winter rain vegetation during the last glacial period. The record of Rhizophora (mangrove) pollen is linked to erosion of the continental shelf and sea-level rise. Pollen influx is highest off river mouths (10-2000 grains year**-1 cm**-2), close to the coast (300-6000 grains year**-1 cm**-2), but is an order of magnitude lower at sites situated far from the continent (<10 grains year**-1 cm**-2).

Age determination of late Quaternary sediment cores from the South Tasman Rise

We use sediment cores from the South Tasman Rise (STR) to reconstruct deep- water circulation in the southwest Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean. Sediment cores MD972106 (45° 09' S, 146° 17' E, 3310 m water depth) and GC34 (45° 06' S, 147° 45' E, 4002 m water depth) preserve records covering the last 160 kyr, with chronology controlled by calibrated accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dates and benthic foraminiferal d18O tied to SPECMAP. The STR benthic foraminiferal d13C records provide new d13C values for Southern Ocean deep water spanning the last 160 kyr at sites unlikely to be affected by variations in productivity. The records establish that glacial benthic foraminifera (Cibicidoides spp.) d13C values are lower relative to interglacial values and are comparable to previous glacial benthic d13C records in the Indian and Pacific sectors of the Southern Ocean. Comparisons of the benthic foraminiferal d13C time series at the STR are made with the equatorial Pacific (V19-30 and Site 846) and the equatorial Atlantic (GeoB1115). The similarity of benthic d13C records at the STR to the equatorial Pacific suggest the Southern Ocean deep-water mass closely tracked those of the deep Pacific, and the presence of a d13C gradient between the STR and the equatorial Atlantic suggests there was continual production of northern source deep water over the past 160 kyr.

(Table 1) Trace element and age analysis from the Porites coral from IODP Exp 310

Climate responses and changes in marine environments during the last deglaciation have been controversial and few paleoceanographic data are available from the tropical South Pacific, though this region is crucial in the investigations of ocean-atmosphere interactions. Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 310 was conducted to establish the time course of the postglacial sea-level rise at Tahiti in the South Pacific. A principal objective of this expedition was to examine the variation of marine environments during the last deglaciation. As fossil Porites coral is ideal for assessing past marine environments, we selected only Porites specimens from the many coral specimens retrieved, examined them by XRD, and dated them by the 14C method. In all, we obtained 17 pristine Porites specimens composed of only aragonite with ages from 15 to 9 ka. Then, we measured Mg/Ca, Ba/Ca, and U/Ca ratios and Cd contents as proxies for upwelling and sea surface temperature. Higher Ba/Ca ratios and Cd content together with lower reconstructed SSTs using U/Ca ratios in the coral specimens between 12.6 and 9.8 cal ka compared to around 15 cal ka suggest that upwelling and/or entrainment of subsurface water into mixed layer was enhanced around Tahiti during this period. This finding is consistent with previous reports and supports the idea that the South Pacific was characterized by La Niña-like conditions at least from 12.6 to 9.8 cal ka.

Stable carbon and oxygen isotope compositions of bulk rock samples analyzed from the Zumaia section

Astronomical tuning of sedimentary records to precise orbital solutions has led to unprecedented resolution in the geological time scale. However, the construction of a consistent astronomical time scale for the Paleocene is controversial due to uncertainties in the recognition of the exact number of 405-kyr eccentricity cycles and accurate correlation between key records. Here, we present a new Danian integrated stratigraphic framework using the land-based Zumaia and Sopelana hemipelagic sections from the Basque Basin and deep-sea records drilled during Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Legs 198 (Shatsky Rise, North Pacific) and 208 (Walvis Ridge, South Atlantic) that solves previous discrepancies. The new coherent stratigraphy utilises composite images from ODP cores, a new whole-rock d13C isotope record at Zumaia and new magnetostratigraphic data from Sopelana. We consistently observe 11 405-kyr eccentricity cycles in all studied Danian successions. We achieve a robust correlation of bioevents and stable isotope events between all studied sections at the ~100-kyr short-eccentricity level, a prerequisite for paleoclimatic interpretations. Comparison with and subsequent tuning of the records to the latest orbital solution La2011 provides astronomically calibrated ages of 66.022 ± 0.040 Ma and 61.607 ± 0.040 Ma for the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) and Danian-Selandian 105 (D-S) boundaries respectively. Low sedimentation rates appear common in all records in the mid-Danian interval, including conspicuous condensed intervals in the oceanic records that in the past have hampered the proper identification of cycles. The comprehensive interbasinal approach applied here reveals pitfalls in time scale construction, filtering techniques in particular, and indicates that some caution and scrutiny has to be applied when building orbital chronologies. Finally, the Zumaia section, already hosting the Selandian Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP), could serve as the global Danian unit stratotype in the future.

Bacteriohopanepolyol data of sediment cores GeoB3918-2 and GeoB1514-6 from the Amazon River

We have investigated the delivery of terrestrial organic carbon (OC) to the Amazon shelf and deep sea fan based on soil marker bacteriohopanepolyols (BHPs; adenosylhopane and related compounds) and branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs), as well as on 14C dating of bulk organic matter. The microbial biomarker records show persistent burial of terrestrial OC, evidenced by almost constant and high BIT values (0.6) and soil marker BHP concentration [80-230 µg/g TOC (total OC)] on the late Holocene shelf and even higher BIT values (0.8-0.9), but lower and more variable soil-marker BHP concentration (40-100 µg/g TOC), on the past glacial deep sea fan. Radiocarbon data show that OC on the shelf is 3-4 kyr older than corresponding bivalve shells, emphasizing the presence of old carbon in this setting. We observe comparable and unexpectedly invariant BHP composition in both marine sediment records, with a remarkably high relative abundance of C-35 amino BHPs including compounds specific for aerobic methane oxidation on the shelf (avg. 50% of all BHPs) and the fan (avg. 40%). Notably, these marine BHP signatures are strikingly similar to those of a methane-producing floodplain area in one of the Amazonian wetland (várzea) regions. The observation indicates that BHPs in the marine sediments may have initially been produced within wetland regions of the Amazon basin and may therefore document persistent export from terrestrial wetland regions, with subsequent re-working in the marine environment, both during recent and past glacial climate conditions.

Age model, isotope analyses, geochemical measurements and grain size analyses of sediment core GeoB9508-5 from the Senegal River Mouth

The influence of the large-scale ocean circulation on Sahel rainfall is elusive because of the shortness of the observational record. We reconstructed the history of eolian and fluvial sedimentation on the continental slope off Senegal during the past 57,000 years. Our data show that abrupt onsets of arid conditions in the West African Sahel were linked to cold North Atlantic sea surface temperatures during times of reduced meridional overturning circulation associated with Heinrich Stadials. Climate modeling suggests that this drying is induced by a southward shift of the West African monsoon trough in conjunction with an intensification and southward expansion of the midtropospheric African Easterly Jet.

Planktonic foraminifera and sea surface temperature reconstruction of sediments from the Mediterranean Sea

Water exchange between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea has been a major focus of the paleohydrography of the eastern Mediterranean. Glacial melt water released from the Black Sea is a potential factor in the formation of sapropel S1, an organic-rich sediment layer that accumulated during the Early Holocene. A high-resolution study done on sediments from the Marmara Sea, the gateway between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, sheds light on the Holocene exchange processes. Past sea surface temperature and sea surface salinity (SSS) were derived from stable oxygen isotope ratios (delta18O) of foraminiferal calcite and alkenone unsaturation ratios (Uk'37). Heavy delta18O values and high SSS in the Marmara Sea suggest absence of low salinity water from the Black Sea during S1. The comparison with data from the Levantine Basin and southern Aegean Sea outlines gradients of freshening in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, whereby the major sources of freshwater were closer to the Levantine Basin. It is thus concluded that the Black Sea was not a major freshwater source contributing to formation of S1. Given the absence of a low salinity layer, the deposition of organic-rich sediments corresponding to S1 in the Marmara Sea is likely the result of the global transgression and the concomitant re-organization of biogeochemical cycles, leading to enhanced productivity as shown by Globigerina bulloides.