Modelled global ocean temperature from 6 ka to present

We compare the ocean temperature evolution of the Holocene as simulated by climate models and reconstructed from marine temperature proxies. This site provides informations about the Holocene temperature trends as simulated by the models. We use transient simulations from a coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation model, as well as an ensemble of time slice simulations from the Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project. The general pattern of sea surface temperature (SST) in the models shows a high latitude cooling and a low latitude warming. The proxy dataset comprises a global compilation of marine alkenone- and Mg/Ca-derived SST estimates. Independently of the choice of the climate model, we observe significant mismatches between modelled and estimated SST amplitudes in the trends for the last 6000 years. Alkenone-based SST records show a similar pattern as the simulated annual mean SSTs, but the simulated SST trends underestimate the alkenone-based SST trends by a factor of two to five. For Mg/Ca, no significant relationship between model simulations and proxy reconstructions can be detected. We tested if such discrepancies can be caused by too simplistic interpretations of the proxy data. We tested different seasons and depths in the model to compare the proxy data trends, and can reconcile only part of the mismatches on a regional scale. We therefore considered the additional environmental factor changes in the planktonic organisms' habitat depth and a time-shift in the recording season to diagnose whether invoking those environmental factors can help reconciling the proxy records and the model simulations. We find that invoking shifts in the living season and habitat depth can remove some of the model-data discrepancies in SST trends. Regardless whether such adjustments in the environmental parameters during the Holocene are realistic, they indicate that when modeled temperature trends are set up to allow drastic shifts in the ecological behavior of planktonic organisms, they do not capture the full range of reconstructed SST trends. Our findings indicate that climate model and reconstructed temperature trends are to a large degree only qualitatively comparable, thus providing a challenge for the interpretation of proxy data as well as the models' sensitivity to orbital forcing.

Benthic foraminifera of late Quaternary sediments in the northern North Atlantic

Four long sediment cores from locations in the Framstrait, the Norwegian-Greenland Seas and the northern North Atlantic were analysed in a high resolution sampling mode (1 - 2 cm density) for their benthic foraminiferal content. In particular the impact of the intense climatic changes at glacial/interglacial transitions (terminations I and II) on the benthic community have been of special interest. The faunal data were investigated by means of multivariate analysis and represented in their chronological occurence. The most prominent species of benthic foraminifera in the Norwegian-Greenland Seas are Oridorsalis umbonatus, Cibicidoides wuellerstorfi, the group of Cassidulina, Pyrgo rotalaria, Globocassidulina subglobosa and fragmented tubes of arenaceous species. The climatic signal of termination I as well as termination II is recorded in the fossil foraminiferal tests as divided transition from glacial to interglacial. The elder INDAR maximum (individuals accumulation rate = individuals/sq cm * 1.000 y; Norwegian-Greenland Seas: average 3.000 - 6.000 individuals/sq cm * 1.000 y; northern North Atlantic: average 150 individuals/sq cm * 1.000 y) is followed by a period of decreased values. The second, younger maximum reaches comparable values as the elder maximum. The interglacial INDAR are in average 700 individuals/sq cm * 1.000 y in the Norwegian-Greenland Seas and 200 individuals/sq cm * 1.000 y in average in the northern North Atlantic. The occurence of the elder INDAR maximum shows a distinct chronological transgressivity between the northern North Atlantic (12.400 ybp.) and the Framstrait (8.900 ybp.). The time shift from south to north amounts 3.500 yrs., the average expanding velocity 0,78 km per year. Within the Norwegian-Greenland Seas the average expanding velocity amounts 0,48 km per year. This chronological transgressivity is interpreted as impact of the progressive expanding of the North Atlantic and the Norwegian Current during the deglaciation. The dynamic of the faunal development is defined as increasing INDAR per time. The elder INDAR maximum shows in both glacial/interglacial transitions an exponential increase from south to north. Termination II is characterized by a general higher dynamic as termination I. By means of the high resolution sampling density the impact of regional isotopic recognized melt-water events is recognized by an increase of endobenthic and t-ubiquitous species in the Norwegian-Greenland Seas sediments. During termination I the relative minimum between both INDAR maxima occur chronological with an decrease of calculated sea surface temperatures. This is interpreted as indication of the close pelagic - benthic coupling. The climatic signal in the northern North Atlantic recorded in the fossil benthic foraminiferal community shows a lower amplitude as in the Norwegian-Greenland Seas. The occurence of the epibenthic Cibicidoides wuellersforfi allows to evaluate the variability of the bottom water mass. In general at all core locations increasing lateral bottom currents are recognized with the occurence of the second younger INDAR maximum. In comparison with various paleo-climatological data sets fossil benthic foraminifers show a distinct koherence with changes of the atmospheric temperatures, the SSTs and the postglacial sea level increase. The benthic foraminiferal fauna is bound indirectly on and indicative for regional climatic changes, but principal dependent upon global climatic changes.

Sea-surface reconstructions of the western Pacific Ocean during the last 5.3 million years

The late Neogene was a time of cryosphere development in the northern hemisphere. The present study was carried out to estimate the sea surface temperature (SST) change during this period based on the quantitative planktonic foraminiferal data of 8 DSDP sites in the western Pacific. Target factor analysis has been applied to the conventional transfer function approach to overcome the no-analog conditions caused by evolutionary faunal changes. By applying this technique through a combination of time-slice and time-series studies, the SST history of the last 5.3 Ma has been reconstructed for the low latitude western Pacific. Although the present data set is close to the statistical limits of factor analysis, the clear presence of sensible variations in individual SST time-series suggests the feasibility and reliability of this method in paleoceanographic studies. The estimated SST curves display the general trend of the temperature fluctuations and reveal three major cool periods in the late Neogene, i.e. the early Pliocene (4.7 3.5 Ma), the late Pliocene (3.1-2.7 Ma), and the latest Pliocene to early Pleistocene (2.2-1.0 Ma). Cool events are reflected in the increase of seasonality and meridional SST gradient in the subtropical area. The latest Pliocene to early Pleistocene cooling is most important in the late Neogene climatic evolution. It differs from the previous cool events in its irreversible, steplike change in SST, which established the glacial climate characteristic of the late Pleistocene. The winter and summer SST decreased by 3.3-5.4°C and 1.0 2.1C in the subtropics, by 0.9°C and 0.6C in the equatorial region, and showed little or no cooling in the tropics. Moreover, this cooling event occurred as a gradual SST decrease during 2.2 1.0 Ma at the warmer subtropical sites, while that at cooler subtropical site was an abrupt SST drop at 2.2 Ma. In contrast, equatorial and tropical western Pacific experienced only minor SST change in the entire late Neogene. In general, subtropics was much more sensitive to climatic forcing than tropics and the cooling events were most extensive in the cooler subtropics. The early Pliocene cool periods can be correlated to the Antarctic ice volume fluctuation, and the latest Pliocene early Pleistocene cooling reflects the climatic evolution during the cryosphere development of the northern hemisphere.

Relative phase shift and oscillation observations at moorings in the Filchner Depression area

Properties of the dense ice shelf water plume emerging from the Filchner Depression in the southwestern Weddell Sea are described, using available current meter records and CTD stations. A mean hydrography, based on more than 300 CTD stations gathered over 25 yr points to a cold, relatively thin and vertically well-defined plume east of the two ridges cross-cutting the continental slope about 60 km from the Filchner sill, whereas the dense bottom layer is warmer, more stratified and much thicker west of these ridges. The data partly confirm the three major pathways suggested earlier and agree with recent theories on topographic steering by submarine ridges. A surprisingly high mesoscale variability in the overflow region is documented and discussed. The variability is to a large extent due to three distinct oscillations (with periods of about 35 h, 3 and 6 d) seen in both temperature and velocity records on the slope. The oscillations are episodic, barotropic and have a horizontal scale of ~20-40 km across the slope. They are partly geographically separated, with the longer period being stronger on the lower part of the slope and the shorter on the upper part of the slope. Energy levels are lower west of the ridges, and in the Filchner Depression. The observations are discussed in relation to existing theories on eddies, commonly generated in plumes, and continental shelf waves.

Primary production at time series station DYFAMED

Phytoplankton carbon assimilation has been measured near monthly using the 14C method at DYFAMED France JGOFS time-series station from 1993 to 1999. Data were obtained using the "LET GO" technique, which allowed in situ injection of bicarbonate and incubation in enclosures at 10 depths. Incubation duration was 4 h around noon, from which daily production was estimated. The seasonal variation of the depth-integrated carbon assimilation exhibits a marked cycle. Maximum values reach 1.8 g C/m**2/d in March or April; constant lower values were observed from August to January, in the range 100-300 mg C/m**2/d. The annual primary production vary in the range 86-232 g C/m**2/yr, in the upper range of older estimations. Primary production normalized to chlorophyll a shows maximum values in the period of oligotrophy. This increase of carbon assimilation rate per unit of chlorophyll a appears as linked to the period of phosphorus-limited ecosystem, and vertical distribution of taxonomic pigments suggests a possible role of cyanobacteria. Potential export production has been estimated from primary production data and Fp ratio based on pigments concentrations. These estimates (which imply biological steady state conditions) vary in a wide range, from 19 to 71 g C/m**2/yr. There is a decoupling between years with high potential export production and years with high measured particulate fluxes, which highlights the question of balance by resupply of the limiting nutrients and the role of dissolved organic carbon. A possible shift of primary production towards a more regeneration-dominated system is suggested for recent years.

Magnesium/Calcium ratios and sea surface temperature estimation for sediments of the Timor Sea

We use a multiproxy approach to monitor changes in the vertical profile of the Indonesian Throughflow as well as monsoonal wind and precipitation patterns in the Timor Sea on glacial-interglacial, precessional, and suborbital timescales. We focus on an interval of extreme climate change and sea level variation: marine isotope (MIS) 6 to MIS 5e. Paleoproductivity fluctuations in the Timor Sea follow a precessional beat related to the intensity of the Australian (NW) monsoon. Paired Mg/Ca and d18O measurements of surface- and thermocline-dwelling planktonic foraminifers (G. ruber and P. obliquiloculata) indicate an increase of >4°C in both surface and thermocline water temperatures during Termination II. Tropical sea surface temperature changed synchronously with ice volume (benthic d18O) during deglaciation, implying a direct coupling of high- and low-latitude climate via atmospheric and/or upper ocean circulation. Substantial cooling and freshening of thermocline waters occurred toward the end of Termination II and during MIS 5e, indicating a change in the vertical profile of the Indonesian Throughflow from surface- to thermocline-dominated flow.

Reefs shift from net accretion to net erosion along a natural environmental gradient

Coral reefs persist in an accretion-erosion balance and ocean acidification resulting from anthropogenic CO2 emissions threatens to shift this balance in favor of net reef erosion. Corals and calcifying algae, largely responsible for reef accretion, are vulnerable to environmental changes associated with ocean acidification, but the direct effects of lower pH on reef erosion has received less attention, particularly in the context of known drivers of bioerosion and natural variability. This study examines the balance between reef accretion and erosion along a well-characterized natural environmental gradient in Kane'ohe Bay, Hawai'i using experimental blocks of coral skeleton. Comparing before and after micro-computed tomography (µCT) scans to quantify net accretion and erosion, we show that, at the small spatial scale of this study (tens of meters), pH was a better predictor of the accretion-erosion balance than environmental drivers suggested by prior studies, including resource availability, temperature, distance from shore, or depth. In addition, this study highlights the fine-scale variation of pH in coastal systems and the importance of microhabitat variation for reef accretion and erosion processes. We demonstrate significant changes in both the mean and variance of pH on the order of meters, providing a local perspective on global increases in pCO2. Our findings suggest that increases in reef erosion, combined with expected decreases in calcification, will accelerate the shift of coral reefs to an erosion-dominated system in a high-CO2 world. This shift will make reefs increasingly susceptible to storm damage and sea-level rise, threatening the maintenance of the ecosystem services that coral reefs provide.

Sedimentology and stable isotope record of DSDP Hole 68-503B

Samples from the upper portion of a cyclic pelagic carbonate sediment sequence in Deep-Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) hole 503B (4.0°N, 95.6°W) are the first group to be analyzed for paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic proxy-indicators of ice volume, deep ocean and surface water circulation, and atmospheric circulation in order to resolve the complex origin of the cyclicity. Temporal resolution is taken from the delta18O time scale, most other parameters are calculated in terms of their mass flux to the seafloor. CaCO3 percent in the sediments fluctuates in the well-known Pacific pattern and is higher during glacial times. The fluxes of opal and organic carbon have patterns similar to each other and show a variability of a factor of 2.5 to 4. The longer organic carbon record shows flux maxima during both glacial and interglacial times. The accumulation patterns of both opal and organic carbon suggest that the variability in surface water productivity and/or seafloor preservation of those materials is not simply correlated to glacial or interglacial periods. Eolian dust fluxes are greater during interglacial periods by factors of 2 to 5, indicating that eolian source regions in central and northern South America were more arid during interglacial periods. The record of eolian grain size provides a semiquantitative estimation of the intensity of the transporting winds. The eolian data suggest more intense atmospheric circulation during interglacial periods, opposite to the anticipated results. We interpret this observation as recording the southerly shift of the intertropical convergence zone to the latitude of hole 503B during glaciations.

Diatom assamblage in samples from sediment traps across the Pacific Sector of the Southern Ocean

An array of four sediment trap moorings recorded the particulate flux across the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) at 170 °W, between November 1996 and January 1998, as part of the US JGOFS-Antarctic Environment and Southern Ocean Process Study (AESOPS) program. The trap locations represent sampling within the Polar Frontal Zone, the Antarctic Polar Front, the Antarctic Zone and the Southern Antarctic Zone. Here we report observations from 1000 m below the sea-surface compared to seafloor and surface water distributions. Sub-sample splits from each trap were obtained and total diatom flux and species composition were determined. The diatom fluxes were quantified using both a dilution and a 'spike' method to allow for the rapid repeatability of measurements. Diatom flux was found to be highly seasonal across the ACC particularly at higher latitudes. Marine snow aggregates of intact diatom cells and chains were the major components of the biogenic flux. Siliceous particle size was noted to decrease with increasing latitude, which could be aligned with a shift of the diatom assemblage to small-size species/sea-ice affiliated species. A 'double-structured' diatom flux was recorded at the location of the Antarctic Polar Front trap, with a shift in the diatom assemblage from larger to smaller diatoms in the second flux episode. The sediment trap assemblage shows deviations from the surface water assemblage, while surface sediment samples indicate that significant dissolution occurs after 1000 m and at the sediment-water interface. Estimation of diatom biovolumes across the ACC shows that large diatoms have the potential to greatly impact biogenic fluxes to the ocean interior despite their low fluxes. Small species of the genus Fragilariopsis could potentially export as much Corg as Fragilariopsis kerguelensis near the retreating ice edge. However, their low abundance in the surface sediments also suggests that these diatoms are a shallow export species.

Isotopic composition of terrestrial plant waxes (dD and d13C of n-alkanes) of sediment core SO188_342 from the Northern Bay of Bengal for the last 18 ka

The Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) is a major global climatic phenomenon. Long-term precipitation proxy records of the ISM, however, are often fragmented and discontinuous, impeding an estimation of the magnitude of precipitation variability from the Last Glacial to the present. To improve our understanding of past ISM variability, we provide a continuous reconstructed record of precipitation and continental vegetation changes from the lower Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna catchment and the Indo-Burman ranges over the last 18,000 years (18 ka). The records derive from a marine sediment core from the northern Bay of Bengal (NBoB), and are complemented by numerical model results of spatial moisture transport and precipitation distribution over the Bengal region. The isotopic composition of terrestrial plant waxes (dD and d13C of n-alkanes) are compared to results from an isotope-enabled general atmospheric circulation model (IsoCAM) for selected time slices (pre-industrial, mid-Holocene and Heinrich Stadial 1). Comparison of proxy and model results indicate that past changes in the dD of precipitation and plant waxes were mainly driven by the amount effect, and strongly influenced by ISM rainfall. Maximum precipitation is detected for the Early Holocene Climatic Optimum (EHCO; 10.5-6 ka BP), whereas minimum precipitation occurred during the Heinrich Stadial 1 (HS1; 16.9-15.4 ka BP). The IsoCAM model results support the hypothesis of a constant moisture source (i.e. the NBoB) throughout the study period. Relative to the pre-industrial period the model reconstructions show 20% more rain during the mid-Holocene (6 ka BP) and 20% less rain during the Heinrich Stadial 1 (HS1), respectively. A shift from C4-plant dominated ecosystems during the glacial to subsequent C3/C4-mixed ones during the interglacial took place. Vegetation changes were predominantly driven by precipitation variability, as evidenced by the significant correlation between the dD and d13C alkane records. When compared to other records across the ISM domain, precipitation and vegetation changes inferred from our records and the numerical model results provide evidence for a coherent regional variability of the ISM from the Last Glacial to the present.