Planktic foraminiferal Mg/Ca and oxygen isotopes, plus estimated d18Oseawater and ice volume corrected d18Oseawater for the past 35000 years of sediment core GeoB10069-3

Evidence from geologic archives suggests that there were large changes in the tropical hydrologic cycle associated with the two prominent northern hemisphere deglacial cooling events, Heinrich Stadial 1 (HS1; ~19 to 15 kyr BP; kyr BP = 1000 yr before present) and the Younger Dryas (~12.9 to 11.7 kyr BP). These hydrologic shifts have been alternatively attributed to high and low latitude origin. Here, we present a new record of hydrologic variability based on planktic foraminifera-derived d18O of seawater (d18Osw) estimates from a sediment core from the tropical Eastern Indian Ocean, and using 12 additional d18Osw records, construct a single record of the dominant mode of tropical Eastern Equatorial Pacific and Indo-Pacific Warm Pool (IPWP) hydrologic variability. We show that deglacial hydrologic shifts parallel variations in the reconstructed interhemispheric temperature gradient, suggesting a strong response to variations in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation and the attendant heat redistribution. A transient model simulation of the last deglaciation suggests that hydrologic changes, including a southward shift in the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) which likely occurred during these northern hemisphere cold events, coupled with oceanic advection and mixing, resulted in increased salinity in the Indonesian region of the IPWP and the eastern tropical Pacific, which is recorded by the d18Osw proxy. Based on our observations and modeling results we suggest the interhemispheric temperature gradient directly controls the tropical hydrologic cycle on these time scales, which in turn mediates poleward atmospheric heat transport.

Results of bulk sediment X-ray diffraction analysis and quantification of mineral phases based on the RockJock and on the QUAX quantitative analysis

We have performed quantitative X-ray diffraction (qXRD) analysis of 157 grab or core-top samples from the western Nordic Seas between (WNS) ~57°-75°N and 5° to 45° W. The RockJock Vs6 analysis includes non-clay (20) and clay (10) mineral species in the <2 mm size fraction that sum to 100 weight %. The data matrix was reduced to 9 and 6 variables respectively by excluding minerals with low weight% and by grouping into larger groups, such as the alkali and plagioclase feldspars. Because of its potential dual origins calcite was placed outside of the sum. We initially hypothesized that a combination of regional bedrock outcrops and transport associated with drift-ice, meltwater plumes, and bottom currents would result in 6 clusters defined by "similar" mineral compositions. The hypothesis was tested by use of a fuzzy k-mean clustering algorithm and key minerals were identified by step-wise Discriminant Function Analysis. Key minerals in defining the clusters include quartz, pyroxene, muscovite, and amphibole. With 5 clusters, 87.5% of the observations are correctly classified. The geographic distributions of the five k-mean clusters compares reasonably well with the original hypothesis. The close spatial relationship between bedrock geology and discrete cluster membership stresses the importance of this variable at both the WNS-scale and at a more local scale in NE Greenland.

Foraminiferal study of ODP Hole 189-1171

Sequence boundary ages determined in shallow-water sediments obtained from ODP (Ocean Drilling Program) Leg 189 Site 1171 (South Tasman Rise) compare well with other stratigraphic records (New Jersey, United States, and northwestern Europe) and d18O increases from deep-sea records, indicating that significant (>10 m) eustatic changes occurred during the early to middle Eocene (51-42 Ma). Sequence boundaries were identified and dated using lithology, bio- and magnetostratigraphy, water-depth changes, CaCO3 content, and physical properties (e.g., photospectrometry). They are characterized by a sharp bioturbated surface, low CaCO3 content, and an abrupt increase in glauconite above the surface. Foraminiferal biofacies and planktonic/benthic foraminiferal ratios were used to estimate water-depth changes. Ages of six sequence boundaries (50.9, 49.2, 48.5-47.8, 47.1, 44.5, and 42.6 Ma) from Site 1171 correlate well to the timings of d18O increases and sequence boundaries identified from other Eocene studies. The synchronous nature of sequence boundary development from globally distal sites and d18O increases indicates a global control and that glacioeustasy was operating in this supposedly ice-free world. This is supported by previous modeling studies and atmospheric pCO2 estimates showing that the first time pCO2 levels decreased below a threshold that would support the development of an Antarctic ice sheet occurred at ca. 51 Ma. Estimates of sea-level amplitudes range from ~20 m for the early Eocene (51-49 Ma) and ~25 m to ~45 m for the middle Eocene (48-42 Ma) using constraints established for Oligocene d18O records.

Planktic foraminifera from ODP Hole 117-723B

Upwelling occurs during the summer off the coast of Oman when the Asian monsoon produces strong southwest winds in the northern Arabian Sea. Ekman transport driven by the southwest monsoon winds upwells cool nutrient-rich waters along the coast which contrast with the warmer, less productive waters offshore. The spatial pattern of foraminifers in the sediments corresponds with the coastal environmental gradient. The upwelling species Globigerina bulloides dominates the sediment assemblage on the continental margin, while Globigerinita glutinata is more abundant offshore, creating a coastal gradient in fauna. We reconstructed the upwelling faunal gradient using high resolution oxygen isotope stratigraphy to correlate between Hole 723B on the Oman Margin, and a core from the Owen Ridge (RC2761), adjacent Site 722. A gradient similar in magnitude to the present, implying upwelling conditions similar to today existed during each interglacial time during the late Pleistocene interval from 0 to 300 k.y. The gradient was reduced or absent during glacial times implying diminshed southwest winds along the coast of Oman, not strong enough to produce an environmental gradient between the coast and offshore sites.

Benthic foraminifers, isotopes and varimax factors at DSDP Holes 72-517 and 72-518

Pliocene changes in the vertical water mass structure of the western South Atlantic are inferred from changes in benthic foraminiferal assemblages and stable isotopes from DSDP Holes 516A, 517, and 518. Factor analysis of 34 samples from Site 518 reveals three distinct benthic foraminiferal assemblages that have been associated with specific subsurface water masses in the modern ocean. These include a Nuttalides umbonifera assemblage (Factor 1) associated with Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW), a Globocassidulina subglobosa-Uvigerina peregrina assemblage (Factor 2) associated with Circumpolar Deep Water (CPDW), and an Oridorsalis umbonatus-Epistominella exigua assemblage associated with North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW). Bathymetric gradients in d13C between Holes 516A (1313 m), 517 (2963 m), and 518 (3944 m) are calculated whenever possible to monitor the degree of similarity and/or difference in the apparent oxygen utilization (AOU) of water masses located at these depths during the Pliocene. Changes in bathymetric d13C gradients coupled with benthic foraminiferal assemblages record fundamental changes in the vertical water mass structure of the Vema Channel during the Pliocene from 4.1 to 2.7 Ma. At Site 518, the interval from 4.1 to 3.6 Ma is dominated by the N. umbonifera (Factor 1) and O. umbonatus-E. exigua (Factor 3) assemblages. The d13C gradient between Holes 518 (3944 m) and 516A (1313 m) undergoes rapid oscillations during this interval though no permanent increase in the gradient is observed. However, d13C values at Site 518 are clearly lighter during this interval. These conditions may be related to increased bottom water activity associated with the re-establishment of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet in the late Gilbert Chron (-4.2 to 3.6 Ma) (Osborn et al., 1982). The interval from 3.6 to 3.2 Ma is marked by a dominance of the G. subglobosa-U. peregrina (Factor 2) assemblage and lack of a strong d13C gradient between Holes 518 (3944 m) and 516A (1313 m). We suggest that shallow circumpolar waters expanded to depths of a least 3944 m (Site 518) during this time. The most profound faunal and isotopic change occurs at 3.2 Ma, and is marked by dominance of the N. umbonifera (Factor 1) and O. umbonatus-E. exigua (Factor 3) assemblages, a 1.1 per mil enrichment in d18O, and a large negative increase in the d13C gradient between Holes 518 and 516A. These changes at Site 518 record the vertical displacement of circumpolar waters by AABW and NADW. This change in vertical water mass structure at 3.2 Ma was probably related to a global cooling event and/or final closure of the Central American seaway. A comparison of the present-day d13C structure of the Vema Channel with a reconstruction between 3.2 and 2.7 Ma indicates that circulation patterns during this late Pliocene interval were similar to those of the modern western South Atlantic.

Radiolarians in the Sea of Okhotsk

To assess the relationship of radiolarian production, species distribution in water and surface sediment to water-mass characteristics, biological productivity and export regimes in the Sea of Okhotsk (SOk) we accomplished a quantitative analysis of radiolarian assemblages obtained from 35 surface-sediment samples and 115 plankton samples recording the radiolarian depth distribution in the upper 1000 m of the water column at 23 locations. This study augments the knowledge on the autecological demands of radiolarians dwelling in a specific hydrographic and biological environment, and extracts new information on the significance of radiolarians for the assessment of past oceanographic and climatic development in high latitudes. Highest radiolarian accumulation rates and seasonal radiolarian standing stocks are encountered in the western part of the SOk close to Sakhalin, marking the environmental conditions in this area as most favorable for radiolarian production. Maximum standing stocks occur during summer, indicating that the radiolarian signal preserved in the sediment record is mainly produced during this season when the mesopelagic biomass is at highest activity. We identified seven radiolarian species and groups related to specific water-mass characteristics, depth habitats, and productivity regimes. Of those, Dictyophimus hirundo and Cycladophora davisiana are most prominent in the Sea of Okhotsk Intermediate Water (200-1000 m), the latter representing an indicator of the occurrence of cold and well ventilated intermediate/deep water and enhanced export of organic matter from a highly productive ocean surface. While Antarctissa (?) sp. 1 is typically related to the cold-water Sea of Okhotsk Dicothermal Layer (SODL), ranging between 50 and 150 m water depth, the surface waters above the SODL affected by strong seasonal variability are inhabited predominantly by taxa belonging to the Spongodiscidae, having a broad environmental tolerance. Taxa only found in the sediment record show that the plankton study did not cover all assemblages occurring in the modern SOk. This accounts for an assemblage restricted to the western Kurile Basin and apparently related to environmental conditions influenced by North Pacific and Japan Sea waters. Other important taxa include species of the Plagoniidae group, representing the most prominent contributors to the SOk plankton and surface sediments. These radiolarians show a more opportunistic occurrence and are indicative of high nutrient supply in a hydrographic environment characterized by pronounced stratification enhancing heterotrophic activity and phytodetritus export.

Phenotypic evolution in a fossil gastropod species lineage: evidence for adaptive radiation?

Detecting speciation in the fossil record is a particularly challenging matter. Palaeontologists are usually confronted with poor preservation and limited knowledge on the palaeoenvironment. Even in the contrary case of adequate preservation and information, the linkage of pattern to process is often obscured by insufficient temporal resolution. Consequently, reliable documentations of speciation in fossils with discussions on underlying mechanisms are rare. Here we present a well-resolved pattern of morphological evolution in a fossil species lineage of the gastropod Melanopsis in the long-lived Lake Pannon. These developments are related to environmental changes, documented by isotope and stratigraphical data. After a long period of stasis, the ancestral species experiences a phenotypic change expressed as shift and expansion of the morphospace. The appearance of several new phenotypes along with changes in the environment is interpreted as adaptive radiation. Lake-level high stands affect distribution and availability of habitats and, as a result of varied functional demands on shell geometry, the distribution of phenotypes. The on-going divergence of the morphospace into two branches argues for increasing reproductive isolation, consistent with the model of ecological speciation. In the latest phase, however, progressively unstable conditions restrict availability of niches, allowing survival of one branch only.

Benthic foraminiferal assemblages of middle to late Pliocene sediments in the North Atlantic Ocean

Records of benthic foraminifera from North Atlantic DSDP Site 607 and Hole 610A indicate changes in deep water conditions through the middle to late Pliocene (3.15 to 2.85 Ma). Quantitative analyses of modem associations in the North Atlantic indicate that seven species, Fontbotia wuellerstorfi, Cibicidoides kullenbergi, Uvigerina peregrina, Nuttallides umboniferus, Melonis pompilioides, Globocassidulina subglobosa and Epistominella exigua are useful for paleoenvironmental interpretation. The western North Atlantic basin (Site 607) was occupied by North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) until c. 2.88 Ma. At that time, N. umboniferus increased, indicating an influx of Southern Ocean Water (SOW). The eastern North Atlantic basin (Hole 610A) was occupied by a relatively warm water mass, possibly Northeastern Atlantic Deep Water (NEADW), through c. 2.94 Ma when SOW more strongly influenced the site. These interpretations are consistent with benthic delta18O and delta13C records from 607 and 610A (Raymo et al., 1992). The results presented in this paper suggest that the North Atlantic was strongly influenced by northern component deep water circulation until 2.90-2.95 Ma. After that there was a transition toward a glacially driven North Atlantic circulation more strongly influenced by SOW associated with the onset of Northern Hemisphere glaciation. The circulation change follows the last significant SST and atmospheric warming prior to c. 2.6 Ma.

Distribution of Pliocene diatom faunas in the Northwest Pacific

High-resolution quantitative diatom data are tabulated for the early part of the late Pliocene ( 3.25 to 2.08 Ma ) at DSDP Site 580 in the northwestern Pacific. Sample spacing averages 11 k.y. between 3.1 and 2.8 Ma, but increases to 14 to 19 k.y. prior to 3.1 Ma and after 2.8 Ma. Q-mode factor analysis of the middle Pliocene assemblage reveals four factors which explain 92.4% of the total variance of the 47 samples studied between 3.25 and 2.55 Ma. Three of the factors are closely related to modern subarctic, transitional, and subtropical elements, while the fourth factor, which is dominated by Coscinodiscus marginatus and the extinct Pliocene species Neodenticula kamtschatica, appears to correspond to a middle Pliocene precursor of the subarctic water mass. Knowledge of the modern and generalized Pliocene paleoclimatic relationships of various diatom taxa is used to generate a paleoclimate curve ("Twt") based on the ratio of warm-water (subtropical) to cold-water diatoms with warm-water transitional taxa (Thalassionema nitzschioides, Thalassiosira oestrupii, and Coscinodiscus radiatus) factored into the equation at an intermediate (0.5) value. The "Twt" ratios at more southerly DSDP Sites 579 and 578 are consistently higher (warmer) than those at Site 580 throughout the Pliocene, suggesting the validity of the ratio as a paleoclimatic index. Diatom paleoclimatic data reveal a middle Pliocene (3.1 to 3.0 Ma) warm interval at Site 580 during which paleotemperatures may have exceeded maximum Holocene values by 3 °- 5.5 °C at least three times. This middle Pliocene warm interval is also recognized by planktic foraminifers in the North Atlantic, and it appears to correspond with generalized depleted oxygen isotope values suggesting polar warming. The diatom "Twt" curve for Site 580 compares fairly well with radiolarian and silicoflagellate paleoclimatic curves for Site 580, planktic foraminiferal sea-surface temperature estimates for the North Atlantic, and benthic oxygen isotope curves for late Pliocene, although higher resolution studies on paired samples are required to test the correspondence of these various paleoclimatic indices.

Benthic foraminiferal communities at DSDP Sites 94-609 to 94-611

Benthic foraminiferal assemblages from northeast Atlantic DSDP Sites 609, 610, and 611 have been interpreted with reference to modern assemblages known to be linked with the overlying bottom-water masses. It is shown that the water masses in the late Miocene to Pleistocene were similar to those of today. The distribution of the water masses changed with time, however. Antarctic Bottom Water ("AABW"), which at present is restricted to the area south of the Azores, reached as far north as the Gibbs Fracture Zone in the early Pliocene. Increased production of North Atlantic Deep Water in the late Pliocene displaced the AABW to the south

Benthic foraminiferal faunas of Miocene to Holocene sediments of ODP Site 184-1143 from the southern South China Sea

Deep-sea benthic foraminiferal assemblages from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1143 located in the southern South China Sea (SCS) were investigated to evaluate the relationship between faunal composition patterns and paleoceanographic changes during the last 6 million years (late Miocene to Holocene). We used multivariate statistics (correspondence analysis) to analyze carbon-flux-related changes in assemblage composition of benthic foraminifers. Additional proxies for carbon flux and deep-water ventilation include delta13C records of epifaunal Cibicidoides wuellerstorfi and infaunal Uvigerina peregrina var. dirupta and Melonis pompilioides, benthic foraminiferal accumulation rates (BFARs), diversity indices, and relative abundances of indicator species. We observe three significant benthic faunal changes in the southern South China Sea during the last 6 million years. Strong fluctuations in BFAR and relative abundance of productivity indicator species between glacial and interglacial stages after the mid-Pleistocene revolution (MPR) at approximately 0.9 Ma, indicating stronger seasonal carbon flux fluctuations, are accompanied by the extinction of such species as Stilostomella spp. Increases in carbon flux indicator species are coupled with an overall decrease in benthic foraminifer diversity around 3.0 Ma in the late Pliocene. This may indicate increasing carbon flux in a period of productivity maximum caused by enhanced offshore upwelling from intensified winter monsoon wind strength.

Benthic foraminiferal biofacies and stable isotopic record of St. Stephens Quarry, Alabama

We integrate upper Eocene-lower Oligocene lithostratigraphic, magnetostratigraphic, biostratigraphic, stable isotopic, benthic foraminiferal faunal, downhole log, and sequence stratigraphic studies from the Alabama St. Stephens Quarry (SSQ) core hole, linking global ice volume, sea level, and temperature changes through the greenhouse to icehouse transition of the Cenozoic. We show that the SSQ succession is dissected by hiatuses associated with sequence boundaries. Three previously reported sequence boundaries are well dated here: North Twistwood Creek-Cocoa (35.4-35.9 Ma), Mint Spring-Red Bluff (33.0 Ma), and Bucatunna-Chickasawhay (the mid-Oligocene fall, ca. 30.2 Ma). In addition, we document three previously undetected or controversial sequences: mid-Pachuta (33.9-35.0 Ma), Shubuta-Bumpnose (lowermost Oligocene, ca. 33.6 Ma), and Byram-Glendon (30.5-31.7 Ma). An ~0.9 per mil d18O increase in the SSQ core hole is correlated to the global earliest Oligocene (Oi1) event using magnetobiostratigraphy; this increase is associated with the Shubuta-Bumpnose contact, an erosional surface, and a biofacies shift in the core hole, providing a first-order correlation between ice growth and a sequence boundary that indicates a sea-level fall. The d18O increase is associated with a eustatic fall of ~55 m, indicating that ~0.4 per mil of the increase at Oi1 time was due to temperature. Maximum d18O values of Oi1 occur above the sequence boundary, requiring that deposition resumed during the lowest eustatic lowstand. A precursor d18O increase of 0.5 per mil (33.8 Ma, midchron C13r) at SSQ correlates with a 0.5 per mil increase in the deep Pacific Ocean; the lack of evidence for a sea-level change with the precursor suggests that this was primarily a cooling event, not an ice-volume event. Eocene-Oligocene shelf water temperatures of ~17-19 °C at SSQ are similar to modern values for 100 m water depth in this region. Our study establishes the relationships among ice volume, d18O, and sequences: a latest Eocene cooling event was followed by an earliest Oligocene ice volume and cooling event that lowered sea level and formed a sequence boundary during the early stages of eustatic fall.

Early Eocene benthic foraminifera of DSDP Hole 48-401

Within the last decade, several early Eocene hyperthermals have been detected globally. These transient warming events have mainly been characterized geochemically - using stable isotopes, carbonate content measurements or XRF core scanning - yet detailed micropaleontological records are sparse, limiting our understanding of the driving forces behind hyperthermals and of the contemporaneous paleoceanography. Here, detailed geochemical and quantitative benthic foraminiferal records are presented from lower Eocene pelagic sediments of Deep Sea Drilling Project Site 401 (Bay of Biscay, northeast Atlantic). In calcareous nannofossil zone NP11, several clay-enriched levels correspond to negative d13C and d18O bulk-rock excursions with amplitudes of up to ~0.75 per mil, suggesting that significant injections of 12C-enriched greenhouse gasses and small temperature rises took place. Coeval with several of these hyperthermal events, the benthic foraminiferal record reveals increased relative abundances of oligotrophic taxa (e.g. Nuttallides umbonifera) and a reduction in the abundance of buliminid species followed by an increase of opportunistic taxa (e.g. Globocassidulina subglobosa and Gyroidinoides spp.). These short-lived faunal perturbations are thought to be caused by reduced seasonality of productivity resulting in a decreased Corg flux to the seafloor. Moreover, the sedimentological record suggests that an enhanced influx of terrigenous material occurred during these events. Additionally, the most intense d13C decline (here called level d) gives rise to a small, yet pronounced long-term shift in the benthic foraminiferal composition at this site, possibly due to the reappraisal of upwelling and the intensification of bottom water currents. These observations imply that environmental changes during (smaller) hyperthermal events are also reflected in the composition of deep-sea benthic communities on both short (<100 kyr) and longer time scales. We conclude that the faunal patterns of the hyperthermals observed at Site 401 strongly resemble those observed in other deep-sea early Paleogene hyperthermal deposits, suggesting that similar processes have driven them.