(Table S1) Age determination of sediment cores of the Gulf of Alaska

Oxygen isotope data from planktonic and benthic foraminifera, on a high-resolution age model (44 14C dates spanning 17,400 years), document deglacial environmental change on the southeast Alaska margin (59°33.32'N, 144°9.21'W, 682 m water depth). Surface freshening (i.e., d18O reduction of 0.8 per mil) began at 16,650 ± 170 cal years B.P. during an interval of ice proximal sedimentation, likely due to freshwater input from melting glaciers. A sharp transition to laminated hemipelagic sediments constrains retreat of regional outlet glaciers onto land circa 14,790 ± 380 cal years B.P. Abrupt warming and/or freshening of the surface ocean (i.e., additional d18O reduction of 0.9 per mil) coincides with the Bølling Interstade of northern Europe and Greenland. Cooling and/or higher salinities returned during the Allerød interval, coincident with the Antarctic Cold Reversal, and continue until 11,740 ± 200 cal years B.P., when onset of warming coincides with the end of the Younger Dryas. An abrupt 1 per mil reduction in benthic d18O at 14,250 ± 290 cal years B.P. likely reflects a decrease in bottom water salinity driven by deep mixing of glacial meltwater, a regional megaflood event, or brine formation associated with sea ice. Two laminated opal-rich intervals record discrete episodes of high productivity during the last deglaciation. These events, precisely dated here at 14,790 ± 380 to 12,990 ± 190 cal years B.P. and 11,160 ± 130 to 10,750 ± 220 cal years B.P., likely correlate to similar features observed elsewhere on the margins of the North Pacific and are coeval with episodes of rapid sea level rise. Remobilization of iron from newly inundated continental shelves may have helped to fuel these episodes of elevated primary productivity and sedimentary anoxia.

Age models for sediment cores off Peru

Planktonic foraminiferal faunas of the southeast Pacific indicate that sea surface temperatures (SST) have varied by as much as 8-10°C in the Peru Current, and by ?5-7°C along the equator, over the past 150,000 years. Changes in SST at times such as the Last Glacial Maximum reflect incursion of high-latitude species Globorotalia inflata and Neogloboquadrina pachyderma into the eastern boundary current and as far north as the equator. A simple heat budget model of the equatorial Pacific shows that observed changes in Peru Current advection can account for about half of the total variability in equatorial SSTs. The remaining changes in equatorial SST, which are likely related to local changes in upwelling or pycnocline depth, precede changes in polar climates as recorded by d18O. This partitioning of processes in eastern equatorial Pacific SST reveals that net ice-age cooling here reflects first a rapid response of equatorial upwelling to insolation, followed by a later response to changes in the eastern boundary current associated with high-latitude climate (which closely resembles variations in atmospheric CO2 as recorded in the Vostok ice core). Although precise mechanisms responsible for the equatorial upwelling component of climate change remain uncertain, one likely candidate that may operate independently of the ice sheets is insolation-driven changes in El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) frequency. Early responses of equatorial SST detected both here and elsewhere highlight the sensitivity of tropical systems to small changes in seasonal insolation. The scale of tropical changes we have observed are substantially greater than model predictions, suggesting a need for further quantitative assessment of processes associated with long-term climate change.

Age determinations, biomarker analyses, and accumulation rates of three sediment cores from the Fram Strait

A reconstruction of Holocene sea ice conditions in the Fram Strait provides insight into the palaeoenvironmental and palaeoceanographic development of this climate sensitive area during the past 8,500 years BP. Organic geochemical analyses of sediment cores from eastern and western Fram Strait enable the identification of variations in the ice coverage that can be linked to changes in the oceanic (and atmospheric) circulation system. By means of the sea ice proxy IP25, phytoplankton derived biomarkers and ice rafted detritus (IRD) increasing sea ice occurrences are traced along the western continental margin of Spitsbergen throughout the Holocene, which supports previous palaeoenvironmental reconstructions that document a general cooling. A further significant ice advance during the Neoglacial is accompanied by distinct sea ice fluctuations, which point to short-term perturbations in either the Atlantic Water advection or Arctic Water outflow at this site. At the continental shelf of East Greenland, the general Holocene cooling, however, seems to be less pronounced and sea ice conditions remained rather stable. Here, a major Neoglacial increase in sea ice coverage did not occur before 1,000 years BP. Phytoplankton-IP25 indices ("PIP25-Index") are used for more explicit sea ice estimates and display a Mid Holocene shift from a minor sea ice coverage to stable ice margin conditions in eastern Fram Strait, while the inner East Greenland shelf experienced less severe to marginal sea ice occurrences throughout the entire Holocene.

Grain size composition of sediment cores from the Weddell Sea, Antarctica

Sedimentary processes in the southeastern Weddell Sea are influenced by glacial-interglacial ice-shelf dynamics and the cyclonic circulation of the Weddell Gyre, which affects all water masses down to the sea floor. Significantly increased sedimentation rates occur during glacial stages, when ice sheets advance to the shelf edge and trigger gravitational sediment transport to the deep sea. Downslope transport on the Crary Fan and off Dronning Maud and Coats Land is channelized into three huge channel systems, which originate on the eastern-, the central and the western Crary Fan. They gradually turn from a northerly direction eastward until they follow a course parallel to the continental slope. All channels show strongly asymmetric cross sections with well-developed levees on their northwestern sides, forming wedge-shaped sediment bodies. They level off very gently. Levees on the southeastern sides are small, if present at all. This characteristic morphology likely results from the process of combined turbidite-contourite deposition. Strong thermohaline currents of the Weddell Gyre entrain particles from turbidity-current suspensions, which flow down the channels, and carry them westward out of the channel where they settle on a surface gently dipping away from the channel. These sediments are intercalated with overbank deposits of high-energy and high-volume turbidity currents, which preferentially flood the left of the channels (looking downchannel) as a result of Coriolis force. In the distal setting of the easternmost channel-levee complex, where thermohaline currents are directed northeastward as a result of a recirculation of water masses from the Enderby Basin, the setting and the internal structures of a wedge-shaped sediment body indicate a contourite drift rather than a channel levee. Dating of the sediments reveals that the levees in their present form started to develop with a late Miocene cooling event, which caused an expansion of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet and an invigoration of thermohaline current activity.

(Table 2) Ice rafted debris abundance and accumulation rate, sedimentation rate and dry bulk density of bottom sediments from the Sea of Okhotsk

Oxygen isotope records, radiocarbon AMS data, carbonate and opal stratigraphy, sediment magnetic susceptibility, tephrachronology, and paleontological results were used to obtain detailed sediment stratigraphy and an age model for the studied cores. For studying sea-ice sedimentation an analysis of lithogenic grain number in >0.15 mm grain size fraction of bottom sediments was carried out. For quantitative estimation of intensity ice-rafting debris sedimentation number of IRD particles per sq cm per ka was calculated. Obtained results allowed to plot IRD AR distribution for the first oxygen isotope stage (0-12.5 14C ka, 14C) and for the second stage (12.5-24 14C ka). The first stage was subdivided into the latest deglaciation and the beginning of Holocene (6-12.5 14C ka) (transitive period), when the sea level was changing significantly, and the second part of Holocene (0-6 14C ka), when climate conditions and the sea level were similar to modern estimates. Data clearly show strong increase in ice formation in the glacial Sea of Okhotsk and its extent in the middle part of the sea. Average annual duration of ice coverage during glaciation was longer than that for interglaciation. However the sea ice cover was not continuous all the year round and disappeared in summer time except the far northwestern part of the sea.

Clay mineralogy of sediment cores from the Arctic Ocean

This study focuses on sedimentological investigations of sediment cores recovered during the international Arctic'91, expeditions with the German research ice breaker RV "Polarstern" to the European sector of the Arctic Ocean. Here, we deduce the last glacial/interglacial changes in transport mechanism and sedimentation from the clay mineral group smectite. We choose the smectites as an example of how sediment mineralogy can be linked with particular source regions (the Kara and Laptev seas), distinct transport mechanism (sea ice and surface currents) and sedimentation processes. Smectite contents in Arctic sediments discussed for two time slices, including the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), and the last deglaciation (Termination I), reveal the highest variability subsequent to the retreat of the Eurasian ice sheets. Our results show that smectite anomalies in the Eurasian Basin are associated with distinct meltwater pulses and occurred around 13.5-13.0 14C ka B.P. Compelling evidence is provided that these anomalies are deduced from sea-ice entrained sediments from the eastern Kara Sea that entered the Arctic Ocean after ice-sheet break-up and eventually flooding of the Kara Sea. We propose that smectite anomalies in sediments of the eastern Arctic Ocean can be utilized to identify deglacial events and to help decipher configurations of the Eurasian ice sheets. The identification of smectite maxima along the modern sea-ice edge in the Eurasian Basin further indicates biologically enhanced sedimentation from melting sea ice allowing the reconstruction of seasonally open water in the region. Hence, considering the poor preservation conditions of primary paleoceanographic proxies in the Arctic Ocean, the clay mineral contents, particularly the smectite group, may be one alternative tool for paleoclimatic reconstruction in the Eurasian Basin.

Stable isotope ratios, carbon content and primary production of three sediment cores from the subantarctic eastern Atlantic

We present three new benthic foraminiferal delta13C, delta18O, and total organic carbon time series from the eastern Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean between 41°S and 47°S. The measured glacial delta13C values belong to the lowest hitherto reported. We demonstrate a coincidence between depleted late Holocene (LH) delta13C values and positions of sites relative to ocean surface productivity. A correction of +0.3 to +0.4 [per mil VPDB] for a productivity-induced depletion of Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) benthic delta13C values of these cores is suggested. The new data are compiled with published data from 13 sediment cores from the eastern Atlantic Ocean between 19°S and 47°S, and the regional deep and bottom water circulation is reconstructed for LH (4-0 ka) and LGM (22-16 ka) times. This extends earlier eastern Atlantic-wide synoptic reconstructions which suffered from the lack of data south of 20°S. A conceptual model of LGM deep-water circulation is discussed that, after correction of southernmost cores below the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) for a productivity-induced artifact, suggests a reduced formation of both North Atlantic Deep Water in the northern Atlantic and bottom water in the southwestern Weddell Sea. This reduction was compensated for by the formation of deep water in the zone of extended winter sea-ice coverage at the northern rim of the Weddell Sea, where air-sea gas exchange was reduced. This shift from LGM deep-water formation in the region south of the ACC to Holocene bottom water formation in the southwestern Weddell Sea, can explain lower preformed d13CDIC values of glacial circumantarctic deep water of approximately 0.3 per mil to 0.4 per mil. Our reconstruction brings Atlantic and Southern Ocean d13C and Cd/Ca data into better agreement, but is in conflict, however, with a scenario of an essentially unchanged thermohaline deep circulation on a global scale. Benthic delta18O-derived LGM bottom water temperatures, by 1.9°C and 0.3°C lower than during the LH at deepest southern and shallowest northern sites, respectively, agree with the here proposed reconstruction of deep-water circulation in the eastern South Atlantic Ocean.

Permafrost cores and active layer pits on Herschel Island: core attributes

Twelve permafrost cores and active layer pits were drilled/dug on Herschel Island in order to estimate the soil organic carbon and total nitrogen contents in the first 30, 100 and 200 cm of ground. The data are the core information obtained during sampling.

(Table 1) Age determination of DSDP Hole 94-607 and sediment cores V30-101 and V23-81

Oxygen isotope measurements in Greenland ice demonstrate that a series of rapid warm-cold oscillations -called Dansgaard-Oeschger events- punctuated the last glaciation (Dansgard et al., 1993, doi:10.1038/364218a0). Here we present records of sea surface temperature from North Atlantic sediments spanning the past 90 kyr which contain a series of rapid temperature oscillations closely matching those in the ice-core record, confirming predictions that the ocean must bear the imprint of the Dansgaard-Oeschger events (Broecker et al., 1988, doi:10.1016/0033-5894(88)90082-8; 1990, doi:10.1029/PA005i004p00469). Moreover, we show that between 20 and 80 kyr ago, the shifts in ocean-atmosphere temperature are bundled into cooling cycles, lasting on average 10 to 15 kyr, with asymmetrical saw-tooth shapes. Each cycle culminated in an enormous discharge of icebergs into the North Atlantic (a 'Hein-rich event' (Bond et al., 1992, doi:10.1038/360245a0; Broecker et al., 1992, doi:10.1007/BF00193540), followed by an abrupt shift to a warmer climate. These cycles document a previously unrecognized link between ice sheet behaviour and ocean-atmosphere temperature changes. An important question that remains to be resolved is whether the cycles are driven by external factors, such as orbital forcing, or by inter-nal ice-sheet dynamics.

Foraminifera in sediment cores of the Lomonosov Ridge and Morris Jesup Rise

X-ray fluorescence (XRF) scanning of sediment cores from the Lomonosov Ridge and the Morris Jesup Rise reveals a distinct pattern of Ca intensity peaks through Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 1 to 7. Downcore of MIS 7, the Ca signal is more irregular and near the detection limit. Virtually all major peaks in Ca coincide with a high abundance of calcareous microfossils; this is particularly conspicuous in the cores from the central Arctic Ocean. However, the recorded Ca signal is generally caused by a combination of biogenic and detrital carbonate, and in areas influenced by input from the Canadian Arctic, detrital carbonates may effectively mask the foraminiferal carbonates. Despite this, there is a strong correlation between XRF-detected Ca content and foraminiferal abundance. We propose that in the Arctic Ocean north of Greenland a common palaeoceanographic mechanism is controlling Ca-rich ice-rafted debris (IRD) and foraminiferal abundance. Previous studies have shown that glacial periods are characterized by foraminfer-barren sediments. This implies that the Ca-rich IRD intervals with abundant foraminifera were most likely deposited during interglacial periods when glaciers left in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago were still active and delivered a large amount of icebergs. At the same time, conditions were favourable for planktic foraminifera, resulting in a strong covariance between these proxies. Therefore, we suggest that the XRF scanner's capability to efficiently map Ca concentrations in sediment cores makes it possible to systematically examine large numbers of cores from different regions to investigate the palaeoceanographic reasons for the calcareous microfossils' spatial and temporal variability.

Age determination and stable isotope composition of sediment cores from the Arctic Ocean

On the basis of 52 sediment cores, analyzed and dated at high resolution, the paleoceanography and climate of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) were reconstructed in detail for the Fram Strait and the eastern and central Arctic Ocean. Sediment composition and stable isotope data suggest three distinct paleoenvironments: (1) a productive region in the eastern to central Fram Strait and along the northern Barents Sea continental margin characterized by Atlantic Water advection, frequent open water conditions, and occasional local meltwater supply and iceberg calving from the Barents Sea Ice Sheet; (2) an intermediate region in the southwestern Eurasian Basin (up to 84-85°N) and the western Fram Strait characterized by subsurface Atlantic Water advection and recirculation, a moderately high planktic productivity, and a perennial ice cover that breaks up only occasionally; and (3) a central Arctic region (north of 85°N in the Eurasian Basin) characterized by a low-salinity surface water layer and a thick ice cover that strongly reduces bioproduction and bulk sedimentation rates. Although the total inflow of Atlantic Water into the Arctic Ocean may have been reduced during the LGM, its impact on ice coverage and halocline structure in the Fram Strait and southwestern Eurasian Basin was strong.

Sea surface temperature and stable isotopes from 9 cores of the Northeastern Atlantic

Temporal and spatial patterns in eastern North Atlantic sea-surface temperatures (SST) were reconstructed for marine isotope stage (MIS) 11c using a submeridional transect of five sediment cores. The SST reconstructions are based on planktic foraminiferal abundances and alkenone indices, and are supported by benthic and planktic stable isotope measurements, as well as by ice-rafted debris content in polar and middle latitudes. Additionally, the larger-scale dynamics of the precipitation regime over northern Africa and the western Mediterranean region was evaluated from iron concentrations in marine sediments off NW Africa and planktic d13C in combination with analysis of planktic foraminiferal abundances down to the species level in the Mediterranean Sea. Compared to the modern situation, it is revealed that during entire MIS 11c sensu stricto (ss), i.e., between 420 and 398 ka according to our age models, a cold SST anomaly in the Nordic seas co-existed with a warm SST anomaly in the middle latitudes and the subtropics, resulting in steeper meridional SST gradients than during the Holocene. Such a SST pattern correlates well with a prevalence of a negative mode of the modern North Atlantic Oscillation. We suggest that our scenario might partly explain the longer duration of wet conditions in the northern Africa during MIS 11c compared to the Holocene.

(Table 1) Age determination of Arctic Ocean sediment cores

Accelerator mass spectrometer 14C dated stable isotope data from Neogloboquadrina pachyerma in cores raised from the Mendeleyev Ridge and slope provide evidence for significant influx of meltwater to the western Arctic Ocean during the early part of marine oxygen isotope stage 1 (OIS 1) and during several intervals within OIS 3. The strongest OIS 3 meltwater event occurred before ca. 45 ka (conventional radiocarbon age) and was probably related to the deglaciation at the beginning of OIS 3. Major meltwater input to the western Arctic Ocean during the last deglaciation coincides closely with the maximum rate of global sea-level rise as determined from the Barbados sea-level record, demonstrating a strong link between the global record and changes in the central Arctic Ocean. OIS 2, which includes the last glacial maximum, is very condensed or absent in the cores. Abundance and d13C values for N. pachyderma in the middle part of OIS 3 are similar to modern values, indicating high productivity and seasonal ice-free areas along the Arctic margin at that time. These records indicate that the Arctic Ocean was a source of heat and moisture to the northern polar atmosphere during parts of OIS 3.

(Table 1) Age determination of sediment cores south of the Faeroe Islands

A study was made of three cores from the Faeroe-Shetland gateway, based on planktonic foraminifera, oxygen isotopes, accelerator mass spectrometry 14C dates, magnetic susceptibility, and counts of ice rafted debris (IRD). The data, covering the period 30-10 ka, show that during the Last Glacial Maximum the Arctic Front occupied a position close to the Faeroes, allowing a persisting inflow of Atlantic surface water into the Faeroe-Shetland Channel. The oceanographic environment during deposition of two IRD layers is influenced by Atlantic surface water masses during the lower IRD layer, with transport of icebergs from N-NW. Polar surface water conditions prevailed only during deposition of the upper IRD layer. There is no indication of surface meltwater influence in the region during the deglaciation, but there is a persistent influence of Atlantic surface water masses in the region. Thus we conclude that during almost the entire period (30-10 ka) the Faeroe-Shetland Channel was a gateway for transport of Atlantic surface water toward the Norwegian Sea.

Biogenic opal estimation of deep-sea sediment cores from the Scotia Sea

We present biogenic opal flux records from two deep-sea sites in the Scotia Sea (MD07-3133 and MD07-3134) at decadal-scale resolution, covering the last glacial cycle. Besides conventional and time-consuming biogenic opal measuring methods, we introduce new biogenic opal estimation methods derived from sediment colour b*, wet bulk density, Si/Ti-count ratio, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIRS). All methods capture the biogenic opal amplitude, however, FTIRS - a novel method for marine sediment - yields the most reliable results. 230Th normalization data show strong differences in sediment focusing with intensified sediment focusing during glacial times. At MD07-3134 230Th normalized biogenic opal fluxes vary between 0.2 and 2.5 g/cm2/kyr. Our biogenic opal flux records indicate bioproductivity changes in the Southern Ocean, strongly influenced by sea ice distribution and also summer sea surface temperature changes. South of the Antarctic Polar Front, lowest bioproductivity occurred during the Last Glacial Maximum when upwelling of mid-depth water was reduced and sea ice cover intensified. Around 17 ka, bioproductivity increased abruptly, corresponding to rising atmospheric CO2 contents and decreasing seasonal sea ice coverage.