(Table S1) Age determination of sediment core OCE326-GGC5

The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation is widely believed to affect climate. Changes in ocean circulation have been inferred from records of the deep water chemical composition derived from sedimentary nutrient proxies (Boyle and Keigwin, 1987, doi:10.1038/330035a0), but their impact on climate is difficult to assess because such reconstructions provide insufficient constraints on the rate of overturning (LeGrand and Wunsch, 1995, doi:10.1029/95PA01455). Here we report measurements of 231Pa/230Th, a kinematic proxy for the meridional overturning circulation, in a sediment core from the subtropical North Atlantic Ocean. We find that the meridional overturning was nearly, or completely, eliminated during the coldest deglacial interval in the North Atlantic region, beginning with the catastrophic iceberg discharge Heinrich event H1, 17,500 yr ago, and declined sharply but briefly into the Younger Dryas cold event, about 12,700 yr ago. Following these cold events, the 231Pa/230Th record indicates that rapid accelerations of the meridional overturning circulation were concurrent with the two strongest regional warming events during deglaciation. These results confirm the significance of variations in the rate of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation for abrupt climate changes.

Morphometrics of seagrasses at species level, Moreton Bay, Australia determined from core samples collected in 2012-2013

Seagrass meadows are important marine carbon sinks, yet they are threatened and declining worldwide. Seagrass management and conservation requires adequate understanding of the physical and biological factors determining carbon content in seagrass sediments. Here, we identified key factors that influence carbon content in seagrass meadows across several environmental gradients in Moreton Bay, SE Queensland. Sampling was conducted in two regions: (1) Canopy Complexity, 98 sites on the Eastern Banks, where seagrass canopy structure and species composition varied while turbidity was consistently low; and (2) Turbidity Gradient, 11 locations across the entire bay, where turbidity varied among sampling locations. Sediment organic carbon content and seagrass structural complexity (shoot density, leaf area, and species specific characteristics) were measured from shallow sediment and seagrass biomass cores at each location, respectively. Environmental data were obtained from empirical measurements (water quality) and models (wave height). The key factors influencing carbon content in seagrass sediments were seagrass structural complexity, turbidity, water depth, and wave height. In the Canopy Complexity region, carbon content was higher for shallower sites and those with higher seagrass structural complexity. When turbidity varied along the Turbidity Gradient, carbon content was higher at sites with high turbidity. In both regions carbon content was consistently higher in sheltered areas with lower wave height. Seagrass canopy structure, water depth, turbidity, and hydrodynamic setting of seagrass meadows should therefore be considered in conservation and management strategies that aim to maximize sediment carbon content.

Radiocarbon ages and pollen record of a sediment core from Lake Lyadhej-To

An 1180-cm long core recovered from Lake Lyadhej-To (68°15'N, 65°45'E, 150 m a.s.l.) at the NW rim of the Polar Urals Mountains reflects the Holocene environmental history from ca. 11,000 cal. yr BP. Pollen assemblages from the diamicton (ca. 11,000-10,700 cal. yr BP) are dominated by Pre-Quaternary spores and redeposited Pinaceae pollen, pointing to a high terrestrial input. Turbid and nutrient-poor conditions existed in the lake ca. 10,700-10,550 cal. yr BP. The chironomid-inferred reconstructions suggest that mean July temperature increased rapidly from 10.0 to 11.8 °C during this period. Sparse, treeless vegetation dominated on the disturbed and denuded soils in the catchment area. A distinct dominance of planktonic diatoms ca. 10,500-8800 cal. yr BP points to the lowest lake-ice coverage, the longest growing season and the highest bioproductivity during the lake history. Birch forest with some shrub alder grew around the lake reflecting the warmest climate conditions during the Holocene. Mean July temperature was likely 11-13 °C and annual precipitation-400-500 mm. The period ca. 8800-5500 cal. yr BP is characterized by a gradual deterioration of environmental conditions in the lake and lake catchment. The pollen- and chironomid-inferred temperatures reflect a warm period (ca. 6500-6000 cal. BP) with a mean July temperature at least 1-2 °C higher than today. Birch forests disappeared from the lake vicinity after 6000 cal. yr BP. The vegetation in the Lyadhej-To region became similar to the modern one. Shrub (Betula nana, Salix) and herb tundra have dominated the lake catchment since ca. 5500 cal. yr BP. All proxies suggest rather harsh environmental conditions. Diatom assemblages reflect relatively short growing seasons and a longer persistence of lake-ice ca. 5500-2500 cal. yr BP. Pollen-based climate reconstructions suggest significant cooling between ca. 5500 and 3500 cal. yr BP with a mean July temperature 8-10 °C and annual precipitation-300-400 mm. The bioproductivity in the lake remained low after 2500 cal. yr BP, but biogeochemical proxies reflect a higher terrestrial influx. Changes in the diatom content may indicate warmer water temperatures and a reduced ice cover on the lake. However, chironomid-based reconstructions reflect a period with minimal temperatures during the lake history.

(Table 1) Details on the Uranium/Thorium age determinations carried out on core GeoB11569-2

Cold-water corals are widely distributed along the Atlantic continental margin with varying growth patterns in relation to their specific environment. Here, we investigate the long-term development of cold-water corals that once thrived on a low-latitude (17°40'N) cold-water coral mound in the Banda Mound Province off Mauritania during the last glacial-interglacial cycle. U/Th dates obtained from 20 specimens of the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa, revealed three distinct periods of coral growth during the last glacial at 65 to 57 kyr BP, 45 to 32 kyr BP and 14 kyr BP, thus comprising the cool periods of Marine Isotopic Stages (MIS) 2-4. These coral growth periods occur during periods of increased productivity in the region, emphasizing that productivity seems to be the major steering factor for coral growth off Mauritania, which is one of the major upwelling regions in the world. This pattern differs from the well studied coral mounds off Ireland, where the current regime predominantly influences the prosperity of the cold-water corals. Moreover, coral growth off Ireland takes place during rather warm interglacial and interstadial periods, whereas off Mauritania coral growth is restricted to glacial and stadial periods. However, the on-mound sedimentation patterns off Mauritania largely resemble the observations reported from the Irish mounds. The bulk of the preserved sediments derives from periods of coral growth, whereas during periods without corals hardly any net sedimentation or mound growth took place.

(Table 2) Abundance of Radiolaria species in sediment samples from Core AMK4-340

Over the past 13 kyr the most significant natural changes in the Reykjanes ridge region took place within 13-7.8 kyr B.P. They resulted from alternating intensifications of the influence of the Labrador (LWM) and Norwegian-Greenland (NGWM) water masses. During 13-11.7 kyr B.P. natural conditions were governed by influence of LWM with sea surface temperature (SST) 3-5°C lower present one. During 11.7-10.3 kyr B.P. NGWM with SST 6-7°C lower present one predominated. During 10.3-9.5 kyr B.P. oceanographic conditions were rapidly transforming and approaching present ones controlled by interaction between LWM and North Atlantic water masses; SST abruptly increased almost to the present value. During 9.5-8.3 kyr B.P. intensification of NGWM led to small decrease of SST (1.5-2.5°C below present value; between 8.3 and 7.8 kyr B.P. natural conditions had approximated present ones and later on remained relatively stable; SST fluctuated with an amplitude of about 1.5°C.

Age determination of sediment core NP90-52 (Table 1)

Data on glacial erosion have been compiled and synthesised using a wide range of sediment budget and sediment yield studies from the Svalbard-Barents Sea region. The data include studies ranging in timescale from 1 to 10**6 yr, and in size of drainage basin from 101 to 105 km**2. They show a clear dependence of sediment yield on the mode of glacierization. Polar glaciers erode at rates comparable to those found in Arctic fluvial basins, or about 40 t/km**-2/ yr or 0.02 mm/yr. In contrast, rates of erosion by polythermal glaciers are 800-1000 t/km**2/ yr (or ca 0.3-0.4 mm/yr), while rates from fast-flowing glaciers are slightly more than twice this: 2100 t/km**2/yr (or 1 mm/yr). Similar rates are also found for large glacierized basins like those in the southwestern parts of the Barents Sea. In contrast to the situation in fluvial basins, in which sediment yield typically decreases with increasing basin size, the tendency in glacierized basins is for erosion to be independent of basin size. In studies of sediment yield from glaciers it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between material actually dislodged from the bedrock by glaciers and material dislodged by other processes in interglacial times and simply transported to a depocenter by a glacier. Our data suggest that pulses of sediment resulting from advance of a glacier over previously-dislodged material last on the order of 10**3 yr, and result in inferred erosion rates that are approximately 25% higher than long-term average rates of glacial erosion. The maximum sediment fluxes from the large Storfjorden and Bear Island drainage basins occurred in mid-Pleistocene. The onset of this period of high sediment yield coincided with the onset of the 100 kyr glacial cycle. We presume that this was the beginning of a period of increased glacial activity, but one in which glaciers still advanced and retreated frequently. During the last two to four 100 kyr cycles, however, sediment yields appear to have decreased. This decrease may be the result of the submergence of the Barents Sea. Glacier erosion would be much higher for a subaerial Barents Sea setting than it would be for a present day subsea Barents Sea. A classical question in Quaternary Geology is whether glaciers are more erosive than rivers. We surmise that if factors such as the lithology and the available potential energy (mgh) of the precipitation falling at a given altitude, whether in liquid or solid form, are held constant, then glaciers are vastly more effective agents of erosion than rivers.

Pollen profile and age determination for sediment core M72/5_619-1 (22-GC3)

Sediments from the Black Sea, a region historically dominated by forests and steppe landscapes, are a valuable source of detailed information on the changes in regional terrestrial and aquatic environments at decadal to millennial scales. Here we present multi-proxy environmental records (pollen, dinoflagellate cysts, Ca, Ti and oxygen isotope data) from the uppermost 305 cm of the core 22-GC3 (42°13.53' N, 36°29.55' E) collected from a water depth of 838 m in the southern part of the Black Sea in 2007. The records span the last ~ 18 kyr (all ages are given in cal kyr BP). The pollen data reveal the dominance of the Artemisia-steppe in the region, suggesting rather dry/cold environments ~ 18-14.5 kyr BP. Warming/humidity increase during melt-water pulses (~ 16.1-14.5 kyr BP), indicated by d18O records from the 22-GC3 core sediment and from the Sofular Cave stalagmite, is expressed in more negative d13C values from the Sofular Cave, usually interpreted as the spreading of C3 plants. The records representing the interstadial complex (~ 14.5-12.9 kyr BP) show an increase in temperature and moisture, indicated by forest development, increased primary productivity and reduced surface run-off, whereas the switch from primary terrigenous to primary authigenic Ca origin occurs ~ 500 yr later. The Younger Dryas cooling is clearly demonstrated by more negative d13C values from the Sofular Cave and a reduction of pines. The early Holocene (11.7-8.5 kyr BP) interval reveals relatively dry conditions compared to the mostly moist and warm middle Holocene (8.5-5 kyr BP), which is characterized by the establishment of the species-rich warm mixed and temperate deciduous forests in the low elevation belt, temperate deciduous beech-hornbeam forests in the middle and cool conifer forest in upper mountain belt. The border between the early and middle Holocene in the vegetation records coincides with the opening of the Mediterranean corridor at ~ 8.3 kyr BP, as indicated by a marked change in the dinocyst assemblages and in the sediment lithology. Changes in the pollen assemblages indicate a reduction in forest cover after ~ 5 kyr BP, which was likely caused by increased anthropogenic pressure on the regional vegetation.

(Table S1) Opal content of sediment core OXMZ01MV-GC31

The North American monsoon (NAM), an onshore wind shift occurring between July and September, has evolved in character during the Holocene largely due to changes in Northern Hemisphere insolation. Published paleoproxy and modeling studies suggest that prior to ~8000 cal years BP, the NAM affected a broader region than today, extending westward into the Mojave Desert of California. Holocene proxy SST records from the Gulf of California (GoC) and the adjacent Pacific provide constraints for this changing NAM climatology. Prior to ~8000 cal years BP, lower GoC SSTs would not have fueled northward surges of tropical moisture up the GoC, which presently contribute most of the monsoon precipitation to the western NAM region. During the early Holocene, the North Pacific High was further north and SSTs in the California Current off Baja California were warmer, allowing monsoonal moisture flow from the subtropical Pacific to take a more direct, northwesterly trajectory into an expanded area of the southwestern U.S. west of 114°W. A new upwelling record off southwest Baja California reveals that enhanced upwelling in the California Current beginning at ~7500 cal year BP may have triggered a change in NAM climatology, focusing the geographic expression of NAM in the southwest USA into its modern core region east of ~114°W, in Arizona and New Mexico. Holocene proxy precipitation records from the southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico, including lakes, vegetation/pollen, and caves are reviewed and found to be largely supportive of this hypothesis of changing Holocene NAM climatology.

(Table 2) Zn/Si ratios for sponge spicules from sediment core samples

The zinc concentration of siliceous sponge spicules was determined from spicules recovered from four sediment cores spanning the last 160 kyr, from the Campbell Plateau region southeast of New Zealand. Zinc/Si results showed little difference between Holocene and glacial aged spicules. An increase in Zn/Si was observed for core Y14, where Zn/Si peaked at about 0.6 ?mol/mol during marine isotope stages 5a-5b. To better understand the role carbon export has on sponge Zn/Si, we explored the strong relationship observed between surficial sediment particulate organic carbon (POC) and the Zn/Si of sponge silica and related this to sediment trap POC flux estimates. Conversion of the Zn/Si records to benthic POC fluxes suggests that there has been little change in the amount of POC reaching Campbell Plateau sediments over the past 30 kyr. These results suggest that surface productivity over the Campbell Plateau has remained relatively low over the past 160 kyr and suggests that glacial productivity was not significantly higher than the present day. Finally, this work reveals that living marine sponges appear to act as the biological equivalents of moored sediment traps, recording the flux of POC to the seafloor by archiving zinc associated with sinking POC in the growing silica skeleton.

GDGT-based proxies of sediment core YD0903

We reconstruct the environmental evolution of the East China Sea in the past 14 kyr based on glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) in a sediment core from the subaqueous Yangtze River Delta. Two primary phases are recognized. Phase I (13.8-8 cal kyr BP) reflects a predominantly continental influence, showing distinctly higher concentrations of branched GDGTs (averaged 143 ng/g dry sediment weight, dsw) than isoprenoid GDGTs (averaged 36 ng/g dsw), high BIT index (branched vs. isoprenoid tetraethers) values (>0.78) and a fluctuating GDGT-0/crenarchaeol ratio (R0/5, varied from 0.52 to 3.81). Within this interval, temporal increases of terrestrial and marine influence are attributed to Younger Dryas (YD) (ca. 12.9-12.2 cal kyr BP) cold event and melt-water pulse (MWP) -1B (11.5-11.1 cal kyr BP), respectively. The prominent transition from 8 to 7.9 cal kyr BP shows a sharp decrease in BIT index value (<0.4) and increase in crenarchaeol, which marks the beginning of phase II. Afterwards, the proxies remain relatively constant, which indicates that phase II (7.9 cal kyr BP-present) is a shelf sedimentary environment with high stand of sea level. Overall, the BIT index in our record serves as a good marker for terrestrial influence at the site, and likely reflects the flooding history of the region. The TEX86 (TetraEther Index of tetraethers consisting of 86 carbons) proxy is not applicable in phase I because of an excess terrestrial influence; but it seems to be valid for revealing the annual SST in phase II (21.6±0.9°C, n=49). In contrast, the MBT'/CBT (Methylation of Branched Tetraethers and Cyclization of Branched Tetraethers) proxy appears to faithfully record the annual mean air temperature (MAT) (14.3±0.63°C, n=68) and presents an integrated signal over the middle and lower Yangtze River drainage basin.

Asymmetric 3D video coding based on regions of perceptual relevance

This dissertation presents a study and experimental research on asymmetric coding of stereoscopic video. A review on 3D technologies, video formats and coding is rst presented and then particular emphasis is given to asymmetric coding of 3D content and performance evaluation methods, based on subjective measures, of methods using asymmetric coding. The research objective was de ned to be an extension of the current concept of asymmetric coding for stereo video. To achieve this objective the rst step consists in de ning regions in the spatial dimension of auxiliary view with di erent perceptual relevance within the stereo pair, which are identi ed by a binary mask. Then these regions are encoded with better quality (lower quantisation) for the most relevant ones and worse quality (higher quantisation) for the those with lower perceptual relevance. The actual estimation of the relevance of a given region is based on a measure of disparity according to the absolute di erence between views. To allow encoding of a stereo sequence using this method, a reference H.264/MVC encoder (JM) has been modi ed to allow additional con guration parameters and inputs. The nal encoder is still standard compliant. In order to show the viability of the method subjective assessment tests were performed over a wide range of objective qualities of the auxiliary view. The results of these tests allow us to prove 3 main goals. First, it is shown that the proposed method can be more e cient than traditional asymmetric coding when encoding stereo video at higher qualities/rates. The method can also be used to extend the threshold at which uniform asymmetric coding methods start to have an impact on the subjective quality perceived by the observers. Finally the issue of eye dominance is addressed. Results from stereo still images displayed over a short period of time showed it has little or no impact on the proposed method.

He isotope, U/Th isotope, Calcium carbonate, biogenic opal, rare earth element concentrations, and grain size distribution measured on core-top sediments during SONNE cruise SO202 (INOPEX)

Eolian dust is a significant source of iron and other nutrients that are essential for the health of marine ecosystems and potentially a controlling factor of the high nutrient-low chlorophyll status of the Subarctic North Pacific. We map the spatial distribution of dust input using three different geochemical tracers of eolian dust, 4He, 232Th and rare earth elements, in combination with grain size distribution data, from a set of core-top sediments covering the entire Subarctic North Pacific. Using the suite of geochemical proxies to fingerprint different lithogenic components, we deconvolve eolian dust input from other lithogenic inputs such as volcanic ash, ice-rafted debris, riverine and hemipelagic input. While the open ocean sites far away from the volcanic arcs are dominantly composed of pure eolian dust, lithogenic components other than eolian dust play a more crucial role along the arcs. In sites dominated by dust, eolian dust input appears to be characterized by a nearly uniform grain size mode at ~4 µm. Applying the 230Th-normalization technique, our proxies yield a consistent pattern of uniform dust fluxes of 1-2 g/m**2/yr across the Subarctic North Pacific. Elevated eolian dust fluxes of 2-4 g/m**2/yr characterize the westernmost region off Japan and the southern Kurile Islands south of 45° N and west of 165° E along the main pathway of the westerly winds. The core-top based dust flux reconstruction is consistent with recent estimates based on dissolved thorium isotope concentrations in seawater from the Subarctic North Pacific. The dust flux pattern compares well with state-of-the-art dust model predictions in the western and central Subarctic North Pacific, but we find that dust fluxes are higher than modeled fluxes by 0.5-1 g/m**2/yr in the northwest, northeast and eastern Subarctic North Pacific. Our results provide an important benchmark for biogeochemical models and a robust approach for downcore studies testing dust-induced iron fertilization of past changes in biological productivity in the Subarctic North Pacific.

GDGT and n-alkane data of sediment core GeoB4901-8

The tight coupling between the atmospheric and oceanic circulation in the equatorial Atlantic region makes this area an important region for paleoclimatic research. Previous studies report the occurrence of large amounts of terrigenous material and soil organic carbon (SOC) within the marine sediments of the eastern Gulf of Guinea. We use the accumulation rates (AR) of branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) to identify variations in SOC delivery to the Niger Fan over the last 35 ka, and compare these records to long-chain n-alkanes as a proxy for higher plant material, to an inorganic proxy for terrigenous input (aluminum AR) and to indicators for the marine productivity (AR of carbonate and crenarchaeol). In addition, sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are calculated based on the TEX86H index and environmental factors affecting the SST-reconstructions are discussed. Our results indicate that Al AR are closely connected to the rate of mean sea level change after 15 ka BP, with an additional influence of the increased monsoonal precipitation and extended vegetation cover corresponding to the African Humid Period (14.8-5.5 ka BP). Branched GDGT AR appears to be determined by shelf erosion in addition to the interplay of monsoonal precipitation and vegetation cover controlling soil erosion. Long-chain n-alkane concentrations clearly show a different trend than the other proxies, which might be due to their predominant eolian transport. Paleo-SSTs show a clear shift from colder temperatures during the last glacial period (20-22 °C) to warmer temperatures during the Holocene (24-26 °C). However, TEX86H-based SSTs are cold-biased compared to recent SSTs and Mg/Ca-based SST reconstructions, which is probably caused by a high seasonality of the Thaumarchaeota, with a maximum productivity of these organisms during the cold summer months. However, a sub-surface production of GDGTs and/or a potential bias of SST reconstruction by terrestrial input could not be completely excluded.