McManus
Jerry F.
McManus
Jerry F.
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ArticleMillennial-scale climatic variability between 340000 and 270000 years ago in SW Europe : evidence from a NW Iberian margin pollen sequence(Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union, 2009-03-06) Desprat, Stéphanie ; Sanchez Goni, Maria Fernanda ; McManus, Jerry F. ; Duprat, J. ; Cortijo, E.We present a new high-resolution marine pollen record from NW Iberian margin sediments (core MD03-2697) covering the interval between 340 000 and 270 000 years ago, a time period centred on Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 9 and characterized by particular baseline climate states. This study enables the documentation of vegetation changes in the north-western Iberian Peninsula and therefore the terrestrial climatic variability at orbital and in particular at millennial scales during MIS 9, directly on a marine stratigraphy. Suborbital vegetation changes in NW Iberia in response to cool/cold events are detected throughout the studied interval even during MIS 9e ice volume minimum. However, they appear more frequent and of higher amplitude during the 30 000 years following the MIS 9e interglacial period and during the MIS 9a-8 transition, which correspond to intervals of an intermediate to high ice volume and mainly periods of ice growth. Each suborbital cold event detected in NW Iberia has a counterpart in the Southern Iberian margin SST record. High to moderate amplitude cold episodes detected on land and in the ocean appear to be related to changes in deep water circulation and probably to iceberg discharges at least during MIS 9d, the mid-MIS 9c cold event and MIS 9b. This work provides therefore additional evidence of pervasive millennial-scale climatic variability in the North Atlantic borderlands throughout past climatic cycles of the Late Pleistocene, regardless of glacial state. However, ice volume might have an indirect influence on the amplitude of the millennial climatic changes in Southern Europe.
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ArticleOcean climate variability in the eastern North Atlantic during interglacial marine isotope stage 11 : a partial analogue to the Holocene?(American Geophysical Union, 2005-08-30) de Abreu, Lucia ; Abrantes, Fatima G. ; Shackleton, Nicholas J. ; Tzedakis, Polychronis C. ; McManus, Jerry F. ; Oppo, Delia W. ; Hall, Michael A.Similar orbital geometry and greenhouse gas concentrations during marine isotope stage 11 (MIS 11) and the Holocene make stage 11 perhaps the best geological analogue period for the natural development of the present interglacial climate. Results of a detailed study of core MD01-2443 from the Iberian margin suggest that sea surface conditions during stage 11 were not significantly different from those observed during the elapsed portion of the Holocene. Peak interglacial conditions during stage 11 lasted nearly 18 kyr, indicating a Holocene unperturbed by human activity might last an additional 6–7 kyr. A comparison of sea surface temperatures (SST) derived from planktonic foraminifera for all interglacial intervals of the last million years reveals that warm temperatures during peak interglacials MIS 1, 5e, and 11 were higher on the Iberian margin than during substage 7e and most of 9e. The SST results are supported by heavier δ18O values, particularly during 7e, indicating colder SSTs and a larger residual ice volume. Benthic δ13C results provide evidence of a strong influence of North Atlantic Deep Water at greater depths than present during MIS 11. The progressive ocean climate deterioration into the following glaciation is associated with an increase in local upwelling intensity, interspersed by periodic cold episodes due to ice-rafting events occurring in the North Atlantic.
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PreprintRapid lateral particle transport in the Argentine Basin : molecular C-14 and Th-230(xs) evidence( 2006-05-06) Mollenhauer, Gesine ; McManus, Jerry F. ; Benthien, Albert ; Muller, Peter J. ; Eglinton, Timothy I.Recent studies have revealed that lateral transport and focusing of particles strongly influences the depositional patterns of organic matter in marine sediments. Transport can occur in the water column prior to initial deposition or following sediment re-suspension. In both cases, fine-grained particles and organic-rich aggregates are more susceptible to lateral transport than coarse-grained particles (e.g. foraminiferal tests) because of the slower sinking velocities of the former. This may lead to spatial and, in the case of redistribution of resuspended sediments, temporal decoupling of organic matter from coarser sediment constituents. Prior studies from the Argentine Basin have yielded evidence that suspended particles are displaced significant distances (100 - 1000 km) northward and downslope by strong surface and/or bottom currents. These transport processes result in anomalously cold alkenone-derived sea surface temperature (SST) estimates (up to 6°C colder than measured SST) and in the presence of frustules of Antarctic diatom species in surface sediments fromthis area. Here we examine advective transport processes through combined measurements of compound-specific radiocarbon ages of marine phytoplankton derived biomarkers (alkenones) from core-tops and excess 230Th (230Thxs)-derived focusing factors for late Holocene sediments from the Argentine Basin. On the continental slope, we observe 230Thxs-based focusing factors of 1.4 to 3.2 at sites where alkenone-based SST estimates were 4–6°C colder than measured values. In contrast, alkenone radiocarbon data suggest coeval deposition of marine biomarkers and planktic foraminifera, as alkenones in core-tops were younger than, or similar in age to, foraminifera. We therefore infer that the transport processes leading to the lateral displacement of these sediment components are rapid, and hence probably occur in the upper water column (<1500 m).
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ArticleVariations in mid-latitude North Atlantic surface water properties during the mid-Brunhes (MIS 9–14) and their implications for the thermohaline circulation(Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union, 2010-08-27) Voelker, Antje H. L. ; Rodrigues, T. ; Billups, K. ; Oppo, Delia W. ; McManus, Jerry F. ; Stein, R. ; Hefter, J. ; Grimalt, J. O.Stable isotope and ice-rafted debris records from three core sites in the mid-latitude North Atlantic (IODP Site U1313, MD01-2446, MD03-2699) are combined with records of ODP Sites 1056/1058 and 980 to reconstruct hydrographic conditions during the middle Pleistocene spanning Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 9–14 (300–540 ka). Core MD03-2699 is the first high-resolution mid-Brunhes record from the North Atlantic's eastern boundary upwelling system covering the complete MIS 11c interval and MIS 13. The array of sites reflect western and eastern basin boundary current as well as north to south transect sampling of subpolar and transitional water masses and allow the reconstruction of transport pathways in the upper limb of the North Atlantic's circulation. Hydrographic conditions in the surface and deep ocean during peak interglacial MIS 9 and 11 were similar among all the sites with relative stable conditions and confirm prolonged warmth during MIS 11c also for the mid-latitudes. Sea surface temperature (SST) reconstructions further reveal that in the mid-latitude North Atlantic MIS 11c is associated with two plateaus, the younger one of which is slightly warmer. Enhanced subsurface northward heat transport in the eastern boundary current system, especially during early MIS 11c, is denoted by the presence of tropical planktic foraminifer species and raises the question how strongly it impacted the Portuguese upwelling system. Deep water ventilation at the onset of MIS 11c significantly preceded surface water ventilation. Although MIS 13 was generally colder and more variable than the younger interglacials the surface water circulation scheme was the same. The greatest differences between the sites existed during the glacial inceptions and glacials. Then a north – south trending hydrographic front separated the nearshore and offshore waters off Portugal. While offshore waters originated from the North Atlantic Current as indicated by the similarities between the records of IODP Site U1313, ODP Site 980 and MD01-2446, nearshore waters as recorded in core MD03-2699 derived from the Azores Current and thus the subtropical gyre. Except for MIS 12, Azores Current influence seems to be related to eastern boundary system dynamics and not to changes in the Atlantic overturning circulation.
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PreprintHydrographic changes in the eastern subpolar North Atlantic during the last deglaciation( 2010-08) Benway, Heather M. ; McManus, Jerry F. ; Oppo, Delia W. ; Cullen, James L.Millennial-scale climate fluctuations of the last deglaciation have been tied to abrupt changes in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC). A key to understanding mechanisms of MOC collapse and recovery is the documentation of upper ocean hydrographic changes in the vicinity of North Atlantic deep convection sites. Here we present new high-resolution ocean temperature and δ18Osw records spanning the last deglaciation from an eastern subpolar North Atlantic site that lies along the flow path of the North Atlantic Current, approaching deep convection sites in the Labrador and Greenland-Iceland-Norwegian (GIN) Seas. High-resolution temperature and δ18Osw records from subpolar Site 980 help track the movement of the subpolar/subtropical front associated with temperature and Atlantic MOC changes throughout the last deglaciation. Distinct δ18Osw minima during Heinrich-1 (H1) and the Younger Dryas (YD) correspond with peaks in ice-rafted debris and periods of reduced Atlantic MOC, indicating the presence of melt water in this region that could have contributed to MOC reductions during these intervals. Increased tropical and subtropical δ18Osw during these periods of apparent freshening in the subpolar North Atlantic suggest a buildup of salt at low latitudes that served as a negative feedback on reduced Atlantic MOC.
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PreprintNorth Atlantic ocean circulation and abrupt climate change during the last glaciation( 2016-05-21) Henry, L. Gene ; McManus, Jerry F. ; Curry, William B. ; Roberts, Natalie L. ; Piotrowski, Alexander M. ; Keigwin, Lloyd D.The most recent ice age was characterized by rapid and hemispherically asynchronous climate oscillations, whose origin remains unresolved. Variations in oceanic meridional heat transport may contribute to these repeated climate changes, which were most pronounced during the glacial interval twenty-five to sixty thousand years ago known as marine isotope stage 3 (MIS3). Here we examine a sequence of climate and ocean circulation proxies throughout MIS3 at high resolution in a deep North Atlantic sediment core, combining the kinematic tracer Pa/Th with the most widely applied deep water-mass tracer, δ13CBF. These indicators reveal that Atlantic overturning circulation was reduced during every cool northern stadial, with the greatest reductions during episodic iceberg discharges from the Hudson Strait, and that sharp northern warming followed reinvigorated overturning. These results provide direct evidence for the ocean's persistent, central role in abrupt glacial climate change.
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ArticleLower export production during glacial periods in the equatorial Pacific derived from (231Pa/230Th)xs,0 measurements in deep-sea sediments(American Geophysical Union, 2004-12-16) Pichat, Sylvain ; Sims, Kenneth W. W. ; Francois, Roger ; McManus, Jerry F. ; Leger, Susan Brown ; Albarede, FrancisThe (231Pa/230Th)xs,0 records obtained from two cores from the western (MD97-2138; 1°25′S, 146°24′E, 1900 m) and eastern (Ocean Drilling Program Leg 138 Site 849, 0°11.59′N, 110°31.18′W, 3851 m) equatorial Pacific display similar variability over the last 85,000 years, i.e., from isotopic stages 1 to 5a, with systematically higher values during the Holocene, isotopic stage 3, and isotopic stage 5a, and lower values, approaching the production rate ratio of the two isotopes (0.093), during the colder periods corresponding to isotopic stages 2 and 4. We have also measured the 230Th-normalized biogenic preserved and terrigenous fluxes, as well as major and trace elements concentrations, in both cores. The (231Pa/230Th)xs,0 results combined with the changes in preserved carbonate and opal fluxes at the eastern site indicate lower productivity in the eastern equatorial Pacific during glacial periods. The (231Pa/230Th)xs,0 variations in the western equatorial Pacific also seem to be controlled by productivity (carbonate and/or opal). The generally high (231Pa/230Th)xs,0 ratios (>0.093) of the profile could be due to opal and/or MnO2 in the sinking particles. The profiles of (231Pa/230Th)xs,0 and 230Th-normalized fluxes indicate a decrease in exported carbonate, and possibly opal, during isotopic stages 2 and 4 in MD97-2138. Using 230Th-normalized flux, we also show that sediments from the two cores were strongly affected by sediment redistribution by bottom currents suggesting a control of mass accumulation rates by sediment focusing variability.
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ArticleApplication of an inverse method to interpret 231Pa/230Th observations from marine sediments(American Geophysical Union, 2011-03-16) Burke, Andrea ; Marchal, Olivier ; Bradtmiller, Louisa I. ; McManus, Jerry F. ; Francois, RogerRecords of 231Pa/230Th from Atlantic sediments have been interpreted to reflect changes in ocean circulation during the geologic past. Such interpretations should be tested with due regard to the limited spatial coverage of 231Pa/230Th data and the uncertainties in our current understanding of the behavior of both nuclides in the ocean. Here an inverse method is used to evaluate the information contained in 231Pa/230Th compilations for the Holocene, Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), and Heinrich Event 1 (H1). An estimate of the abyssal circulation in the modern Atlantic Ocean is obtained by combining hydrographic observations and dynamical constraints. Then sediment 231Pa/230Th data for each time interval are combined with an advection-scavenging model in order to determine their (in)consistency with the modern circulation estimate. We find that the majority of sediment 231Pa/230Th data for the Holocene, LGM, or H1 can be brought into consistency with the modern circulation if plausible assumptions are made about the large-scale distribution of 231Pa and about model uncertainties. Moreover, the adjustments in the data needed to reach compatibility with a hypothetical state of no flow (no advection) are positively biased for each time interval, suggesting that the 231Pa/230Th data (including that for H1) are more consistent with a persistence of some circulation than with no circulation. Our study does not imply that earlier claims of a circulation change during the LGM or H1 are inaccurate, but that these claims cannot be given a rigorous basis given the current uncertainties involved in the analysis of the 231Pa/230Th data.
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ArticleTiming of meltwater pulse 1a and climate responses to meltwater injections(American Geophysical Union, 2006-12-09) Stanford, Jennifer D. ; Rohling, Eelco J. ; Hunter, Sally E. ; Roberts, Andrew P. ; Rasmussen, Sune O. ; Bard, Edouard ; McManus, Jerry F. ; Fairbanks, Richard G.The temporal relationship between meltwater pulse 1a (mwp-1a) and the climate history of the last deglaciation remains a subject of debate. By combining the Greenland Ice Core Project δ 18O ice core record on the new Greenland ice core chronology 2005 timescale with the U/Th-dated Barbados coral record, we conclusively derive that mwp-1a did not coincide with the sharp Bølling warming but instead with the abrupt cooling of the Older Dryas. To evaluate whether there is a relationship between meltwater injections, North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) formation, and climate change, we present a high-resolution record of NADW flow intensity from Eirik Drift through the last deglaciation. It indicates only a relatively minor 200-year weakening of NADW flow, coincident with mwp-1a. Our compilation of records also indicates that during Heinrich event 1 and the Younger Dryas there were no discernible sea level rises, and yet these periods were characterized by intense NADW slowdowns/shutdowns. Clearly, deepwater formation and climate are not simply controlled by the magnitude or rate of meltwater addition. Instead, our results emphasize that the location of meltwater pulses may be more important, with NADW formation being particularly sensitive to surface freshening in the Arctic/Nordic Seas.
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PreprintWhat is what in the ice and the ocean?( 2005-01-25) Rousseau, D.-D. ; Kukla, G. ; McManus, Jerry F.The recently released North Greenland Ice core Project (NGRIP) data document several rapid, abrupt climate changes affecting the Northern Hemisphere in the last 110,000 years. In particular, the new core shows high-resolution succession of expressed warm and cold episodes, which occurred during substages of marine isotope stage MIS 5d. Some of these variations were reported earlier from the GISP2 and GRIP ice cores. In the NGRIP core, following the Intimate group recommendations, the oscillations were given labels, which are in part the same as in the marine isotope system of deep-sea sediments, but which in part are obviously not coeval. Here we recommend honoring the originally published marine designations to the maximum extent possible, but distinguishing them by a prefix referring to their recognition in the ice.
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ArticleThe origin of the 1500-year climate cycles in Holocene North-Atlantic records(Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union, 2007-10-01) Debret, M. ; Bout-Roumazeilles, V. ; Grousset, F. ; Desmet, M. ; McManus, Jerry F. ; Massei, N. ; Sebag, D. ; Petit, J.-R. ; Copard, Y. ; Trentesaux, A.Since the first suggestion of 1500-year cycles in the advance and retreat of glaciers (Denton and Karlen, 1973), many studies have uncovered evidence of repeated climate oscillations of 2500, 1500, and 1000 years. During last glacial period, natural climate cycles of 1500 years appear to be persistent (Bond and Lotti, 1995) and remarkably regular (Mayewski et al., 1997; Rahmstorf, 2003), yet the origin of this pacing during the Holocene remains a mystery (Rahmstorf, 2003), making it one of the outstanding puzzles of climate variability. Solar variability is often considered likely to be responsible for such cyclicities, but the evidence for solar forcing is difficult to evaluate within available data series due to the shortcomings of conventional time-series analyses. However, the wavelets analysis method is appropriate when considering non-stationary variability. Here we show by the use of wavelets analysis that it is possible to distinguish solar forcing of 1000- and 2500- year oscillations from oceanic forcing of 1500-year cycles. Using this method, the relative contribution of solar-related and ocean-related climate influences can be distinguished throughout the 10 000 yr Holocene intervals since the last ice age. These results reveal that the 1500-year climate cycles are linked with the oceanic circulation and not with variations in solar output as previously argued (Bond et al., 2001). In this light, previously studied marine sediment (Bianchi and McCave, 1999; Chapman and Shackleton, 2000; Giraudeau et al., 2000), ice core (O'Brien et al., 1995; Vonmoos et al., 2006) and dust records (Jackson et al., 2005) can be seen to contain the evidence of combined forcing mechanisms, whose relative influences varied during the course of the Holocene. Circum-Atlantic climate records cannot be explained exclusively by solar forcing, but require changes in ocean circulation, as suggested previously (Broecker et al., 2001; McManus et al., 1999).
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PreprintSilicon isotopes indicate enhanced carbon export efficiency in the North Atlantic during deglaciation( 2013-11-11) Hendry, Katharine R. ; Robinson, Laura F. ; McManus, Jerry F. ; Hays, James D.Today's Sargasso Sea is nutrient-starved, except for episodic upwelling events caused by wind-driven winter mixing and eddies. Enhanced diatom opal burial in Sargasso Sea sediments indicates that silicic acid, a limiting nutrient today, may have been more available in subsurface waters during Heinrich Stadials, the millennial-scale climate perturbations of the last glacial and deglaciation. Here we use the geochemistry of opalforming organisms from different water depths to demonstrate changes in silicic acid supply and utilisation during the most recent Heinrich Stadial. We suggest that during the early phase (17.5-18 ka), wind-driven upwelling replenished silicic acid to the subsurface, resulting in low Si utilisation. By 17ka, stratification reduced the surface silicic acid supply and increased Si utilization efficiency. This abrupt shift in Si cycling would have contributed to high regional carbon export efficiency during the recent Heinrich Stadial, despite being a period of increasing atmospheric CO2.
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PreprintAnaerobic diagenesis of silica and carbon in continental margin sediments : discrete zones of TCO2 production( 2005-05-10) Berelson, William M. ; Prokopenko, Maria ; Sansone, F. J. ; Graham, A. W. ; McManus, Jerry F. ; Bernhard, Joan M.Pore water profiles of dissolved Si, Ca2+, SO42-, CH4, and TCO2 (Dissolved Inorganic Carbon; DIC) were determined from multicores and gravity cores collected at nine sites off Southern California, the west coast of Mexico, and within the Gulf of California. These sites were located within the eastern North Pacific oxygen minimum zone at depths of 400 to 900 m and in settings where bottom water oxygen concentrations were <3 μM and sediments were laminated. Pore water profiles were defined at a resolution of millimeters (whole core squeezing), centimeters (sectioning and squeezing) and meters (gravity core sectioning and squeezing), and diffusive fluxes were calculated for different zones within the sediment column. The flux of dissolved silica across the sediment-water interface (SWI) ranged from 0.3 to 3.4 mmol Si m-2d-1, and TCO2 fluxes ranged from 0.8 to 4.6 mmol C m-2d-1. A positive correlation (r = 0.74) existed between these fluxes, yet these two constituents exhibited significantly different diagenetic behavior downcore; dissolved Si generally reached a constant concentration (between 450 and 900 μM) in the upper few cm, whereas TCO2 concentrations increased monotonically with depth. Methane was detected at micromolar levels in sediment intervals between 0 and 60 cm and at five sites, increased to millimolar levels at depths of 80 to 170 cm. At the horizon marking the appearance of millimolar levels of methane, there was a distinct change in slope of the sulfate and TCO2 gradients. A flux budget for this horizon was determined by using linear fits to pore water profiles; these budgets indicate that the upward TCO2 flux away from this horizon is 40 to 50% greater than the downward sulfate flux to this horizon. Given that the TCO2 flux to this horizon from below was quite small, this imbalance suggests that anaerobic oxidation of methane by sulfate is not the only process producing TCO2 within this horizon. A budget for TCO2 at this horizon is balanced when 40 to 80% of the sulfate flux is attributed to organic carbon remineralization. Of the DIC that diffuses across the SWI, 20 to 40% is generated by reactions occurring within or below this deep reaction horizon.
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Article230 Th normalization: new insights on an essential tool for quantifying sedimentary fluxes in the modern and quaternary ocean(John Wiley & Sons, 2020-01-27) Costa, Kassandra M. ; Hayes, Christopher T. ; Anderson, Robert F. ; Pavia, Frank ; Bausch, Alexandra ; Deng, Feifei ; Dutay, Jean-Claude ; Geibert, Walter ; Heinze, Christoph ; Henderson, Gideon M. ; Hillaire‐Marcel, Claude ; Hoffmann, Sharon S. ; Jaccard, Samuel L. ; Jacobel, Allison W. ; Kienast, Stephanie S. ; Kipp, Lauren ; Lerner, Paul ; Lippold, Jörg ; Lund, David C. ; Marcantonio, Franco ; McGee, David ; McManus, Jerry F. ; Mekik, Figen ; Middleton, Jennifer L. ; Missiaen, Lise ; Not, Christelle ; Pichat, Sylvain ; Robinson, Laura F. ; Rowland, George H. ; Roy-Barman, Matthieu ; Tagliabue, Alessandro ; Torfstein, Adi ; Winckler, Gisela ; Zhou, Yuxin230Th normalization is a valuable paleoceanographic tool for reconstructing high‐resolution sediment fluxes during the late Pleistocene (last ~500,000 years). As its application has expanded to ever more diverse marine environments, the nuances of 230Th systematics, with regard to particle type, particle size, lateral advective/diffusive redistribution, and other processes, have emerged. We synthesized over 1000 sedimentary records of 230Th from across the global ocean at two time slices, the late Holocene (0–5,000 years ago, or 0–5 ka) and the Last Glacial Maximum (18.5–23.5 ka), and investigated the spatial structure of 230Th‐normalized mass fluxes. On a global scale, sedimentary mass fluxes were significantly higher during the Last Glacial Maximum (1.79–2.17 g/cm2kyr, 95% confidence) relative to the Holocene (1.48–1.68 g/cm2kyr, 95% confidence). We then examined the potential confounding influences of boundary scavenging, nepheloid layers, hydrothermal scavenging, size‐dependent sediment fractionation, and carbonate dissolution on the efficacy of 230Th as a constant flux proxy. Anomalous 230Th behavior is sometimes observed proximal to hydrothermal ridges and in continental margins where high particle fluxes and steep continental slopes can lead to the combined effects of boundary scavenging and nepheloid interference. Notwithstanding these limitations, we found that 230Th normalization is a robust tool for determining sediment mass accumulation rates in the majority of pelagic marine settings (>1,000 m water depth).
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ArticleGlacial‐interglacial circulation changes inferred from 231Pa/230Th sedimentary record in the North Atlantic region(American Geophysical Union, 2009-05-02) Gherardi, J.‐M. ; Labeyrie, L. ; Nave, Silvia ; Francois, Roger ; McManus, Jerry F. ; Cortijo, E.Studies from the subtropical western and eastern Atlantic Ocean, using the 231Pa/230Th ratio as a kinematic proxy for deep water circulation, provided compelling evidence for a strong link between climate and the rate of meridional overturning circulation (MOC) over the last deglaciation. In this study, we present a compilation of existing and new sedimentary 231Pa/230Th records from North Atlantic cores between 1710 and 4550 m water depth. Comparing sedimentary 231Pa/230Th from different depths provides new insights into the evolution of the geometry and rate of deep water formation in the North Atlantic during the last 20,000 years. The 231Pa/230Th ratio measured in upper Holocene sediments indicates slow water renewal above ∼2500 m and rapid flushing below, consistent with our understanding of modern circulation. In contrast, during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), Glacial North Atlantic Intermediate Water (GNAIW) drove a rapid overturning circulation to a depth of at least ∼3000 m depth. Below ∼4000 m, water renewal was much slower than today. At the onset of Heinrich event 1, transport by the overturning circulation declined at all depths. GNAIW shoaled above 3000 m and significantly weakened but did not totally shut down. During the Bølling‐Allerød (BA) that followed, water renewal rates further decreased above 2000 m but increased below. Our results suggest for the first time that ocean circulation during that period was quite distinct from the modern circulation mode, with a comparatively higher renewal rate above 3000 m and a lower renewal rate below in a pattern similar to the LGM but less accentuated. MOC during the Younger Dryas appears very similar to BA down to 2000 m and slightly slower below.
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ArticleStability of North Atlantic water masses in face of pronounced climate variability during the Pleistocene(American Geophysical Union, 2004-04-21) Raymo, Maureen E. ; Oppo, Delia W. ; Flower, Benjamin P. ; Hodell, David A. ; McManus, Jerry F. ; Venz, K.A. ; Kleiven, Helga F. ; McIntyre, K.Geochemical profiles from the North Atlantic Ocean suggest that the vertical δ13C structure of the water column at intermediate depths did not change significantly between glacial and interglacial time over much of the Pleistocene, despite large changes in ice volume and iceberg delivery from nearby landmasses. The most anomalous δ13C profiles are from the extreme interglaciations of the late Pleistocene. This compilation of data suggests that, unlike today (an extreme interglaciation), the two primary sources of northern deep water, Norwegian-Greenland Sea and Labrador Sea/subpolar North Atlantic, had different characteristic δ13C values over most of the Pleistocene. We speculate that the current open sea ice conditions in the Norwegian-Greenland Sea are a relatively rare occurrence and that the high-δ13C deep water that forms in this region today is geologically unusual. If northern source deep waters can have highly variable δ13C, then this likelihood must be considered when inferring past circulation changes from benthic δ13C records.
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ArticleWhat do benthic δ13C and δ18O data tell us about Atlantic circulation during Heinrich Stadial 1?(John Wiley & Sons, 2015-04-13) Oppo, Delia W. ; Curry, William B. ; McManus, Jerry F.Approximately synchronous with the onset of Heinrich Stadial 1 (HS1), δ13C decreased throughout most of the upper (~1000–2500 m) Atlantic, and at some deeper North Atlantic sites. This early deglacial δ13C decrease has been alternatively attributed to a reduced fraction of high-δ13C North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) or to a decrease in the NADW δ13C source value. Here we present new benthic δ18O and δ13C records from three relatively shallow (~1450–1650 m) subpolar Northeast Atlantic cores. With published data from other cores, these data form a depth transect (~1200–3900 m) in the subpolar Northeast Atlantic. We compare Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and HS1 data from this transect with data from a depth transect of cores from the Brazil Margin. The largest LGM-to-HS1 decreases in both benthic δ13C and δ18O occurred in upper waters containing the highest NADW fraction during the LGM. We show that the δ13C decrease can be explained entirely by a lower NADW δ13C source value, entirely by a decrease in the proportion of NADW relative to Southern Ocean Water, or by a combination of these mechanisms. However, building on insights from model simulations, we hypothesize that reduced ventilation due to a weakened but still active Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation also contributed to the low δ13C values in the upper North Atlantic. We suggest that the benthic δ18O gradients above ~2300 m at both core transects indicate the depth to which heat and North Atlantic deglacial freshwater had mixed into the subsurface ocean by early HS1.
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ArticleLong-term variations in Iceland–Scotland overflow strength during the Holocene(Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union, 2013-09-03) Thornalley, David J. R. ; Blaschek, Michael ; Davies, F. J. ; Praetorius, Summer K. ; Oppo, Delia W. ; McManus, Jerry F. ; Hall, Ian R. ; Kleiven, Helga F. ; Renssen, Hans ; McCave, I. NickThe overflow of deep water from the Nordic seas into the North Atlantic plays a critical role in global ocean circulation and climate. Approximately half of this overflow occurs via the Iceland–Scotland (I–S) overflow, yet the history of its strength throughout the Holocene (~ 0–11 700 yr ago, ka) is poorly constrained, with previous studies presenting apparently contradictory evidence regarding its long-term variability. Here, we provide a comprehensive reconstruction of I–S overflow strength throughout the Holocene using sediment grain size data from a depth transect of 13 cores from the Iceland Basin. Our data are consistent with the hypothesis that the main axis of the I–S overflow on the Iceland slope was shallower during the early Holocene, deepening to its present depth by ~ 7 ka. Our results also reveal weaker I–S overflow during the early and late Holocene, with maximum overflow strength occurring at ~ 7 ka, the time of a regional climate thermal maximum. Climate model simulations suggest a shoaling of deep convection in the Nordic seas during the early and late Holocene, consistent with our evidence for weaker I–S overflow during these intervals. Whereas the reduction in I–S overflow strength during the early Holocene likely resulted from melting remnant glacial ice sheets, the decline throughout the last 7000 yr was caused by an orbitally induced increase in the amount of Arctic sea ice entering the Nordic seas. Although the flux of Arctic sea ice to the Nordic seas is expected to decrease throughout the next century, model simulations predict that under high emissions scenarios, competing effects, such as warmer sea surface temperatures in the Nordic seas, will result in reduced deep convection, likely driving a weaker I–S overflow.