Brazil margin stable isotope profiles for the last glacial cycle: implications for watermass geometry and oceanic carbon storage

Abstract

Vertical profiles of benthic foraminiferal oxygen and carbon isotopes (δ18O and δ13C) imply the volume of southern source water (SSW) in the Atlantic basin expanded during the Last Glacial Maximum. Shoaling of the boundary between SSW and northern source water (NSW) may reduce mixing between the two watermasses, thereby isolating SSW and enhancing its ability to store carbon during glacial intervals. Here we test this hypothesis using profiles of δ18O and δ13C from the Brazil Margin spanning the last glacial cycle (0–150 ka). Shoaling of the SSW-NSW boundary occurred during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2, 4, and 6, consistent with expansion of SSW and greater carbon sequestration in the abyss. But the watermass boundary also shoaled during MIS 5e, when atmospheric CO2 levels were comparable to MIS 1. Additionally, we find there was little change in watermass structure across the MIS 5e-d transition, the first major decline in CO2 of the last glacial cycle. Thus, the overall pattern in glacial-interglacial geometry is inconsistent with watermass mixing acting as a primary control on atmospheric pCO2. We also find that δ13C values for MIS 5e are systematically lower than MIS 1, with the largest difference (∼1‰) occurring in the upper water column. Low δ13C during MIS 5e was most likely due to a long-term imbalance in weathering and deposition of calcium carbonate or input of 13C-depleted carbon from a reservoir external to the ocean-atmosphere system.