Derivation of Del180 from sediment core log data\u27 Implications for millennial-scale climate change in the Labrador Sea

Sediment core logs from six sediment cores in the Labrador Sea show millennial-scale climate variability during the last glacial by recording all Heinrich events and several major Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles. The same millennial-scale climate change is documented for surface water δ18O records of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (left coiled); hence the surface water δ18O record can be derived from sediment core logging by means of multiple linear regression, providing a paleoclimate proxy record at very high temporal resolution (70 years). For the Labrador Sea, sediment core logs contain important information about deepwater current velocities and also reflect the variable input of ice-rafted debris from different sources as inferred from grain-size analysis, the relation of density and P wave velocity, and magnetic susceptibility. For the last glacial, faster deepwater currents, which correspond to highs in sediment physical properties, occurred during iceberg discharge and lasted from several centuries to a few millennia. Those enhanced currents might have contributed to increased production of intermediate waters during times of reduced production of North Atlantic Deep Water. Hudson Strait might have acted as a major supplier of detrital carbonate only during lowered sea level (greater ice extent). During coldest atmospheric temperatures over Greenland, deepwater currents increased during iceberg discharge in the Labrador Sea, then surface water freshened shortly thereafter, while the abrupt atmospheric temperature rise happened after a larger time lag of ≥ 1 kyr. The correlation implies a strong link and common forcing for atmosphere, sea surface, and deep water during the last glacial at millennial timescales but decoupling at orbital timescales

Influence of hydrodynamic processes on the fate of sedimentary organic matter on continental margins

Understanding the effects of hydrodynamic forcing on organic matter (OM) composition is important for assessment of organic carbon (OC) burial in marginal seas on regional and global scales. Here we examine the relationships between regional oceanographic conditions (bottom shear stress), and the physical characteristics (mineral surface area and grain size) and geochemical properties (OC content [OC%] and carbon isotope compositions [13C, 14C]) of a large suite of surface sediments from the Chinese marginal seas to assess the influence of hydrodynamic processes on the fate of OM on shallow continental shelves. Our results suggest that 14C content is primarily controlled by organo‐mineral interactions and hydrodynamically driven resuspension processes, highlighted by (i) positive correlations between 14C content and OC% (and surface area) and (ii) negative correlations between 14C content and grain size (and bottom shear stress). Hydrodynamic processes influence 14C content due to both OC aging during lateral transport and accompanying selective degradation of OM associated with sediment (re) mobilization, these effects being superimposed on the original 14C characteristics of carbon source. Our observations support the hypotheses of Blair and Aller (2012, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev‐marine‐120709‐142717) and Leithold et al. (2016, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2015.10.011) that hydrodynamically driven sediment translocation results in greater OC 14C depletion in broad, shallow marginal seas common to passive margin settings than on active margins. On a global scale, this may influence the extent to which continental margins act as net carbon sources and sinks. Our findings thus suggest that hydrodynamic processes are important in shaping the nature, dynamics, and magnitude of OC export and burial in passive marginal seas

Sedimentation and time-of-transition techniques for measuring grain-size distributions in lagoonal flats: comparability of results

A comparative study was performed of three instruments used to measure the grain-size distribution of thirty sediment samples from shallow lagoonal flats: the hydrometer, the Sedigraph 5100 and the CIS-1. The hydrometer and Sedigraph are based on sedimentation whereas the CIS-1 uses the time of transition. The percentage of the samples accounted for by the <8 lm fraction was not affected by the technique used, but this was not the case with the clay fraction (<2 lm). Due to its relative independence from the analytical method applied, the <8 lm fraction can be used in ternary diagram classifications. This fraction also has an environmental significance in coastal lagoons in terms of hydrodynamics, organic enrichment and macrozoobenthos assemblages. The linear relationships obtained in this study may provide useful operational indications for similar studies

Minimal Holocene retreat of large tidewater glaciers in Køge Bugt, southeast Greenland

Abstract Køge Bugt, in southeast Greenland, hosts three of the largest glaciers of the Greenland Ice Sheet; these have been major contributors to ice loss in the last two decades. Despite its importance, the Holocene history of this area has not been investigated. We present a 9100 year sediment core record of glaciological and oceanographic changes from analysis of foraminiferal assemblages, the abundance of ice-rafted debris, and sortable silt grain size data. Results show that ice-rafted debris accumulated constantly throughout the core; this demonstrates that glaciers in Køge Bugt remained in tidewater settings throughout the last 9100 years. This observation constrains maximum Holocene glacier retreat here to less than 6 km from present-day positions. Retreat was minimal despite oceanic and climatic conditions during the early-Holocene that were at least as warm as the present-day. The limited Holocene retreat of glaciers in Køge Bugt was controlled by the subglacial topography of the area; the steeply sloping bed allowed glaciers here to stabilise during retreat. These findings underscore the need to account for individual glacier geometry when predicting future behaviour. We anticipate that glaciers in Køge Bugt will remain in stable configurations in the near-future, despite the predicted continuation of atmospheric and oceanic warming

Widespread dispersal and aging of organic carbon in shallow marginal seas

The occurrence of pre-aged organic carbon (OC) in continental margin surface sediments is a commonly observed phenomenon, yet the nature, sources, and causes of this aged OC remain largely undetermined for many continental shelf settings. Here we present the results of an extensive survey of the abundance and radiocarbon content of OC in surface sediments from the northern Chinese marginal seas. Pre-aged OC is associated with both coarser (&#62;63 µm) and finer (&#60;63 µm) sedimentary components; measurements on specific grain-size fractions reveal that it is especially prevalent within the 20–63 µm fraction of inner shelf sediments. We suggest that organic matter associated with this sortable silt fraction is subject to protracted entrainment in resuspension-deposition loops during which it ages, is modified, and is laterally dispersed, most likely via entrainment within benthic nepheloid layers. This finding highlights the complex dynamics and predepositional history of organic matter accumulating in continental shelf sediments, with implications for our understanding of carbon cycling on continental shelves, development of regional carbon budgets, and interpretation of sedimentary records

Grain Size Constraints on Glacial Circulation in the Southwest Atlantic

Knowledge of past deep-ocean current speeds has the potential to inform our understanding of changes in the climate system on glacial-interglacial timescales, because they may be used to help constrain changes in deep-ocean circulation rates and pathways. Of particular interest is the paleo-flow speed of southern-sourced deep water, which may have acted as a carbon store during the last glacial period. A location of importance in the northward transport of southern-sourced bottom water is the Vema Channel, which divides the Argentine and Brazil basins in the South Atlanti c. We revisit previous studies of paleo-flow in Vema Channel using updated techniques in grain size analysis (i.e., mean sortable silt grain size), in Vema Channel cores and cores from the Brazil margin. Furthermore, we update the interpretation of the previous grain size studies in the light of many years further research into the glacial circulation of the deep Atlantic. Our results are broadly consistent with the existing data and suggest that during the last glacial period there was slightly more vigorous intermediate to middepth (shallower than 2,600 m) circulation in the South Atlantic Ocean than during the Holocene, whereas around 3,500 m the circulation was generally more sluggish. Increased glacial flow speed on the eastern side of the Vema Channel was likely related to an increase in northward velocity of AABW in the channel. An increase in Antarctic Bottom Water flow through the Vema Channel may have helped to sustain the large volume of southern-sourced deep water in the Atlantic during the glacial period

Magnetic record of deglaciation using FORC-PCA, sortable-silt grain size, and magnetic excursion at 26 ka, from the Rockall Trough (NE Atlantic)

Core MD04-2822 from the Rockall Trough has apparent sedimentation rates of ∼ 1 m/kyr during the last deglaciation (Termination I). Component magnetization directions indicate a magnetic excursion at 16.3 m depth in the core, corresponding to an age of 26.5 ka, implying an excursion duration of ∼350 years. Across Termination I, the mean grain size of sortable silt implies reduced bottom-current velocity in the Younger Dryas and Heinrich Stadial (HS)−1A, and increased velocities during the Bølling-Allerød warm period. Standard bulk magnetic parameters imply fining of magnetic grain size from the mid-Younger Dryas (∼12 ka) until ∼ 8 ka. First-order reversal curves (FORCs) were analyzed using ridge extraction to differentiate single domain (SD) from background (detrital) components. Principal component analysis (FORC-PCA) was then used to discriminate three end members corresponding to SD, pseudo-single domain (PSD), and multidomain (MD) magnetite. The fining of bulk magnetic grain size from 12 to 8 ka is due to reduction in concentration of detrital (PSD + MD) magnetite, superimposed on a relatively uniform concentration of SD magnetite produced by magnetotactic bacteria. The decrease in PSD+MD magnetite concentration from 12 to 8 ka is synchronized with increase in benthic δ13C, and with major (∼70 m) regional sea-level rise, and may therefore be related to detrital sources on the shelf that had reduced influence as sea level rose, and to bottom-water reorganization as Northern Source Water (NSW) replaced Southern Source Water (SSW).Research supported by US NSF grants 0850413 and 1014506, and the European R12esearch Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP/2007-2013)/ERC Grant Agreement No. 320750. The UK NERC and BGS funded the recovery of Core MD04-2822

Paleocurrent reconstruction of the deep Pacific inflow during the middle Miocene : reflections of East Antarctic Ice Sheet growth

Today the deep western boundary current (DWBC) east of New Zealand is the most important route for deep water entering the Pacific Ocean. Large-scale changes in deep water circulation patterns are thought to have been associated with the development of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) close to the main source of bottom water for the DWBC. Here we reconstruct the changing speed of the southwest Pacific DWBC during the middle Miocene from ∼15.5-12.5 Ma, a period of significant global ice accumulation associated with EAIS growth. Sortable silt mean grain sizes from Ocean Drilling Program Site 1123 reveal variability in the speed of the Pacific inflow on the timescale of the 41 kyr orbital obliquity cycle. Similar orbital period flow changes have recently been demonstrated for the Pleistocene epoch. Collectively, these observations suggest that a strong coupling between changes in the speed of the deep Pacific inflow and high-latitude climate forcing may have been a persistent feature of the global thermohaline circulation system for at least the past 15 Myr. Furthermore, long-term changes in flow speed suggest an intensification of the DWBC under an inferred increase in Southern Component Water production. This occurred at the same time as decreasing Tethyan outflow and major EAIS growth between ∼15.5 and 13.5 Ma. These results provide evidence that a major component of the deep thermohaline circulation was associated with the middle Miocene growth of the EAIS and support the view that this time interval represents an important step in the development of the Neogene icehouse climate

Paleoenvironmental reconstruction of Challenger Mound initiation in the Porcupine Seabight, NE Atlantic

The understanding of the paleoenvironment during initiation and early development of deep cold-water coral carbonate mounds in the NE Atlantic is currently a focus of international research. The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 307 drilled the 155 m high Challenger Mound in the Porcupine Seabight (SW off Ireland) in order to investigate for the first time sediments from the base of a giant carbonate mound. In this study we focus in high resolution on 12 m of sediments from Site 1317 encompassing the mound base. The mound initiation and start-up phase coincide with the intensification of the Northern Hemisphere Glaciation (INHG) at around 2.7 Ma. Further carbonate mound development seems to be strongly dependent on rapid changes in paleoceanographic and climatic conditions at the Pliocene–Pleistocene boundary, especially characterized and caused by the interaction of intermediate water masses, the Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW), the Eastern North Atlantic Water (ENAW) and the influence of Southern Component Water (SCW). This study is based on well-established proxies such as δ18O and δ13C of planktonic (Globigerina bulloides) and benthic foraminifera (Fontbotia wuellerstorfi, Discanomalina coronata, Lobatula lobatula, Lobatula antarctica, and Planulina ariminensis) as well as grain size parameters to identify the paleoenvironmental and paleoecological setting favourable for the initial coral colonization on the mound. Stable oxygen and carbon isotope records of benthic foraminiferal species indicate that L. lobatula provides a reliable isotopic signature for paleoenvironmental reconstructions. In particular, δ18O values of L. lobatula indicate that initial mound growth started in a glacial mode with moderate excursions in δ18O values. Carbon isotope values of D. coronata are significantly offset compared to other epibenthic species. This offset may be related to vital effects. Bottom water temperatures, calculated using standard equations based on δ18O of foraminiferal tests, range between 7 and 11 °C, consistent with the known temperature range conducive for cold-water coral growth and development. Bottom currents transporting intermediate water masses of southern origin (Mediterranean and Bay of Biscay) enhanced at 2.6 Ma supporting first coral settlements with the INHG. The benthic δ13C and the sortable silt records indicate that the early Pleistocene hydrodynamic regime was characterized by weaker current intensities associated with vertical movements of MOW or its replacement by SCW at intermediate depth. After these sluggish phases enhanced MOW flow dominated again and led to stronger current intensities and most probably sediment erosion on Challenger Mound. Erosion in combination with early diagenetic (oxidation) processes overprinted the sediment layers as indicated by dissolved coral skeletons, the increase in Ca-content and sediment density, minimum δ13Cplanktonic values, as well as the occurrence of gypsum and pyrite, implying a careful evaluation of original and overprinted geochemical signals. We conclude that the Challenger Mound development was already influenced by short-term variability of water masses from southern origin and possible erosional events comparable to the late Pleistocene setting