Constraints on ocean circulation at the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum from neodymium isotopes

Global warming during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) ĝ1/4 ĝ€55 million years ago (Ma) coincided with a massive release of carbon to the ocean-atmosphere system, as indicated by carbon isotopic data. Previous studies have argued for a role of changing ocean circulation, possibly as a trigger or response to climatic changes. We use neodymium (Nd) isotopic data to reconstruct short high-resolution records of deep-water circulation across the PETM. These records are derived by reductively leaching sediments from seven globally distributed sites to reconstruct past deep-ocean circulation across the PETM. The Nd data for the leachates are interpreted to be consistent with previous studies that have used fish teeth Nd isotopes and benthic foraminiferal δ13C to constrain regions of convection. There is some evidence from combining Nd isotope and δ13C records that the three major ocean basins may not have had substantial exchanges of deep waters. If the isotopic data are interpreted within this framework, then the observed pattern may be explained if the strength of overturning in each basin varied distinctly over the PETM, resulting in differences in deep-water aging gradients between basins. Results are consistent with published interpretations from proxy data and model simulations that suggest modulation of overturning circulation had an important role for initiation and recovery of the ocean-atmosphere system associated with the PETM

Body temperatures of modern and extinct vertebrates from ^(13)C-^(18)O bond abundances in bioapatite

The stable isotope compositions of biologically precipitated apatite in bone, teeth, and scales are widely used to obtain information on the diet, behavior, and physiology of extinct organisms and to reconstruct past climate. Here we report the application of a new type of geochemical measurement to bioapatite, a “clumped-isotope” paleothermometer, based on the thermodynamically driven preference for ^(13)C and ^(18)O to bond with each other within carbonate ions in the bioapatite crystal lattice. This effect is dependent on temperature but, unlike conventional stable isotope paleothermometers, is independent from the isotopic composition of water from which the mineral formed. We show that the abundance of ^(13)C-^(18)O bonds in the carbonate component of tooth bioapatite from modern specimens decreases with increasing body temperature of the animal, following a relationship between isotope “clumping” and temperature that is statistically indistinguishable from inorganic calcite. This result is in agreement with a theoretical model of isotopic ordering in carbonate ion groups in apatite and calcite. This thermometer constrains body temperatures of bioapatite-producing organisms with an accuracy of 1–2 °C. Analyses of fossilized tooth enamel of both Pleistocene and Miocene age yielded temperatures within error of those derived from similar modern taxa. Clumped-isotope analysis of bioapatite represents a new approach in the study of the thermophysiology of extinct species, allowing the first direct measurement of their body temperatures. It will also open new avenues in the study of paleoclimate, as the measurement of clumped isotopes in phosphorites and fossils has the potential to reconstruct environmental temperatures

Determining the Diagenetic Conditions of Concretion Formation: Assessing Temperatures and Pore Waters Using Clumped Isotopes

Carbonate-δ^(18)O paleothermometry is used in many diagenetic studies to unravel the thermal history of basins. However, this approach generally requires an assumed pore-water δ^(18)O (δ^(18)O_(pw)) value, a parameter that is difficult to quantify in past regimes. In addition, many processes can change the original isotopic composition of pore water, which further complicates the assignment of an initial δ^(18)O_(pw) and can lead to erroneous temperature estimates. Here, we use clumped-isotope thermometry, a proxy based on the ^(13)C–^(18)O bond abundance in carbonate minerals, to evaluate the temperatures of concretion formation in the Miocene Monterey Formation and the Cretaceous Holz Shale, California. These temperatures are combined with established carbonate–water fractionation factors to calculate the associated δ^(18)O_(pw). Results demonstrate that diagenetic processes can modify the δ^(18)O of ancient pore water, confounding attempts to estimate diagenetic temperatures using standard approaches. Clumped-isotope-based temperature estimates for Monterey Formation concretions range from ∼ 17 to 35°C, up to ∼ 12°C higher than traditional δ^(18)O carbonate–water paleothermometry when δ^(18)O_(pw) values are assumed to equal Miocene seawater values. Calculated δ^(18)O_(pw) values range from +0.3 to +2.5‰ (VSMOW)—higher than coeval Miocene seawater, likely due to δ^(18)O_(pw) modification accompanying diagenesis of sedimentary siliceous phases. Clumped-isotope temperatures for the Holz Shale concretions range from ∼ 33 to 44°C, about 15 to 30°C lower than temperatures derived using the traditional method. Calculated δ^(18)O_(pw) values range from −5.0 to −2.9‰ and likely reflect the influx of meteoric fluids. We conclude that the use of clumped isotopes both improves the accuracy of temperature reconstructions and provides insight into the evolution of δ^(18)O_(pw) during diagenesis, addressing a longstanding conundrum in basin-evolution research

Assessing cementation in the El Capitan Reef Complex and Lincolnshire Limestone using ^(13)C-^(18)O bond abundances in carbonates

The Permian El Capitan and Jurassic Lincolnshire limestones have been intensely studied for their stratigraphy, depositional setting and paleoecology. Nevertheless, the diagenetic development of these two units remains controversial, particularly with regard to diagenetic carbonate formation. Calcite cement phases have previously been characterized via δ^(18)O and δ^(13)C in order to determine precipitation temperatures and carbon sources, however, these results have lead to conflicting hypotheses

Formation mechanisms of carbonate concretions of the Monterey Formation: Analyses of clumped isotopes, iron, sulfur and carbon

Carbonate concretions can form as a result of organic matter degradation within sediments. However, the ability to determine specific processes and formation temperatures of particular concretions has remained elusive. Here, we employ concentrations of carbonate-associated sulfate (CAS), δ^(34)S_(CAS) and clumped isotopes (along with more traditional approaches) to characterize the nature of concretion authigenesis within the Miocene Monterey Formation

High regional climate sensitivity over continental China constrained by glacial-recent changes in temperature and the hydrological cycle

The East Asian monsoon is one of Earth’s most significant climatic phenomena, and numerous paleoclimate archives have revealed that it exhibits variations on orbital and suborbital time scales. Quantitative constraints on the climate changes associated with these past variations are limited, yet are needed to constrain sensitivity of the region to changes in greenhouse gas levels. Here, we show central China is a region that experienced a much larger temperature change since the Last Glacial Maximum than typically simulated by climate models. We applied clumped isotope thermometry to carbonates from the central Chinese Loess Plateau to reconstruct temperature and water isotope shifts from the Last Glacial Maximum to present. We find a summertime temperature change of 6–7 °C that is reproduced by climate model simulations presented here. Proxy data reveal evidence for a shift to lighter isotopic composition of meteoric waters in glacial times, which is also captured by our model. Analysis of model outputs suggests that glacial cooling over continental China is significantly amplified by the influence of stationary waves, which, in turn, are enhanced by continental ice sheets. These results not only support high regional climate sensitivity in Central China but highlight the fundamental role of planetary-scale atmospheric dynamics in the sensitivity of regional climates to continental glaciation, changing greenhouse gas levels, and insolation

Alteration of volcaniclastic deposits at Minna Bluff : geochemical insights on mineralizing environment and climate during the Late Miocene in Antarctica

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2014. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 15 (2014): 3258–3280, doi:10.1002/2014GC005422.Secondary minerals in volcaniclastic deposits at Minna Bluff, a 45 km long peninsula in the Ross Sea, are used to infer processes of alteration and environmental conditions in the Late Miocene. Glassy volcaniclastic deposits are altered and contain phillipsite and chabazite, low to high-Mg carbonates, chalcedony, and clay. The δ18O of carbonates and chalcedony is variable, ranging from −0.50 to 21.53‰ and 0.68 to 10.37‰, respectively, and δD for chalcedony is light (−187.8 to −220.6‰), corresponding to Antarctic meteoric water. A mean carbonate 87Sr/86Sr ratio of 0.70327 ± 0.0009 (1σ, n = 12) is comparable to lava and suggests freshwater, as opposed to seawater, caused the alteration. Minerals were precipitated at elevated temperatures (91 and 104°C) based on quartz-calcite equilibrium, carbonate 13C-18C thermometry (Δ47 derived temperature = 5° to 43°C) and stability of zeolites in geothermal systems (>10 to ∼100°C). The alteration was a result of isolated, ephemeral events involving the exchange between heated meteoric water and glass during or soon after the formation of each deposit. Near-surface evaporative distillation can explain 18O-enriched compositions for some Mg-rich carbonates and chalcedony. The δ18Owater calculated for carbonates (−15.8 to −22.9‰) reveals a broad change, becoming heavier between ∼12 and ∼7 Ma, consistent with a warming climate. These findings are independently corroborated by the interpretation of Late Miocene sedimentary sequences recovered from nearby sediment cores. However, in contrast to a cold-based thermal regime proposed for ice flow at core sites, wet-based conditions prevailed at Minna Bluff; a likely consequence of high heat flow associated with an active magma system.This research was funded by a collaborative grant NSF OPP 05-38033. It also was supported by UNED/NSF 250550001146, NSF grants EAR-0949191, ARC-1215551, EAR-1325054, EAR-1352212, EAR-1049351, ACS grant 51182-DNI2, DOE grants DE-FG02-13ER16402, and DE-SC0010288, a Hellman Fellowship, and a Katzner grant (BGSU).2015-02-1

The Magnitude and Duration of Late Ordovician–Early Silurian Glaciation

Understanding ancient climate changes is hampered by the inability to disentangle trends in ocean temperature from trends in continental ice volume. We used carbonate “clumped” isotope paleothermometry to constrain ocean temperatures, and thereby estimate ice volumes, through the Late Ordovician–Early Silurian glaciation. We find tropical ocean temperatures of 32° to 37°C except for short-lived cooling by ~5°C during the final Ordovician stage. Evidence for ice sheets spans much of the study interval, but the cooling pulse coincided with a glacial maximum during which ice volumes likely equaled or exceeded those of the last (Pleistocene) glacial maximum. This cooling also coincided with a large perturbation of the carbon cycle and the Late Ordovician mass extinction

Isotopic ordering in eggshells reflects body temperatures and suggests differing thermophysiology in two Cretaceous dinosaurs

Our understanding of the evolutionary transitions leading to the modern endothermic state of birds and mammals is incomplete, partly because tools available to study the thermophysiology of extinct vertebrates are limited. Here we show that clumped isotope analysis of eggshells can be used to determine body temperatures of females during periods of ovulation. Late Cretaceous titanosaurid eggshells yield temperatures similar to large modern endotherms. In contrast, oviraptorid eggshells yield temperatures lower than most modern endotherms but ~6 °C higher than co-occurring abiogenic carbonates, implying that this taxon did not have thermoregulation comparable to modern birds, but was able to elevate its body temperature above environmental temperatures. Therefore, we observe no strong evidence for end-member ectothermy or endothermy in the species examined. Body temperatures for these two species indicate that variable thermoregulation likely existed among the non-avian dinosaurs and that not all dinosaurs had body temperatures in the range of that seen in modern birds