Local and regional trends in Plio-Pleistocene δ18O records from benthic foraminifera

We present new orbital-resolution Pliocene-Pleistocene benthic stable oxygen isotope (δ18Ob) records from Ocean Drilling Program Sites 1264 and 1267, from Walvis Ridge in the Southeast Atlantic. We compare long-term (>250 kyr) interbasin δ18Ob-gradients between Pacific and North Atlantic regional stacks, as well as intra and interbasin gradients from the perspective of Walvis Ridge. The δ18Ob values from Sites 1264 and 1267 are almost always higher than deep North Atlantic and Pacific sites, with large gradients (>0.5‰) emerging abruptly at ∼2.4 Ma and persisting until ∼1.3 Ma. From this, we infer the presence of a new water mass, which resulted from the influence of dense, 18O-enriched Nordic sea overflow waters via the abyssal East Atlantic. Meanwhile, long-term average δ18Ob values in the North Atlantic appear to have remained within 0–0.25‰ lower than in the Pacific. However, the magnitude of this difference is sensitive to the inclusion of records from the equatorial West Atlantic. These results, together with constraints based on temperature, salinity, and density, suggest an influence of the seawater δ18O (δ18OSW) versus salinity relationship of source waters on δ18Ob values within the Atlantic. In particular, the abrupt emergence at ∼2.4 Ma of higher δ18Ob values at Sites 1264 and 1267, relative to North Atlantic records, appears to require a low-latitude surface water δ18OSW signal. This implies a connection between northward heat transport and deep water export into the abyssal East Atlantic. Hence, our results have implications for the interpretation of δ18Ob records and highlight the potential for δ18Ob to constrain deep Atlantic water mass sources and pathways during the Plio-Pleistocene

Atlantic Deep-water Response to the Early Pliocene Shoaling of the Central American Seaway

The early Pliocene shoaling of the Central American Seaway (CAS), ~4.7–4.2 million years ago (mega annum-Ma), is thought to have strengthened Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). The associated increase in northward flux of heat and moisture may have significantly influenced the evolution of Pliocene climate. While some evidence for the predicted increase in North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) formation exists in the Caribbean and Western Atlantic, similar evidence is missing in the wider Atlantic. Here, we present stable carbon (δ13C) and oxygen (δ18O) isotope records from the Southeast Atlantic-a key region for monitoring the southern extent of NADW. Using these data, together with other δ13C and δ18O records from the Atlantic, we assess the impact of the early Pliocene CAS shoaling phase on deep-water circulation. We find that NADW formation was vigorous prior to 4.7 Ma and showed limited subsequent change. Hence, the overall structure of the deep Atlantic was largely unaffected by the early Pliocene CAS shoaling, corroborating other evidence that indicates larger changes in NADW resulted from earlier and deeper shoaling phases. This finding implies that the early Pliocene shoaling of the CAS had no profound impact on the evolution of climate

(Table 1, Pages 189-191) Physical characteristics of manganese nodules collected in the Atlantic Ocean during cruise RC15 (R/V Robert D. Conrad) in the vicinity of the Nares Abyssal Plain

Intensive surveys were made in an abyssal hill province in the North Atlantic at the northeast edge of the Nares Abyssal Plain, where the general conditions favorable for the formation of manganese nodules prevail, i.e., deep water (2600-3300 fm) and low rate of sediment accumulation. Typically, manganese nodules were observed to be abundant in one spot, and just a short distance away, under conditions which seemed to be the same, the ocean floor was completely devoid of nodules. Efforts to develop effective surveying techniques were very successful, particularly use of Kennecott grabbers and a new PINGERPROBE technique in conjunction with satellite navigation