Carbonate zooplankton cryptic diversity and response to climate changes from pleistocene to anthropocène

La dynamique de la thermocline Equatoriale Pacifique est en grande partie modulée par des phénomènes climatiques majeurs tels que l'ENSO ou la mousson indo asiatique. Nous utilisons des fossiles de deux morphotypes de l'espèce de foraminifères planctoniques Globigerinoides ruber comme traceurs de la stratification à la bordure Sud du Pacifique Ouest Equatorial, afin de retracer la dynamique climatique de cette région durant les derniers 800 000 ans. Nos résultats mettent en évidence un battement de la thermocline Pacifique en réponse aux variations Glaciaire /Interglaciaire, en relation avec les hautes latitudes. Lors des périodes glaciaires, la gyre subtropicale Sud renforcée permet le transport d'eaux froides venues de l'Antarctique vers le Pacifique Ouest. Ce mécanisme s'est progressivement intensifié depuis 800 000 ans en réponse à l'augmentation de l'amplitude de l'obliquité de l'orbite terrestre. L'étude morphologique des deux morphotypes de Globigerinoides ruber en réponse aux changements climatiques des derniers 800 000 ans, montre que la forme des tests est influencée par les changements environnementaux à l'échelle Glaciaire/Interglaciaire. Ces résultats suggèrent également que ces deux populations ont des exigences écologiques distinctes, permettant de les utiliser comme proxy de la stratification. La calibration mono-morphotypique pour les paléotempératures issues du Mg/Ca a également montré qu'il ne semble pas y avoir de différence de thermodépendance du Magnésium entre ces deux populations.The Equatorial West Pacific thermocline dynamic is strongly modulated by climatic phenomenon as the ENSO and the Indo Asiatic monsoon. Here we use fossils of two morphotypes of the same planktonic foraminifera species, Globigerinoides ruber, from the Southern edge of the Western Equatorial Pacific as proxy of paleostratification, in order to track climate changes since the last 800 000 years. Our results show a regular beating of the Equatorial Pacific thermocline in response to Glacial/ Interglacial changes connected to the high latitudes. During glacials, the reinforced South subtropical gyre increases the advection of cold waters from the Antarctic to the West Pacific. This mechanism was progressively intensified by the increasing obliquity amplitude since 800 000 years. The morphometric study of the two morphotypes of Globigerinoides ruber indicates that the test shape responses to environmental changes at Glacial/Interglacial time scale. Furthermore these results suggest that those two populations have distinct environmental requirements, allowing to uses them as proxy of stratification. The mono-morphotypic calibration for Mg/Ca derived-paleotemperatures indicates that there is no specific thermodependance of magnesium between the two morphotypes

Progressive shoaling of the equatorial Pacific thermocline over the last eight glacial periods

The depth of equatorial Pacific thermocline is diagnostic of the main modes of tropical climates. Past estimates of Pacific thermocline dynamics have been reconstructed either for the Last Glacial Maximum or on longer timescales at low resolution. Here we document a new high-resolution set of reconstructed past sea surface and subsurface waters temperatures from the southwestern subequatorial Pacific, core MD05-2930, in the Gulf of Papua, over the last 800 ka. We used two morphotypes of Globigerinoides ruber known to live at different water depths to reconstruct past stratification. We estimated calcification temperature of each morphotypes by Mg/Ca paleothermometry. Our subequatorial Pacific thermocline paleotemperature record indicates a response of the thermocline to both direct orbital forcing and glacial-interglacial changes. Our stratification record shows a systematic shallower glacial thermocline, whereas sea surface temperatures are characterized by precessional forcing. The record is indicative of a progressive long-term shoaling of the thermocline during the glacial stages during the late Pleistocene. The shoaling of the subequatorial Pacific thermocline is consistent with regional estimates. An enhanced South Pacific shallow overturning wind-driven circulation could have driven this progressive shoaling. We speculate that this late Pleistocene glacial shoaling of the thermocline could be related to an increase in the amplitude of the obliquity