Microfaunal Recording of Recent Environmental Changes in the Herschel Basin, Western Arctic Ocean

Microfaunal assemblages of benthic foraminifera, ostracods, and tintinnids from two marine sediment cores retrieved from the Herschel Basin of the Canadian Beaufort Sea shelf document relationships with environmental parameters such as salinity, sea-ice cover, and turbulence. Cores YC18-HB-GC01 and PG2303-1 were collected at 18 and 32 m water depth, respectively. At these sites, sediment accumulation rates range between 0.6 and 1.7 cm yr–1 allowing a near-annual temporal resolution over the last 50 years. Multivariate analyses indicate that benthic foraminiferal assemblages respond primarily to food supply. Dissimilarities between the microfaunal assemblages of the two cores are mainly the result of bottom water salinity levels linked to water depth. High abundance of the benthic foraminiferal species Elphidium clavatum and occurrences of Elphidium bartletti point to varying, but relatively low, salinities at the shallow core site YC18-HB-GC01, which may be affected by variations in the summer halocline depth. Higher species diversity and more abundant Cassidulina reniforme and Stainforthia feylingi characterize the deeper core PG2303-1, which might reflect more stable conditions and higher bottom-water salinities throughout the studied time interval. The most important microfaunal shift of the last 50 years, observed in the shallower longer core YC18-HB-GC01, occurred at the turn of the 21st century. Prior to ∼2000 CE, the presence of Islandiella norcrossi indicates more stable and saline conditions. Since ∼2000 CE, increased abundances of Haynesina nivea and of the ciliate Tintinnopsis fimbriata suggest decreased salinity and increased turbidity. An increased abundance of Eoeponidella pulchella after ∼2000 CE suggests a concurrent increase in productivity in the last two decades. This shift is nearly synchronous with a decrease in mean summer sea-ice concentration, which can play an important role in bottom water stability on the shelf. Easterly winds can induce a reduction in the sea-ice cover, but also foster a westward spreading of the Mackenzie River plume and the upwelling of nutrient-rich Pacific waters onto the shelf. Both factors would explain the increased freshening and productivity of the Herschel Basin. The last two decades were also marked by a decrease in ostracod abundance that may relate to higher water turbidity. This study shows that combining information from benthic foraminifera, ostracods, and tintinnids provides a comprehensive insight into recent hydrographic/climatic changes in nearshore Arctic habitats, where productivity is critical for the food security of local communities

Центральная Азия в интересах Ирана, Китая, России и Турции: взгляд из США

Работа посвящена изучению реакции американских специалистов на внешнюю политику Ирана, Китая, России и Турции в Центральной Азии. В исследовании комплексно рассмотрена политика единственной сверхдержавы относительно отдельного региона в рамках общей стратегии США.Робота присвячена вивченню реакції американських фахівців на зовнішню політику Ірану, Китаю, Росії та Туреччини у Центральній Азії. У дослідженні комплексно розглянута політика єдиної наддержави щодо окремого регіону в рамках її загального стратегічного курсу.The thesis is focused on a study of the american specialists reactions toward foreign policy of China, Iran, Russia and Turkey in Central Asia. The research presents a complex investigation of the policy of the only superpower in the relation to a separate region in the frame of its general strategic course

A 1300-year microfaunal record from the Beaufort Sea shelf indicates exceptional climate-related environmental changes over the last two centuries

<p>The environments of Arctic Ocean nearshore areas experience high intra- and inter-annual variability, making it difficult to evaluate the impact of anthropogenic warming. However, a sediment record from the southern Canadian Beaufort Sea allowed us to reconstruct the impacts of climate and environmental changes over the last 1300 years along the northern Yukon coast, Canada. The coring site (PG2303; 69.513°N, 138.895°W; water depth 32 m) is located in the Herschel Basin, where high sedimentation rates (0.1–0.5 cm a−1) allowed analyses at sub-centennial to decadal resolutions. Benthic foraminiferal, ostracod, and tintinnid assemblages, as well as the stable isotope composition of the foraminifera Elphidium clavatum and Cassidulina reniforme were used as paleoclimatic and ecological indicators, while the age model was based on the combined radiometric data of 14C, 210Pb and 137Cs. From ca 700 to 1050 CE, our data suggest penetration of offshore shelf-break waters inferred by the dominance of C. reniforme followed by the relatively abundant Triloculina trihedra in the foraminiferal assemblages as both species are associated with stable saline conditions. Afterwards, the occurrence of ostracods Kotoracythere arctoborealis and Normanicythere leioderma suggests influx of Pacific-sourced waters until ca. 1150 CE. From ∼1150–1650 CE, persistent frigid waters, limited sediment supply, and low abundances of microfossils suggest cold conditions with pervasive annual sea-ice cover that may have restricted upwelling of oceanic waters. After ∼1800 CE, the co-occurrence of Tintinnopsis fimbriata and bacterial/complex organic carbon feeder foraminifera (Quinqueloculina stalkeri, Textularia earlandi and Stetsonia horvathi), suggest an increased influence of freshwater rich in particulate organic matter, which may be related to the spreading of the Mackenzie River plume and/or increased coastal permafrost erosion during longer ice-free seasons. Based on these proxy data, the shift at ∼1800 CE marks the onset of regional warming, which further intensified after ∼1955 CE, likely in response to the anthropogenic forcing.</p&gt

Environmental data for surface samples across the Northeast Greenland continental shelf

Surface samples from 23 sites were collected across the Northeast Greenland continental shelf as part of the PS100/109 and DA17 cruises in Autumn 2017. Surface samples were taken from the upper 0.5-1 cm of box and multi-cores. Benthic foraminifera were analysed from these samples; samples were sieved and all fauna >63 µm were analysed. Samples were counted wet. Environmental variables from the corresponding sites sea-ice cover, water depth, bottom water temperature, bottom water salinity, bottom water oxygen, TOC, and grain size characteristics) are also included. Bottom water temperature, bottom water salinity, bottom water oxygen, and water depth) were recorded at each site during the cruises using a Seabird CTD. Sea-ice concentration data has been extracted from Nimbus-7 SMMR and DMSP SSM/I-SSMIS Passive Microwave Dataset (DiGirolamo et al., 2022)

Benthic foraminiferal assemblages from surface samples across the Northeast Greenland continental shelf

Surface samples from 23 sites were collected across the Northeast Greenland continental shelf as part of the PS100/109 and DA17 cruises in Autumn 2017. Surface samples were taken from the upper 0.5-1 cm of box and multi-cores. Benthic foraminifera were analysed from these samples; samples were sieved and all fauna >63 µm were analysed. Samples were counted wet. Environmental variables from the corresponding sites sea-ice cover, water depth, bottom water temperature, bottom water salinity, bottom water oxygen, TOC, and grain size characteristics) are also included. Bottom water temperature, bottom water salinity, bottom water oxygen, and water depth) were recorded at each site during the cruises using a Seabird CTD. Sea-ice concentration data has been extracted from Nimbus-7 SMMR and DMSP SSM/I-SSMIS Passive Microwave Dataset (DiGirolamo et al., 2022)

Ocean lead at the termination of the Younger Dryas cold spell

International audienceThe Younger Dryas (YD) cold interval is one of the most abrupt climate events of Earth's recent history. The origin of this rapid, severe cooling episode is still widely debated, but it was probably triggered by a large freshwater influx to the North Atlantic resulting in disruption of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. The YD termination, despite having been even more abrupt than the onset has, however, received significantly less attention. Here using multi-proxy data from a high-resolution marine sediment record, we present evidence for a gradual decrease of the Labrador Current influence, northward migration of the Gulf Stream oceanic front and a rapid decline of sea-ice cover at the YD termination. Our data indicate a stepwise sequence of events with changes in ocean circulation clearly preceding those in atmospheric conditions, in contrast to the hitherto commonly assumed single-event rapid climatic shift at the YD-Holocene transition