Long-term production of greenhouse gases from exposed continental shelves and oceanic islands during Quaternary glacial periods

The EPICA Dome C ice core in Antarctica has yielded an 800,000-year record of atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane composition from the Middle Pleistocene climatic transition to the present. In this record, there is a sharp increase in both carbon dioxide and methane immediately following the glacial maxima during the glacial periods which to date remains difficult to explain. We will present evidence to show that the exposed continental shelves and ...published_or_final_versio

Signification géodynamique des calcaires de plate-forme en cours de subduction sous l'arc des Nouvelles-Hébrides (Sud-Ouest de l'océan Pacifique)

Note présentée par Jean DercourtInternational audienceThe analysis of carbonates from New Hébrides Trench shows that three main épisodes of shallow water carbonate déposition occurred during Late Eocene,Late Oligocene-Early Miocène,Mio-Pliocene-Quaternary, controlled by eustatism and tectonic.L'analyse de carbonates issus de la fosse des Nouvelles-Hébrides a permis de reconnaître trois périodes favorables au développement de plates-formes(Éocène supérieur,Oligocène supérieur-Miocène inférieur,Mio-Pliocène-Quaternaire)contrôlé par l'eustatisme et la tectonique

Deglacial sea surface temperatures of the western tropical Pacific : a new look at old coral

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2004. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Paleoceanography 19 (2004): PA4031, doi:10.1029/2004PA001084.Using Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) ion microprobe techniques, we generated annual Sr/Ca cycles with subweekly resolution from chunks of Porites coral retrieved from a Tahiti barrier reef drill core (149°W, 17°S), representing the period 13,650 to 13,100 years B.P. The centers of pristine skeletal septa were selectively targeted with a 10 μm diameter ion beam spot, avoiding adjacent pore spaces occupied by secondary aragonite needles. Applying a Sr/Ca–sea surface temperature (SST) calibration equation derived from modern Tahiti Porites having the same low growth rate as the fossil specimens, we obtained SSTs ∼0.5°–1.5°C cooler during the Bølling-Allerod relative to the present day, with no significant change in seasonality. On the contrary, we estimate that analysis of bulk samples would yield excessively cool Sr/Ca-based SST estimates due to the occupation by secondary aragonite crystals of up to 50% of the skeletal pore space in the ancient samples. We find that growth rate effects on coral Sr/Ca further depress the apparent mean annual derived SSTs (by >3°C) and amplify the apparent seasonality by selectively enhancing wintertime cooling. Our microscale analysis of pristine skeleton and application of an appropriate growth-dependent calibration yield Sr/Ca-derived SSTs that are in good agreement with those derived from Mg/Ca ratios of calcitic foraminifera which indicate a continuous postglacial warming of the western tropical Pacific, in phase with the warming of the tropical Atlantic.Funds for this study were provided by NSF MG&G award number OCE-0241075

Quaternary development of resilient reefs on the subsiding kimberley continental margin, Northwest Australia

The Kimberley region in remote northwest Australia has poorly known reef systems of two types; coastal fringing reefs and atoll-like shelf-edge reefs. As a major geomorphic feature (from 12ºS to 18ºS) situated along a subsiding continental margin, the shelf edge reefs are in a tropical realm with warm temperatures, relatively low salinity, clear low nutrient waters lacking sediment input, and Indo-West Pacific corals of moderate diversity. Seismic architecture of the Rowley Shoals reveals that differential pre-Holocene subsidence and relative elevation of the pre-Holocene substrate have controlled lagoon sediment infill and reef morphology, forming an evolutionary series reflecting differential accommodation in three otherwise similar reef systems.The Holocene core described for North Scott Reef confirms previous seismic interpretations, and provides a rare ocean-facing reef record. It demonstrates that the Indo-Pacific reef growth phase (RG111) developed during moderate rates of sea level rise of 10 mm/year from 11 to about 7-6.5 ka BP until sea level stabilization, filling the available 27 m of pre-Holocene accommodation. Despite the medium to high hydrodynamic energy imposed by the 4m tides, swell waves and cyclones the reef-building communities represent relatively low-wave energy settings due to their southeast facing and protection afforded by the proximity of the South Reef platform. This study demonstrates the resilience of reefs on the subsiding margin whilst linking Holocene reef morphology to the relative amount of pre-Holocene subsidence

Predicting where a radiation will occur: Acoustic and molecular surveys reveal overlooked diversity in Indian Ocean Island crickets (Mogoplistinae: Ornebius)

Recent theory suggests that the geographic location of island radiations (local accumulation of species diversity due to cladogenesis) can be predicted based on island area and isolation. Crickets are a suitable group for testing these predictions, as they show both the ability to reach some of the most isolated islands in the world, and to speciate at small spatial scales. Despite substantial song variation between closely related species in many island cricket lineages worldwide, to date this characteristic has not received attention in the western Indian Ocean islands; existing species descriptions are based on morphology alone. Here we use a combination of acoustics and DNA sequencing to survey these islands for Ornebius crickets. We uncover a small but previously unknown radiation in the Mascarenes, constituting a three-fold increase in the Ornebius species diversity of this archipelago (from two to six species). A further new species is detected in the Comoros. Although double archipelago colonisation is the best explanation for species diversity in the Seychelles, in situ cladogenesis is the best explanation for the six species in the Mascarenes and two species of the Comoros. Whether the radiation of Mascarene Ornebius results from intra- or purely inter- island speciation cannot be determined on the basis of the phylogenetic data alone. However, the existence of genetic, song and ecological divergence at the intra-island scale is suggestive of an intra-island speciation scenario in which ecological and mating traits diverge hand-in-hand. Our results suggest that the geographic location of Ornebius radiations is partially but not fully explained by island area and isolation. A notable anomaly is Madagascar, where our surveys are consistent with existing accounts in finding no Ornebius species present. Possible explanations are discussed, invoking ecological differences between species and differences in environmental history between islands. (Résumé d'auteur

Climate-driven range extension of Amphistegina (protista, foraminiferida) : models of current and predicted future ranges

© The Author(s), 2013. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS ONE 8 (2013): e54443, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0054443.Species-range expansions are a predicted and realized consequence of global climate change. Climate warming and the poleward widening of the tropical belt have induced range shifts in a variety of marine and terrestrial species. Range expansions may have broad implications on native biota and ecosystem functioning as shifting species may perturb recipient communities. Larger symbiont-bearing foraminifera constitute ubiquitous and prominent components of shallow water ecosystems, and range shifts of these important protists are likely to trigger changes in ecosystem functioning. We have used historical and newly acquired occurrence records to compute current range shifts of Amphistegina spp., a larger symbiont-bearing foraminifera, along the eastern coastline of Africa and compare them to analogous range shifts currently observed in the Mediterranean Sea. The study provides new evidence that amphisteginid foraminifera are rapidly progressing southwestward, closely approaching Port Edward (South Africa) at 31°S. To project future species distributions, we applied a species distribution model (SDM) based on ecological niche constraints of current distribution ranges. Our model indicates that further warming is likely to cause a continued range extension, and predicts dispersal along nearly the entire southeastern coast of Africa. The average rates of amphisteginid range shift were computed between 8 and 2.7 km year−1, and are projected to lead to a total southward range expansion of 267 km, or 2.4° latitude, in the year 2100. Our results corroborate findings from the fossil record that some larger symbiont-bearing foraminifera cope well with rising water temperatures and are beneficiaries of global climate change.This work was supported by grants from the German Science Foundation (DFG; www.dfg.de) to ML and SL (LA 884/10-1, LA 884/5-1)

Modern Red Sea coral reefs: A review of their morphologies and zonation

Modem reefs in the Red Sea exhibit different controls on their formation. The majority of the reefs belong to the fringing type. These reefs grow close to the mainland and are abscnt in wadi mouths. Their arrangement and orientation are strongly controlled hy the siliciclastic input from the hinterland. In addition, discharge events due to ephemeral precipitation may cause local but serious damage of the reef-building assemblages. However, the gene;al pattern of reef arrangement follows the morphology of the coastline, which itself portrays the tectonic framework of the Red Sea. Barrier reefs and even atolls also occur, predominantly in the central and southern part of this young ocean. Both reef types show a strong control by the tectonic framework of riftrelated origin. The outlines of the reef crest and the orientation' of the foreslopes follow the tectonic pattern. Spectacular drop-ofTs are widespread and represent predominantly fault planes of horsts and graben structures parallel to the rift. Furthermore rift-related salt diapirism occurs, which influences reef shapes, indicated by circular and semicircular outlines. Besides these controls, sea-level changes are a trigger as weil. They are documented in onshore and ofsf hore terraces and their prescnt-day position can be attributed to the last glacial-interglacial cycle. These difefrent controls along with the two major reef types and their typical zonation patterns are discussed briefly