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Deciphering the evolution of Southern Ocean circulation during the Eocene and Oligocene has important implications for understanding the development of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and transition to Earth's “icehouse” climate. To better understand ocean circulation patterns in the Indian Ocean sector of the Southern Ocean, we generated a new fossil fish tooth neodymium isotope record (εNd) from the upper Eocene to upper Oligocene sections (36–23 Ma) of Ocean Drilling Program Sites 744 and 748 (Kerguelen Plateau, Indian Ocean). Reconstructed seawater εNd values from fossil fish teeth are used to trace changes in water masses across ocean basins. The records from Site 748 and Site 744 reveal a gradual shift from εNd values around −6.5 to −7.5 in the late Eocene to εNd values between −7.5 and −8.3 by the late Oligocene, consistent with a Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) influence at the Kerguelen Plateau throughout the Oligocene. We interpret the shift to less radiogenic values to reflect the increased export of Northern Component Water to the Southern Ocean, likely into the proto‐CDW. However, the records show no major change in water mass composition around the Kerguelen Plateau that would accompany an increase in Pacific throughflow related to the opening of Drake Passage and imply that Pacific throughflow via the Drake Passage occurred by the late Eocene. High‐frequency variability in ɛNd values at Site 744 is interpreted as an imprint of Oligocene glacial activity, with a particularly pronounced excursion at 32.6 Ma roughly coinciding with other glacial weathering indicators around Antarctica.

We present results on the distribution of ε Nd and [Nd] from the TAG hydrothermal vent field and adjacent locations collected during the GEOTRACES GA03 cruise in October 2011. Our results show that Nd isotopes directly below and above the plume do not significantly deviate from average NADW (ε Nd = −12.3 ± 0.2). Within the plume, however, isotope values are shifted slightly toward more radiogenic values up to ε Nd = −11.4. Interestingly at the same time a significant decrease in [Nd] along with rare earth element (REE) fractionation is observed, indicating enhanced scavenging within the plume despite the change in Nd isotopes. Elemental concentrations of Nd are reduced by 19.6-18.5 pmol/kg, coinciding with the maximum increase of mantle derived helium (xs 3 He) from 0.203 to 0.675 fmol/kg, resulting in an average 1.8 pmol/kg decrease in [Nd] relative to an expected linear increase with depth. The inventory loss of Nd within the plume sums up to 614 nmoles/m 2 , or 6%, if a continuous increase of [Nd] with depth is assumed. Compared to BATS and the western adjacent station USGT11-14, the local inventory loss is even higher at 10%. The tight relationship of xs 3 He increase and [Nd] decrease allows us to estimate scavenging rates at TAG suggesting 40 mol/year are removed within the TAG plume. A global estimate using power output along ocean ridges yields an annual Nd removal of 3.44 × 10 6 mol/year, which is about 71% of riverine and dust flux combined or 6-8% of the estimated global flux of Nd into the ocean. The change in Nd isotopic composition of up to 0.7 more radiogenic ε Nd values suggests an exchange process between hydrothermally derived particles and seawater in which during the removal process an estimated 1.1 mol/year of hydrothermal Nd is contributed to the seawater at the TAG site. This estimate is only 0.1% of the global Nd signal added to the ocean by boundary exchange processes at ocean margins, limiting the ability of changing the Nd isotopic composition on a global scale in contrast to the more significant estimated sink of elemental Nd in hydrothermal plumes from this study.

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