North Atlantic climate evolution through the Plio-Pleistocene climate transitions

Lawrence, K. T.; Sosdian, Sindia; White, H. L.; Rosenthal, Yair

doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2010.10.013

Cited by 148 publications

(165 citation statements)

References 80 publications

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“…This major reorganization in the North Atlantic overturning circulation across the mid-Pleistocene transition is also evident from the significant increase in the glacialinterglacial amplitude of benthic δ 13 C signatures in the North Atlantic (e.g., Venz and Hodell, 2002;Hodell and VenzCurtis, 2006;Lawrence et al, 2010) indicating a change to being dominantly ventilated by NADW during interglacial periods and enhanced advection of SOW during glacial periods. Apparently, the expansion of the West Antarctic ice sheet across the mid-Pleistocene transition promoted the production and export of AABW from the Southern Ocean (e.g., Naish et al, 2009;Lawrence et al, 2010).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…4-6). During this period of time, surface waters in the study area experienced a major cooling (summarized in Lawrence et al, 2010) that was accompanied by frequent inputs of ice rafted debris (McIntyre et al, 1999). The cooling occurred during what appeared to be a time of relatively stable polar climate and glacial ice volumes (Lisiecki and Raymo, 2005; Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Recent findings by Martínez-Garcia et al (2010) show, in fact, that during that very time the sub-Arctic region underwent a substantial cooling associated with sea-ice expansion, which continued across the mid-Pleistocene transition ∼ 1.15-0.9 Ma (McClymont et al, 2008). This major sub-Arctic cooling led to the formation and advection of cold deep waters from the GIN seas into the North Atlantic basin, which was recorded further south in the North Atlantic (ODP site 607) by a longterm decrease in NADW temperature after ∼ 1.55 Ma (Sosdian and Rosenthal, 2009), coeval with major surface water cooling in the area (see comparison in Lawrence et al, 2010).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Apparently, the expansion of the West Antarctic ice sheet across the mid-Pleistocene transition promoted the production and export of AABW from the Southern Ocean (e.g., Naish et al, 2009;Lawrence et al, 2010). This major change suggests that after the mid-Pleistocene transition both northern and southern hemispheric ice sheets started to exert more far-field influence on ocean circulation and climate linked to the onset of the more pronounced 100 kyr late Quaternary style cyclicity of glacial-interglacial climates that still prevails today.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2). Ravelo et al, 2004;Hodell and Venz-Curtis, 2006;Sarnthein et al, 2009;Etourneau et al, 2010;Lawrence et al, 2010Lawrence et al, , 2013Lisiecki, 2014). It is the aim of this study to reconstruct the distribution and mixing of water masses in the northern northeast Atlantic in an attempt to reconstruct the evolution of the deep return overflow limb of the AMOC during the Pliocene-Pleistocene climate transitions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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A major change in North Atlantic deep water circulation 1.6 million years ago

Khélifi

2014

Clim. Past

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Abstract. The global ocean-climate system has been highly sensitive to the formation and advection of deep overflow water from the Nordic Seas as integral part of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) but its evolution over the Pliocene-Pleistocene global cooling is not fully understood. In particular, changes in the sources and mixing of prevailing deep waters that were involved in driving overturning throughout the Pliocene-Pleistocene climate transitions are not well constrained. Here we investigate the evolution of a substantial deep southward return overflow of the AMOC over the last 4 million years. We present new records of the bottom-water radiogenic neodymium isotope (ε Nd ) variability obtained from three sediment cores (DSDP site 610 and ODP sites 980/981 and 900) at water depths between 2170 and 5050 m in the northeast Atlantic. We find that prior to the onset of major Northern Hemisphere glaciation (NHG) ∼ 3 million years ago (Ma), ε Nd values primarily oscillated between −9 and −11 at all sites, consistent with enhanced vertical mixing and weak stratification of the water masses during the warmer-than-today Pliocene period. From 2.7 Ma to ∼ 2.0 Ma, the ε Nd signatures of the water masses gradually became more distinct, which documents a significant advection of Nordic Seas overflow deep water coincident with the intensification of NHG. Most markedly, however, at ∼ 1.6 Ma the interglacial ε Nd signatures at sites 610 (2420 m water depth (w.d.)) and 980/981 (2170 m w.d.) synchronously and permanently shifted by 2 to 3 ε Nd units to less radiogenic values, respectively. Since then the difference between glacial and interglacial ε Nd values has been similar to the Late Quaternary at each site. A decrease of ∼ 2 ε Nd units at 1.6 Ma was also recorded for the deepest water masses by site 900 (∼ 5 050 m w.d.), which thereafter, however, evolved to more radiogenic values again until the present. This major ε Nd change across the 1.6 Ma transition reflects a significant reorganization of the overturning circulation in the northeast Atlantic paving the way for the more stratified water column with distinct water masses prevailing thereafter.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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A major change in North Atlantic deep water circulation 1.6 million years ago

Khélifi

2014

Clim. Past

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Atlantic overturning responses to obliquity and precession over the last 3 Myr

Lisiecki

2014

Paleoceanography

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This study analyzes 39 Atlantic and seven Pacific benthic 13 C records to characterize obliquity and precession responses in Atlantic overturning since 3 Ma. Regional benthic 13 C stacks are also analyzed. A major transition in orbital responses is observed at 1.5-1.6 Ma coincident with the first glacial shoaling of Northern Component Water. Since ∼1.5 Ma, the phases of Atlantic benthic 13 C records from 2300 to 4000 m depth lag maximum obliquity by 59 • (6.7 kyr) and June perihelion precession forcing by 133 • (8.5 kyr). Comparison with North Atlantic sea surface temperature suggests that these orbital responses (particularly precession) in middle deep Atlantic 13 C are associated with changes in ocean heat transport and overturning rates. The mid-Pleistocene transition had little effect on the obliquity and precession phases of benthic 13 C but did result in a ∼50% decrease in the obliquity power of middle deep Atlantic 13 C at 0.6 Ma.

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Time-transgressive North Atlantic productivity changes upon Northern Hemisphere glaciation

et al. 2013

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Marine biological export productivity declined in high‐latitude regions in the North Pacific and Southern Ocean 2.7 million years ago, in parallel with the intensification of Northern Hemisphere glaciation. Here we present data from the North Atlantic, which show a similar but time‐transgressive pattern of high‐latitude productivity decline from 3.3 to 2.5 Ma, with productivity decreasing first at 69°N, hundreds of thousands of years before it declined at 58°N. We propose that the cumulative data are best explained by an equatorward migration of the westerly winds, which caused a southward shift in the zone of Ekman divergence and upwelling‐associated major nutrient supply over this time interval. We suggest that a similar equatorward migration of the westerly winds may also help explain the productivity changes observed in other high‐latitude regions, particularly the Southern Ocean. At 2.7 Ma, equatorial and temperate Atlantic sites began to show orbitally paced productivity pulses, consistent with a shoaling and meridional contraction of the nutrient‐poor “warm sphere” that characterizes the low latitude upper ocean. This timing coincides with observed productivity changes in Southern Ocean, consistent with previous findings that the Southern Ocean exerts a strong influence on the fertility of the low‐latitude Atlantic. Finally, we propose that the unique basin geometry of the North Atlantic caused deep water formation in this region to remain relatively stable despite equatorward migration of winds and ocean fronts.

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North Atlantic climate evolution through the Plio-Pleistocene climate transitions

Cited by 148 publications

References 80 publications

A major change in North Atlantic deep water circulation 1.6 million years ago

A major change in North Atlantic deep water circulation 1.6 million years ago

Atlantic overturning responses to obliquity and precession over the last 3 Myr

Time-transgressive North Atlantic productivity changes upon Northern Hemisphere glaciation

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