Sea surface temperatures and environmental conditions during the “warm Pliocene” interval (~ 4.1–3.2 Ma) in the Eastern Mediterranean (Cyprus)

Αθανασίου, Μαρία; Bouloubassi, Ioanna; Gogou, Alexandra; Klein, Vincent; Dimiza, Margarita D.; Parinos, Constantine; Skampa, Elisavet; Triantaphyllou, Maria

doi:10.1016/j.gloplacha.2017.01.008

Cited by 25 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 101 publications

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“…Comparing Zanclean SST data from Kalamaki (28–30 °C; Kontakiotis, Karakitsios, et al, ) and Eraclea Minoa (Italy; Herbert et al, ) sections, we observe that the highs in our record are consistent with the relatively stable SSTs (24–26 °C) between 5.33 and 5.25 Ma; therefore, the Mediterranean Sea was equally warm before and after the MSC. During the latest Zanclean (~4.1–3.25 Ma), the eastern Mediterranean was similarly warm (~26 °C; Athanasiou et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We used alkenones as a SST proxy, based on the assumption that the Reticulofenestra spp, found throughout the Kalamaki pre‐MSC section (Karakitsios, Cornée, et al, ; Karakitsios, Roveri, et al, ) is the most probable alkenones producer (Athanasiou et al, ; Beltran et al, , ) (Figure ).…”

Section: Experimental Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Foraminifera stable oxygen isotope and Mg/Ca proxies suffer from biases (preservation, diagenesis, and salinity) in the Mediterranean realm, which render them insufficient for SST reconstructions (Antonarakou, Kontakiotis, Zarkogiannis, et al, , Antonarakou, Kontakiotis, Vasilatos, et al, ; Kontakiotis et al, , Kontakiotis, Mortyn, et al, , Kontakiotis et al, ). Alkenone paleothermometry (U K′ 37 ‐index‐based SST) appears more suitable/less biased in the Mediterranean Sea (Herbert et al, ) although those alkenones were produced by extinct species of haptophytes (Athanasiou et al, ; Herbert et al, ; Tzanova et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Large Sea Surface Temperature, Salinity, and Productivity‐Preservation Changes Preceding the Onset of the Messinian Salinity Crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

Vasiliev

Karakitsios

Bouloubassi

et al. 2019

Paleoceanog and Paleoclimatol

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The Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC; 5.97–5.33 Ma) is an enigmatic episode of paleoceanographic change, when kilometer‐thick evaporite units were deposited in the Mediterranean basin. Here we use geochemical (biomarker and isotope) data to reconstruct sea surface temperature, salinity, and productivity‐preservation changes in the Mediterranean basin just before the MSC. The proxy data indicate that the Mediterranean Sea was significantly saltier and colder between 6.415 and 6.151 Ma, than between 6.151 and 5.971 Ma. Salinity decrease at 6.151 Ma seems to be a relatively fast event just preceding the inception of a warming phase that lasted almost uninterrupted until the MSC onset. The water exchange with the Paratethys could have caused, along with the African rivers, an increased freshwater supply, resulting in normal marine Mediterranean waters between 6.151 and 5.971 Ma, despite the severe restriction of marine connections with the Atlantic at that time. Sea surface temperature changes determined a sharp drop in productivity and/or preservation of organic matter, marked by deposition of calcareous marls. Productivity and preservation were relatively high and constant until 6.01 Ma. Afterward, increased influx of terrestrial organic matter and probably enhanced water column stratification prevailed. Around 5.971 Ma, modifications in aquatic versus terrestrially derived biomarkers indicate changes in organic matter influx at the MSC onset.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Experimental Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Large Sea Surface Temperature, Salinity, and Productivity‐Preservation Changes Preceding the Onset of the Messinian Salinity Crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

Vasiliev

Karakitsios

Bouloubassi

et al. 2019

Paleoceanog and Paleoclimatol

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“…These abrupt fluctuations cannot be explained by tectonic adjustments but may represent a bias linked to orbital-driven environmental changes and resulting bathymetric species shifts. The Neogene climate and hydrology of the Mediterranean Sea was strongly influenced by changes in precessional insolation, resulting in cyclic depositions of sapropels (black shales), particularly in the eastern basins [ 72 , 114 – 119 ] ( Fig 10D ). The sapropels were formed during Northern Hemisphere summer insolation maxima/high-amplitude precession minima, resulting in an enhanced African monsoon [ 120 ], and as a consequence, in higher freshwater influx, particularly via the Nile River, and higher export productivity into the Mediterranean when compared to today (review in Rohling et al [ 74 ]).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testing the applicability of a benthic foraminiferal-based transfer function for the reconstruction of paleowater depth changes in Rhodes (Greece) during the early Pleistocene

et al. 2017

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We present paleo-water depth reconstructions for the Pefka E section deposited on the island of Rhodes (Greece) during the early Pleistocene. For these reconstructions, a transfer function (TF) using modern benthic foraminifera surface samples from the Adriatic and Western Mediterranean Seas has been developed. The TF model gives an overall predictive accuracy of ~50 m over a water depth range of ~1200 m. Two separate TF models for shallower and deeper water depth ranges indicate a good predictive accuracy of 9 m for shallower water depths (0–200 m) but far less accuracy of 130 m for deeper water depths (200–1200 m) due to uneven sampling along the water depth gradient. To test the robustness of the TF, we randomly selected modern samples to develop random TFs, showing that the model is robust for water depths between 20 and 850 m while greater water depths are underestimated. We applied the TF to the Pefka E fossil data set. The goodness-of-fit statistics showed that most fossil samples have a poor to extremely poor fit to water depth. We interpret this as a consequence of a lack of modern analogues for the fossil samples and removed all samples with extremely poor fit. To test the robustness and significance of the reconstructions, we compared them to reconstructions from an alternative TF model based on the modern analogue technique and applied the randomization TF test. We found our estimates to be robust and significant at the 95% confidence level, but we also observed that our estimates are strongly overprinted by orbital, precession-driven changes in paleo-productivity and corrected our estimates by filtering out the precession-related component. We compared our corrected record to reconstructions based on a modified plankton/benthos (P/B) ratio, excluding infaunal species, and to stable oxygen isotope data from the same section, as well as to paleo-water depth estimates for the Lindos Bay Formation of other sediment sections of Rhodes. These comparisons indicate that our orbital-corrected reconstructions are reasonable and reflect major tectonic movements of Rhodes during the early Pleistocene.

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“…For paleoceanographic studies, the percentage of F. profunda nannoliths is a classic proxy for nutricline, surface productivity, and productivity in the deeper photic zone during the Pleistocene and Pliocene (e.g., Athanasiou et al, 2017;Beaufort et al, 1997;Grelaud et al, 2012;Molfino & McIntyre, 1990). F. profunda is a deep dweller and needs a water column of >100 m to thrive in the deep layers.…”

Section: Implications For Paleoceanography and Future Climatementioning

confidence: 99%

Two Production Stages of Coccolithophores in Winter as Revealed by Sediment Traps in the Northern South China Sea

et al. 2019

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Coccolithophores, originating in the Late Triassic, are one of the most successful marine calcifying algae living in modern oceans. Coccoliths are the calcareous fossil remnants left in marine sediments after coccolithophores die. These calcite scales record the conditions of the surface ocean (e.g., primary productivity, seawater temperature, and carbonate chemistry) and are expected to be a promising subject in paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic studies. Hence, a comprehensive understanding of the ecology and phenology of living coccolithophores, as well as their interactions with other plankton groups, is needed to develop better constraints on their uses in paleoenvironmental studies. Here we show modern coccolithophore production through the coccolith fluxes from sediment traps at a ~500‐m water depth from 2013 to 2015 in the northern South China Sea. In addition to the expected seasonality of the coccolithophore production that occurs during winter seasons due to the strong water mixing induced by monsoon winds, a two‐stage mode for the coccolithophore production is also recognized in relatively “coastal” waters. The first stage includes the production of Gephyrocapsa oceanica in December, when the macronutrient inventory is built, and the second stage describes the growth of Emiliania huxleyi in late February with the depletion of silicate nutrients. This two‐stage mode originates from subtle differences in the nutrient assimilation ability between the two species. In addition, coccolithophore production is significantly influenced by the decadal oceanic events (i.e., El Niño) in the northern South China Sea.

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Sea surface temperatures and environmental conditions during the “warm Pliocene” interval (~ 4.1–3.2 Ma) in the Eastern Mediterranean (Cyprus)

Cited by 25 publications

References 101 publications

Large Sea Surface Temperature, Salinity, and Productivity‐Preservation Changes Preceding the Onset of the Messinian Salinity Crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

Large Sea Surface Temperature, Salinity, and Productivity‐Preservation Changes Preceding the Onset of the Messinian Salinity Crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

Testing the applicability of a benthic foraminiferal-based transfer function for the reconstruction of paleowater depth changes in Rhodes (Greece) during the early Pleistocene

Two Production Stages of Coccolithophores in Winter as Revealed by Sediment Traps in the Northern South China Sea

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