Changes in sea surface temperature in western South China Sea over the past 450 ka

Sea surface temperature over the past 450 ka was obtained by the unsaturation of molecular fossil-long chain alkenone with a resolution of about 1 ka from the western South China Sea. This is the longest temperature profile in the South China Sea at such high resolution. The U37^κ-SST results revealed similar glacial-interglacial cycles as the δ^18O profile of planktonic foraminifera, with SST variability of 23-25.5℃ for glacial and 25-28℃ for interglacial periods. The highest SST （28.4℃） was recorded at MIS5.5 and lowest SST （22.6℃） during MIS2. The SST record preceded the planktonic foraminiferal δ^18O on five glacial-interglacial transitions. Comparison of temperature records from the Southern and Northern Hemispheres indicated a more Southern Hemisphere-like pattern for the temperature variation in the SCS. Strong precession and semiprecession signals in the spectra of our SST record manifest the tropical phenomena.     

A broad deglacial δ13C minimum event in planktonic foraminiferal records in the Okinawa Trough

The equatorial Pacific upwelling zone has been suspected of playing an important role in the global atmospheric CO2 changes associated with glacial-interglacial cycles.In order to assess the influencing scope of the surface water deglacial δ13C minimum in the tropical Iow-latitude Pacific,the core DGKS9603, collected from the middle Okinawa Trough, was examined for δ13C records of planktonic foraminifera N. dutertrei and G. ruber. The planktonic foraminiferal δ13C records show a clear decreasing event from 20 to 6 cal. kaBP., which is characterized by long duration of about 14 ka and amplitude shift of 0.4 × 10-3. Its minimum value occurred at 15.7 cai kaBP. The event shows fairly synchrony with the surface water deglacial δ13C minimum identiffed in the tropical Pacific and its marginal seas. Because there is no evidence in planktonic foraminiferal fauna and δ18O records for upwelling and river runoff enhancement,the broad deglacial δ13C minimum event in planktonic foraminiferal records revealed in core DGKS9603 might have been the direct influencing result of the deglacial surface water of the tropical Pacific. The identification for the event in the Okinawa Trough provides new evidence that the water evolution in the tropical low-latitude Pacific plays a key role in large regional, even global carbon cycle.     

Magnitude and timing of temperature change in the Indo-Pacific warm pool during deglaciation

Ocean-atmosphere interactions in the tropical Pacific region have a strong influence on global heat and water vapour transport and thus constitute an important component of the climate system. Changes in sea surface temperatures and convection in the tropical Indo-Pacific region are thought to be responsible for the interannual to decadal climate variability observed in extra-tropical regions, but the role of the tropics in climate changes on millennial and orbital timescales is less clear. Here we analyse oxygen isotopes and Mg/Ca ratios of foraminiferal shells from the Makassar strait in the heart of the Indo-Pacific warm pool, to obtain synchronous estimates of sea surface temperatures and ice volume. We find that sea surface temperatures increased by 3.5-4.0 degrees C during the last two glacial-interglacial transitions, synchronous with the global increase in atmospheric CO2 and Antarctic warming, but the temperature increase occurred 2,000-3,000 years before the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets melted. Our observations suggest that the tropical Pacific region plays an important role in driving glacial-interglacial cycles, possibly through a system similar to how El Ni?o/Southern Oscillation regulates the poleward flux of heat and water vapour.     

Palaeoceanographic implications of genetic variation in living North Atlantic Neogloboquadrina pachyderma

The shells of the planktonic foraminifer Neogloboquadrina pachyderma have become a classical tool for reconstructing glacial-interglacial climate conditions in the North Atlantic Ocean. Palaeoceanographers utilize its left- and right-coiling variants, which exhibit a distinctive reciprocal temperature and water mass related shift in faunal abundance both at present and in late Quaternary sediments. Recently discovered cryptic genetic diversity in planktonic foraminifers now poses significant questions for these studies. Here we report genetic evidence demonstrating that the apparent 'single species' shell-based records of right-coiling N. pachyderma used in palaeoceanographic reconstructions contain an alternation in species as environmental factors change. This is reflected in a species-dependent incremental shift in right-coiling N. pachyderma shell calcite delta18O between the Last Glacial Maximum and full Holocene conditions. Guided by the percentage dextral coiling ratio, our findings enhance the use of delta18O records of right-coiling N. pachyderma for future study. They also highlight the need to genetically investigate other important morphospecies to refine their accuracy and reliability as palaeoceanographic proxies.     

Warming magnitude of Indonesian Throughflow during the penultimate deglaciation (Termination II) and its relationship with climate change in high-latitude regions

The tropical oceans are important source areas for global heat and water vapor transport, and changes in tropical sea surface tem-perature (SST) will have important impacts on high-latitude and global climate change. It is crucial to establish the precise phase relationship between tropical and high-latitude climate variability to gain insight into the mechanisms of global climate change. Here, we present multi-proxy records across the penultimate deglaciation (Termination II) from sediment Core SO18459, which is located in the outflow area of the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) of the Timor Sea. These proxy records include planktonic and benthic foraminifera δ¹⁸O, planktonic foraminifera G. ruber Mg/Ca-derived SST, and δ¹⁸O_w of sea surface water. The Mg/Ca-SST records indicate a warming of 4.1°C in the Timor Sea over Termination II, which is in phase with decrease in planktonic and benthic δ¹⁸O. Our results suggest that at millennial timescales, climate change of the tropical oceans is synchronous with high-latitude ice volume changes. Furthermore, warming of the Timor Sea is almost simultaneous with warming of the Antarctic, suggesting a rapid heat transfer from the tropics to the Antarctic via the atmosphere and/or ocean circulations. The G. ruber δ¹⁸O and SST records of Core SO18459 show a marked YD-like event during Termination II, which is probably caused by decrease in Australian rainfall or strengthening of the Western Pacific Warm Pool. However, a similar YD-like event is not observed in East Asian rainfall records. This discrepancy indicates that different tropical climate systems may have different responses to the same forcing, such as El Niño Southern Oscillation. A similar YD-like event is observed in the global benthic foraminiferal δ¹⁸O records during Termination II, implying teleconnection of millennial scale climate change between the tropical regions and high latitudes.     

Variations in upper water structure during MIS 3 from the western South China Sea

Core 17954 is located in the modern summer upwelling area in western South China Sea, its sediments recorded the variations of upwelling generated by East Asia Summer Monsoon (EASM) during MIS 3. Based on the strict age model of AMS 14C dating, the paleo-Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and Salinity (SSS) are reconstructed by pairing Mg/Ca-Paleothermometer and δ 18o of planktonic foraminifera Globigerinoides ruber (white s.s.). Results show that in Core 17954, the δ 18O record of G.ruber has sig- nificant mill...     

Speleothem Mg,Sr and Ba records during the MIS 5c-d,and implications for paleoclimate change in NE Sichuan,Central China

Trace metals of Mg, Sr and Ba in a stalagmite (SZ2) collected from Suozi Cave in NE Sichuan, Central China, were analyzed with ICP-AES. The stalagmite was dated to have developed between 120 and 103 ka BP. Results indicate that the Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios of SZ2 varied between (9500-14700) 10 6 , (54-123) 10 6 and (31-82) 10 6 , respectively. The three records displayed significant millennial scale variations, which correlate with changes in past climate and environment. Lower values of Mg/Ca ratios and higher values of Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios of SZ2 occurred during relatively cold-dry marine isotope stage (MIS) 5d, while the opposite trend was observed during relatively warm-humid MIS 5c. Trace metals in speleothems can be affected by distribution coefficients or trace metal concentrations in solutions from which speleothems precipitate. Temperature is suggested to be the dominant controller of Mg/Ca ratios in SZ2, whereas the Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios may have been influenced by surface soil and atmospheric dust activities and prior calcite precipitation in Suozi Cave. Further investigations are warranted as to whether Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios were affected by temperature and growth rate of the speleothem. The shifts of Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca records in SZ2 during the transition from MIS 5d to 5c apparently were earlier than the oxygen isotope record ( 18 O) of the same stalagmite. This possibly indicates (1) that atmospheric dust activity (the mechanism affecting SZ2 Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios) is closely related to temperature, and (2) that temperature changes (dominated by solar insolation) precedes change in speleothem 18 O records which are controlled by both summer monsoons and winter temperatures.     

Low-latitude seasonality of Cretaceous temperatures in warm and cold episodes

The Cretaceous period is generally considered to have been a time of warm climate. Evidence for cooler episodes exists, particularly in the early Cretaceous period, but the timing and significance of these cool episodes are not well constrained. The seasonality of temperatures is important for constraining equator-to-pole temperature gradients and may indicate the presence of polar ice sheets; however, reconstructions of Cretaceous sea surface temperatures are predominantly based on the oxygen isotopic composition of planktonic foraminifera that do not provide information about such intra-annual variations. Here we present intra-shell variations in delta18O values of rudist bivalves (Hippuritoidea) from palaeolatitudes between 8 degrees and 31 degrees N, which record the evolution of the seasonality of Cretaceous sea surface temperatures in detail. We find high maximum temperatures (approximately 35 to 37 degrees C) and relatively low seasonal variability (< 12 degrees C) between 20 degrees and 30 degrees N during the warmer Cretaceous episodes. In contrast, during the cooler episodes our data show seasonal sea surface temperature variability of up to 18 degrees C near 25 degrees N, comparable to the range found today. Such a large seasonal variability is compatible with the existence of polar ice sheets.     

Moisture transport across Central America as a positive feedback on abrupt climatic changes

Moisture transport from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean across Central America leads to relatively high salinities in the North Atlantic Ocean and contributes to the formation of North Atlantic Deep Water. This deep water formation varied strongly between Dansgaard/Oeschger interstadials and Heinrich events-millennial-scale abrupt warm and cold events, respectively, during the last glacial period. Increases in the moisture transport across Central America have been proposed to coincide with northerly shifts of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and with Dansgaard/Oeschger interstadials, with opposite changes for Heinrich events. Here we reconstruct sea surface salinities in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean over the past 90,000 years by comparing palaeotemperature estimates from alkenones and Mg/Ca ratios with foraminiferal oxygen isotope ratios that vary with both temperature and salinity. We detect millennial-scale fluctuations of sea surface salinities in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean of up to two to four practical salinity units. High salinities are associated with the southward migration of the tropical Atlantic Intertropical Convergence Zone, coinciding with Heinrich events and with Greenland stadials. The amplitudes of these salinity variations are significantly larger on the Pacific side of the Panama isthmus, as inferred from a comparison of our data with a palaeoclimate record from the Caribbean basin. We conclude that millennial-scale fluctuations of moisture transport constitute an important feedback mechanism for abrupt climate changes, modulating the North Atlantic freshwater budget and hence North Atlantic Deep Water formation.     

Rapid subtropical North Atlantic salinity oscillations across Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles

Geochemical and sedimentological evidence suggest that the rapid climate warming oscillations of the last ice age, the Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles, were coupled to fluctuations in North Atlantic meridional overturning circulation through its regulation of poleward heat flux. The balance between cold meltwater from the north and warm, salty subtropical gyre waters from the south influenced the strength and location of North Atlantic overturning circulation during this period of highly variable climate. Here we investigate how rapid reorganizations of the ocean-atmosphere system across these cycles are linked to salinity changes in the subtropical North Atlantic gyre. We combine Mg/Ca palaeothermometry and oxygen isotope ratio measurements on planktonic foraminifera across four Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles (spanning 45.9-59.2 kyr ago) to generate a seawater salinity proxy record from a subtropical gyre deep-sea sediment core. We show that North Atlantic gyre surface salinities oscillated rapidly between saltier stadial conditions and fresher interstadials, covarying with inferred shifts in the Tropical Atlantic hydrologic cycle and North Atlantic overturning circulation. These salinity oscillations suggest a reduction in precipitation into the North Atlantic and/or reduced export of deep salty thermohaline waters during stadials. We hypothesize that increased stadial salinities preconditioned the North Atlantic Ocean for a rapid return to deep overturning circulation and high-latitude warming by contributing to increased North Atlantic surface-water density on interstadial transitions.     

Stable sea surface temperatures in the western Pacific warm pool over the past 1.75 million years

About 850,000 years ago, the period of the glacial cycles changed from 41,000 to 100,000 years. This mid-Pleistocene climate transition has been attributed to global cooling, possibly caused by a decrease in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. However, evidence for such cooling is currently restricted to the cool upwelling regions in the eastern equatorial oceans, although the tropical warm pools on the western side of the ocean basins are particularly sensitive to changes in radiative forcing. Here we present high-resolution records of sea surface temperatures spanning the past 1.75 million years, obtained from oxygen isotopes and Mg/Ca ratios in planktonic foraminifera from the western Pacific warm pool. In contrast with the eastern equatorial regions, sea surface temperatures in the western Pacific warm pool are relatively stable throughout the Pleistocene epoch, implying little long-term change in the tropical net radiation budget. Our results challenge the hypothesis of a gradual decrease in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations as a dominant trigger of the longer glacial cycles since 850,000 years ago. Instead, we infer that the temperature contrast across the equatorial Pacific Ocean increased, which might have had a significant influence on the mid-Pleistocene climate transition.     

Variations of alkenone temperature in the Sea of Japan during the last 170 ka and its paleoceanographic implications

Two sediment cores, KCES1 and ODP797, which were recovered from the Sea of Japan （JS）, were measured for alkenone-derived sea surface temperatures （U37-SSTs）. Our results revealed that the SSTs closely follow the glacial-interglacial cycles during the last 170 ka, except in the last glacial maximum （LGM）, during which the SST was higher than in the Holocene. The anomalous high temperature in the LGM is considered as an effect of the intrusion of a low salinity water mass into the JS when the sea level was almost below 130 m. On the glacial- K interglacial to orbital timescale, the U37-SSTs record in the JS correlated well with the benthic foraminiferal SO record and solar insolation, which suggests the dominant control of solar insolation and its related sea ice develop- ment on the SST in the JS. On the sub-orbital/millennial timescale, reduced SST corresponds to an enhanced east asian winter monsoon （EAWM） during the last glacial period （MIS3 and MIS4）, indicating the dominant control of sea ice expansion due to the enhanced EAWM on the SST in the JS. In contrast, during the last interglacial period （MIS5）, the SST in the JS was controlled by variations in the east Asian summer monsoon. These results highlight the key role of solar insolation and associated glacial-interglacial conditions in the variations of the SST in the JS since the last 170 ka.     

The paleoclimatic events and cause in the Okinawa Trough during 50 kaBP

Planktonic foraminiferal δ ¹⁸O record for core DGKS9603 from the Okinawa Trough shows a series of climatic fluctuations and sudden cooling events in short time scale during 50 kaBP, which appear to correlate closely to the Younger Dryas and Heinrich events H1-5 recorded in Chinese loess, the South China Sea, the North Atlantic cores and the Greenland ice cores. Three polarity reversal events, correlating to Gothenburg, Mungo and Laschamp events, approximately correspond to Heinrich events H1, H3 and H5 respectively, which could be a cause of global climate changes. The δ ¹⁸O curve of the Okinawa Trough is well associated with the grain size record of the Lijiayuan loess profile in northwestern China and is somewhat different from the climate fluctuations documented in the Greenland ice cores. These correlation results indicate that regional factors play an important role in controlling the climate changes in the East Asia, and the East Asian Monsoon could be the prominent regional controlling factor.     

The influence of rivers on marine boron isotopes and implications for reconstructing past ocean pH

Ocean pH is particularly sensitive to atmospheric carbon dioxide content. Records of ocean pH can therefore be used to estimate past atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. The isotopic composition of boron (delta11B) contained in the carbonate shells of marine organisms varies according to pH, from which ocean pH can be reconstructed. This requires independent estimates of the delta11B of dissolved boron in sea water through time. The marine delta11B budget, however, is still largely unconstrained. Here we show that, by incorporating the global flux of riverine boron (as estimated from delta11B measurements in 22 of the world's main rivers), the marine boron isotope budget can be balanced. We also derive ocean delta11B budgets for the past 120 Myr. Estimated isotope compositions of boron in sea water show a remarkable consistency with records of delta11B in foraminiferal carbonates, suggesting that foraminifera delta11B records may in part reflect changes in the marine boron isotope budget rather than changes in ocean pH over the Cenozoic era.     

Distribution,ecology, and oxygen and carbon isotope characteristics of modern planktonic foraminifers in the Makarov Basin of the Arctic Ocean

The Arctic region, with magnificent ice cover on the surface of the Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas, is not only extremely sensitive to but also has strong amplification effects on climate change. Observations during the past decades have documented substantial retreat and thinning of the Arctic sea-ice cover, a process that is accelerating. Its feedback and impact on the global climate has become an important subject of current climate change research. Calcite tests of planktonic foraminifers are major constituents in pelagic sediments, and they provide valuable materials for the reconstruction of past oceanographic conditions. However, research is still sparse in the Arctic sea area because of limited availability of the materials for investigation. Here, we present a study of modern foraminifers from the plankton tow samples taken in the Makarov Basin of the Arctic Ocean during the fourth Arctic expedition of China. We have analyzed ecological information stored in the modern planktonic foraminifers and in their stable isotope signals, and established a relationship between the distribution of the main taxa and the environment. Our main observations are as follows:(1) in the Makarov Basin, the polar species Neogloboquadrina pachyderma(sinistral coiling) dominates the [150 lm planktonic foraminiferal assemblages.(2) The planktonic foraminifers live mainly in the upper halocline at a water depth of 50–100 m and less in the depth interval of 100–200 m.(3) Temperature change in the halocline can affect the absolute abundance of planktonic foraminifers and their distribution in the water column. The warmer halocline is more favorable to the development of planktonic foraminifers.(4) A lighter d18O value(2.11 %) of N. pachyderma(sin.) is recorded in the depth interval of 100–200 m, which is likely related to the isotopically light brines separated out during sea ice freezing. The relatively heavy d18O value(1.68 %–2.68 %, average 2.27 %) in the depth interval of 50–100 m may be influenced by the low salinity water with the relatively heavy d18O value formed during the sea-ice melting in the surface layer.     

Quantitative reconstruction of the paleosalinity in the Daihai Lake, Inner Mongolia, China

Ostracods are small bivalved aquatic crustaceans. They secrete shells of low-Mg calcite that are often preserved in lake sediments. Recent work has shown that the uptake of trace elements (especially Mg and Sr) into the shell may be a function of the salinity and temperature of the host water. We measured Sr/Ca ratios in living ostracod valves from the species of genus Limnocythere cf. inopinata and Sr²⁺/Ca²⁺ ratios of the host water to calculate distribution coefficient of genus Limnocythere cf. inopinata in the Daihai Lake. A function for Sr²⁺/Ca²⁺ ratio and salinity was established by measuring a series of Sr²⁺/Ca²⁺ ratios and salinities of the lake water in different places of the Daihai Lake. Finally paleosalinities of the lake water were quantitatively reconstructed by the Sr/Ca ratios of ostracod shells of the same species in sediment core of the Daihai Lake.     

Reduced North Atlantic Deep Water flux to the glacial Southern Ocean inferred from neodymium isotope ratios

The global circulation of the oceans and the atmosphere transports heat around the Earth. Broecker and Denton suggested that changes in the global ocean circulation might have triggered or enhanced the glacial-interglacial cycles. But proxy data for past circulation taken from sediment cores in the South Atlantic Ocean have yielded conflicting interpretations of ocean circulation in glacial times--delta13C variations in benthic foraminifera support the idea of a glacial weakening or shutdown of North Atlantic Deep Water production, whereas other proxies, such as Cd/Ca, Ba/Ca and 231Pa/230Th ratios, show little change from the Last Glacial Maximum to the Holocene epoch. Here we report neodymium isotope ratios from the dispersed Fe-Mn oxide component of two southeast Atlantic sediment cores. Both cores show variations that tend towards North Atlantic signatures during the warm marine isotope stages 1 and 3, whereas for the full glacial stages 2 and 4 they are closer to Pacific Ocean signatures. We conclude that the export of North Atlantic Deep Water to the Southern Ocean has resembled present-day conditions during the warm climate intervals, but was reduced during the cold stages. An increase in biological productivity may explain the various proxy data during the times of reduced North Atlantic Deep Water export.     

Oxygen and carbon isotope records of calcareous nannofossils for the past 1 Ma in the southern South China Sea

Oxygen and carbon isotopic analyses have been carried out on calcareous nannofossils from ODP Site 1143 in the southern South China Sea. The results demonstrate that the δ18O values of calcareous nannofossils for the past 1 Ma vary systematically with those of planktonic and benthic foraminifera from the same site. But the average δ18O value of nannofossils is 1.869‰ higher than that of planktonic foraminifera, and is 3.855‰ lower than that of benthic foarminifera. There are systematic differences between the δ13C values of nannofossils, planktonic foarminifera and benthic foraminifera. The average δ13C of nannofossils is 0.756‰ higher than that of benthic foraminifera, and is 0.460‰ lower than that of planktonic foraminifera. The δ13C values of nannofossils exhibit a significant positive shift beginning near isotope stage 14 and lasting until stage 8. This study also finds that there is a close ralationship between the δ13C of nannofossils and the percentage of Florisphaera profunda. This implies that the δ13C of nannofossils can be used as an indicator of sea water surface paleoproductivity.     

Reconstructing sea surface temperature,sea surface salinity and partial pressure of carbon dioxide in atmosphere in the Okinawa Trough during the Holocene and their paleoclimatic implications

The sediment core DGKS9603 collected from the Okinawa Trough was used as research target. By use of unsaturated indexU ^k₃₇ of long-chain alkenone, δ¹³C of POC and of planktonic foraminifera (G. sacculifer), the evolutions of sea surface temperature and partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere during the Holocene were reconstructed in the Okinawa Trough. And in combination of δ¹⁸O of planktonic foraminifera, the relative difference of sea surface salinity during the Holocene was also reconstructed. Consequently, three cooling events (E₁-E₃) were identified, each of which occurred at 1.7-1.6, 5.1-4.8 and 8.1-7.4 kaBP (cal), respectively. Of the three events, E₂ and E₃ are globally comparable, their occurrence mechanism would be that the main stream of the Kuroshio Current shifted eastward due to the enhanced circulation of the northeastern Pacific Ocean, which was driven in turn by amplified intensity of sunshine and subsequent enhancement of subtropical high pressure; E₁ corresponds to the Small Ice-Age Event occurring between 1550 and 1850AD in China. In the Oki-nawa Trough, E₁ might be also related to the eastward shift of main stream of the Kuroshio current driven by powerful Asia winter monsoon.

     

Links between salinity variation in the Caribbean and North Atlantic thermohaline circulation

Variations in the strength of the North Atlantic Ocean thermohaline circulation have been linked to rapid climate changes during the last glacial cycle through oscillations in North Atlantic Deep Water formation and northward oceanic heat flux. The strength of the thermohaline circulation depends on the supply of warm, salty water to the North Atlantic, which, after losing heat to the atmosphere, produces the dense water masses that sink to great depths and circulate back south. Here we analyse two Caribbean Sea sediment cores, combining Mg/Ca palaeothermometry with measurements of oxygen isotopes in foraminiferal calcite in order to reconstruct tropical Atlantic surface salinity during the last glacial cycle. We find that Caribbean salinity oscillated between saltier conditions during the cold oxygen isotope stages 2, 4 and 6, and lower salinities during the warm stages 3 and 5, covarying with the strength of North Atlantic Deep Water formation. At the initiation of the B?lling/Aller?d warm interval, Caribbean surface salinity decreased abruptly, suggesting that the advection of salty tropical waters into the North Atlantic amplified thermohaline circulation and contributed to high-latitude warming.