Eastern Pacific cooling and Atlantic overturning circulation during the last deglaciation

Surface ocean conditions in the equatorial Pacific Ocean could hold the clue to whether millennial-scale global climate change during glacial times was initiated through tropical ocean-atmosphere feedbacks or by changes in the Atlantic thermohaline circulation. North Atlantic cold periods during Heinrich events and millennial-scale cold events (stadials) have been linked with climatic changes in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and South America, as well as the Indian and East Asian monsoon systems, but not with tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures. Here we present a high-resolution record of sea surface temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific derived from alkenone unsaturation measurements. Our data show a temperature drop of approximately 1 degrees C, synchronous (within dating uncertainties) with the shutdown of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation during Heinrich event 1, and a smaller temperature drop of approximately 0.5 degrees C synchronous with the smaller reduction in the overturning circulation during the Younger Dryas event. Both cold events coincide with maxima in surface ocean productivity as inferred from 230Th-normalized carbon burial fluxes, suggesting increased upwelling at the time. From the concurrence of equatorial Pacific cooling with the two North Atlantic cold periods during deglaciation, we conclude that these millennial-scale climate changes were probably driven by a reorganization of the oceans' thermohaline circulation, although possibly amplified by tropical ocean-atmosphere interaction as suggested before.     

Global warming preceded by increasing carbon dioxide concentrations during the last deglaciation

The covariation of carbon dioxide (CO(2)) concentration and temperature in Antarctic ice-core records suggests a close link between CO(2) and climate during the Pleistocene ice ages. The role and relative importance of CO(2) in producing these climate changes remains unclear, however, in part because the ice-core deuterium record reflects local rather than global temperature. Here we construct a record of global surface temperature from 80 proxy records and show that temperature is correlated with and generally lags CO(2) during the last (that is, the most recent) deglaciation. Differences between the respective temperature changes of the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere parallel variations in the strength of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation recorded in marine sediments. These observations, together with transient global climate model simulations, support the conclusion that an antiphased hemispheric temperature response to ocean circulation changes superimposed on globally in-phase warming driven by increasing CO(2) concentrations is an explanation for much of the temperature change at the end of the most recent ice age.     

Old radiocarbon ages in the southwest Pacific Ocean during the last glacial period and deglaciation

Marine radiocarbon (14C) dates are widely used for dating oceanic events and as tracers of ocean circulation, essential components for understanding ocean-climate interactions. Past ocean ventilation rates have been determined by the difference between radiocarbon ages of deep-water and surface-water reservoirs, but the apparent age of surface waters (currently approximately 400 years in the tropics and approximately 1,200 years in Antarctic waters) might not be constant through time, as has been assumed in radiocarbon chronologies and palaeoclimate studies. Here we present independent estimates of surface-water and deep-water reservoir ages in the New Zealand region since the last glacial period, using volcanic ejecta (tephras) deposited in both marine and terrestrial sediments as stratigraphic markers. Compared to present-day values, surface-reservoir ages from 11,900 14C years ago were twice as large (800 years) and during glacial times were five times as large (2,000 years), contradicting the assumption of constant surface age. Furthermore, the ages of glacial deep-water reservoirs were much older (3,000-5,000 years). The increase in surface-to-deep water age differences in the glacial Southern Ocean suggests that there was decreased ocean ventilation during this period.     

The timing of the last deglaciation in North Atlantic climate records

To determine the mechanisms governing the last deglaciation and the sequence of events that lead to deglaciation, it is important to obtain a temporal framework that applies to both continental and marine climate records. Radiocarbon dating has been widely used to derive calendar dates for marine sediments, but it rests on the assumption that the 'apparent age' of surface water (the age of surface water relative to the atmosphere) has remained constant over time. Here we present new evidence for variation in the apparent age of surface water (or reservoir age) in the North Atlantic ocean north of 40 degrees N over the past 20,000 years. In two cores we found apparent surface-water ages to be larger than those of today by 1,230 +/- 600 and 1,940 +/- 750 years at the end of the Heinrich 1 surge event (15,000 years BP) and by 820 +/- 430 to 1,010 +/- 340 years at the end of the Younger Dryas cold episode. During the warm B?lling-Aller?d period, between these two periods of large reservoir ages, apparent surface-water ages were comparable to present values. Our results allow us to reconcile the chronologies from ice cores and the North Atlantic marine records over the entire deglaciation period. Moreover, the data imply that marine carbon dates from the North Atlantic north of 40 degrees N will need to be corrected for these highly variable effects.     

Evolution of heat transport pathways in the Indonesian Archipelago during last deglaciation

The Indonesian Archipelago provides important heat transport pathways of the Western Pacific Warm Pool between the northern Indian Ocean and western equatorial Pacific Ocean, that exert important impacts on global climate change. This study investigated AMS ¹⁴C, δ¹⁸O, planktonic foraminifer assemblages and sedimentation rates in three piston cores collected in the Indonesian Archipelago. The results indicate that changes in the Indonesian Archipelago heat transport pathways were phase characteristic and in steps during the last deglaciation. In the deglaciation Termination IA, at about 12.5 kaBP, sea level rose rapidly in a short time period, and Makassar and Lombok straits widened suddenly for warm and fresh water from the Pacific to pour into the Java Sea and eastern Indian Ocean. During the Termination IB, about 9.5 kaBP, sea level rose rapidly again, and the South China Sea (SCS) started to connect with the Java Sea. With monsoon actions, a large amount of fresh water from the SCS shelf area flew through the Indonesian Archipelago.     

Pulleniatina Minimum Event during the last deglaciation in the southern South China Sea

The planktonic foraminiferal faunal census of core MD 05-2894 （7°2.25′N, 111°33.11′E, water depth 1982 m）, retrieved from the southern South China Sea （SCS） during the ＂Marco Polo＂ cruise in 2005, was performed to investigate the abundance changes of a subsurface dweller, Pulleniatina obliquiloculata. The results display that the abundance of P. obliquiloculata nearly declines to zero during 16.0--14.9 ka, corresponding to the Heinrich 1 （H1） cold interval. The unexpected decrease of P. obliquiloculata occurs in the adjacent cores, roughly between 17 and 14.8 ka based on the previous studies. Accordingly, the Pulleniatina Minimum Event in the last deglaciation can serve as a good stratigraphical indicator, at least in the southern SCS. To further explore the changes of sea surface temperature （SST） and subsurface seawater temperature （SSST）, we made parallel Mg/Ca measurements on surface dweller Globigerinoides tuber and subsurface dweller P. obliquiloculata tests. Since the last deglaciation, the SSTs show a continuous increasing trend towards the late Holocene, while the warming of the subsurface water is punctuated by a 2℃-cooling interval across the deglacial Pulleniatina Minimum Event. Both increased 5180 differences between G. ruber and P. obliquiloculata, and increased temperature differences between surface and subsurface water suggest a shoaling of the mixed layer during the deglacial Pulleniatina Minimum Event. Therefore, we consider that the significant changes in the upper ocean structure are responsible for the Pulleniatina Minimum Event during the last deglaciation in the southern SCS.     

取自深海的泥泞微生物

SubmarinemissionfindslifeinthedeepesttrenchonEarth.TheirhomeliesfurtherbeneathsealevelthanEverest'speakrisesaboveit.Andyettinyor鄄ganismshavebeenfoundlivingattheverybottomofthePacificOcean'sdeepesttrench,there鄄motestspotontheglobe.Themicroscopicorganisms,calledforaminifera,liveinmudatthebottomofChallengerDeepintheMarianaTrench,almost11kilometresbeneaththewavesofthewesternPacificOcean.Thepres鄄sureatthisdepthisacrushing1,090timesthatatthesurface.ResearchersledbyHiroshiKitazatooftheJapanA…     

Sedimentary sequence and environmental evolution in the eastern south Yellow Sea during the last deglaciation and the holocene

Northwest of Cheju Island in the eastern South Yellow Sea there is an arc patch of muddy deposit which coincides with an anticlokwise eddy and thus is referred to as muddy deposit of eddy. Two drilling wells, the YSDP 102 well and the YSDP 103 well, penetrated the muddy deposit and revelated the sedimentary sequence in the sea area during the last deglaciation and the Holocene. Based on shallow seismic profiles, sedimentary features and dating data, stratigraphic units formed in the eastern South Yellow Sea, documents the path, time and process of the earliest post-glacial transgression in the South Yellow Sea are presented, the formation of the Yellow Sea warm current and its control over the Yellow Sea sedimentation are discussed, and deals with the source of the muddy deposit is dealt with.     

Implications of stalagmite density for past climate change: An example from stalagmite growth during the last deglaciation from Wanxiang Cave,western Loess Plateau

Science Bulletin - The density of a stalagmite (WX42A) from Wanxiang Cave, Wudu County, Gansu Province, China, in the western margin of the Asian summer monsoon region, presents regular...     

Melt-Water-Pulse （MWP） events and abrupt climate change of the last deglaciation

The last deglaciation is characterized by massive ice sheet melting, which results in an average sea-level rise of -120-140m. At least three major Melt-Water-Pulse （MWP） events （19ka-MWP, MWP-1A and MWP-1B） are recognizable for the last deglaciation, of which MWP-1A event lasting from -14.2 to -13.7 ka B.P. is of the most significance. However, the accurate timing and source of MWP-1A event remain debatable and controversial. It has long been postulated that meltwater of the last deglaciaUon pouring into the North Atlantic resulted in a slowdown or even a shutdown of the thermohaline circulation （THC） which subsequently affected the global climate change. Accordingly, the focus of this debate consists in establishing a reasonable relationship between MWP events and abrupt climate change. Here we summarize a variety of geological and model results for the last deglaciation, reaching a conclusion that the major MWP events did not correspond with the rigorous stadials, nor always happened within climate reversal intervals. MWP events of the last deglaciation had very weak influences on the intensity of the THC and were not able to trigger a collapse of the global climate. We need to reevaluate the influences of the temporal meltwater variability on the global climate system.     

Modeling studies on the changes of the Subtropical High over the Western Pacific during the last 100 years

Intensity index series of Subtropical High over the Western Pacific was constructed according to modeling results by using of CCM3.6 atmospheric model with climatologically SST forcing for 30 years, and with observed SST forcing from 1900 to 2000. The index series constructed by modeling closely correlated to the observations for 1951-1999 (c.c. 0.72) and to the statistically reconstructed one for 1900-1950 (c.c. 0.51). The index series for 1900-1999 showed significant 80 a and 40 a periodicity. A minimum of persistence in seasonal variations of the index occurred in Autumn, which was called "Autumn Barrier". It may relate to the "Spring Barrier", found in the seasonal variations of SST over the Eastern Equatorial Pacific. The increasing trend shown in the index series for the 20th century may associate with the global warming caused by enhancement of greenhouse effect.     

Distinguishing random environmental fluctuations from ecological catastrophes for the North Pacific Ocean

The prospect of rapid dynamic changes in the environment is a pressing concern that has profound management and public policy implications. Worries over sudden climate change and irreversible changes in ecosystems are rooted in the potential that nonlinear systems have for complex and 'pathological' behaviours. Nonlinear behaviours have been shown in model systems and in some natural systems, but their occurrence in large-scale marine environments remains controversial. Here we show that time series observations of key physical variables for the North Pacific Ocean that seem to show these behaviours are not deterministically nonlinear, and are best described as linear stochastic. In contrast, we find that time series for biological variables having similar properties exhibit a low-dimensional nonlinear signature. To our knowledge, this is the first direct test for nonlinearity in large-scale physical and biological data for the marine environment. These results address a continuing debate over the origin of rapid shifts in certain key marine observations as coming from essentially stochastic processes or from dominant nonlinear mechanisms. Our measurements suggest that large-scale marine ecosystems are dynamically nonlinear, and as such have the capacity for dramatic change in response to stochastic fluctuations in basin-scale physical states.     

Evidence for deep-water production in the North Pacific Ocean during the early Cenozoic warm interval

The deep-ocean circulation is responsible for a significant component of global heat transport. In the present mode of circulation, deep waters form in the North Atlantic and Southern oceans where surface water becomes sufficiently cold and dense to sink. Polar temperatures during the warmest climatic interval of the Cenozoic era (approximately 65 to 40 million years (Myr) ago) were significantly warmer than today, and this may have been a consequence of enhanced oceanic heat transport. However, understanding the relationship between deep-ocean circulation and ancient climate is complicated by differences in oceanic gateways, which affect where deep waters form and how they circulate. Here I report records of neodymium isotopes from two cores in the Pacific Ocean that indicate a shift in deep-water production from the Southern Ocean to the North Pacific approximately 65 Myr ago. The source of deep waters reverted back to the Southern Ocean 40 Myr ago. The relative timing of changes in the neodymium and oxygen isotope records indicates that changes in Cenozoic deep-water circulation patterns were the consequence, not the cause, of extreme Cenozoic warmth.     

Vast laminated diatom mat deposits from the west low-latitude Pacific Ocean in the last glacial period

Diatoms are one of the predominant contributors to global carbon fixation by accounting for over 40% of total oceanic primary production and dominate export production. They play a significant role in marine biogeochemistry cycle. The diatom mat deposits are results of vast diatoms bloom. By analysis of diatom mats in 136°00′--140°00′E, 15°00′--21°00′N, Eastern Philippines Sea, we identified the species of the diatoms as giant Ethmodiscus rex （Wallich） Hendey. AMS 14C dating shows that the sediments rich in diatom mats occurred during 16000--28600 a B.P., which means the bloom mainly occurred during the last glacial period, while there are no diatom mat deposits in other layers. Preliminary analysis indicates that Antarctic Intermediate Water （AAIW） expanded northward and brought silicate-rich water into the area, namely, silicon leakage processes caused the bloom of diatoms. In addition, the increase of iron input is one of the main reasons for the diatom bloom.     

Rapid oscillations of Chinese monsoon climate since the last deglaciation and its comparison with GISP2 record

The geographic extent of the climate oscillations during the last deglaciation is an open question in the world. Here a high resolution climate record from a 16 000 C-14 a loess sequence in the northwestern margin of the Chinese Loess Plateau is reported. Comparison with GISP2 record shows that all major climate oscillation (e. g. Oldest Dryas/ Boiling/ Older Dryas/ Allerod/ Younger Dryas) in the North Atlantic region also registered in the record. In addition, the sequence also contains some other distinctive strengthened winter monsoon periods. It is suggested that a coupling mechanism operate between the two areas, and climate oscillations in the North Atlantic region may not be a local phenomenon.     

The two-step monsoon changes of the last deglaciation recorded in tropical Maar Lake Huguangyan, southern China

The concentrations of biogenic silica, total organic carbon, total nitrogen and total hydrogen inferred from the sediments of tropical Maar Lake Huguangyan, southern China, provide a climate record of the last déglaciation with century resolution. The records fully demonstrate the existence of the two-step shape of the last déglaciation in tropic East Asia, and they point out noticeable differences between the low and high latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. Thus, the Boiling first warming at the last deglaciation in the low latitude may have preceded that of the high latitude, whereas the cooling of the Younger Dryas occurred synchronously in the two regions. These results likely suggest that the links between the low and high latitude climates in the Northern Hemisphere during this period are complexity.