Seasonal and subseasonal climate changes recorded in laminated diatom ooze sediments, Adelie Land, East Antarctica

Type Article
Date 2006-12
Language English
Author(s) Denis Delphine1, Crosta X1, Zaragosi S1, Romero O1, 2, 3, Martin B1, Mas Virginie1, 4
Affiliation(s) 1 : Univ Bordeaux 1, CNRS, UMR 5805, EPOC, F-33405 Talence, France.
2 : Univ Bremen, Dept Geosci, D-28334 Bremen, Germany.
3 : Univ Bremen, RCOM, D-28334 Bremen, Germany.
4 : IFREMER, Lab Environm Sedimentaires, F-29280 Plouzane, France.
Source The Holocene (0959-6836) (SAGE Publications), 2006-12 , Vol. 16 , N. 8 , P. 1137-1147
DOI 10.1177/0959683606069414
WOS© Times Cited 33
Keyword(s) East Antarctica, Sea ice, Seasonality, Diatom ooze, Laminated sediments, Holocene, Adelie Land
Abstract A 40 m long sediment core covering the 1000-9600 years BP period was retrieved from the Dumont d'Urville Trough off Adelie Land, East Antarctica, during the MD 130-Images X-CADO cruise. This sedimentary sequence allows the documentation of changes in climate seasonality during the Holocene. Here we show preliminary results of diatom communities, lithic grain distribution and titanium content measured on two 30 cm long sequences of thin sections. The two sequences originate from two different climate regimes, the colder Neoglacial and the warmer Hypsithermal. Proxies were measured at microscale resolution on 25 laminations for the Neoglacial and 14 laminations for the Hypsithermal. The two sequences reveal alternating light-green and dark-green laminae. Light laminae result from low terrigenous input and high sea-ice edge diatom fluxes and are interpreted to represent the spring season. Dark laminae result from high terrigenous input mixed with a diversified open ocean diatom flora and are interpreted to represent the summer-autumn season. The two sequences therefore resolve annual couplets composed of one light plus one dark lamina. Variations in the relative thickness of laminations and annual couplets, associated with diatom assemblage changes, are observed in each sequence and between the two sequences giving information on interannual to millennial changes in environmental conditions.
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