Phase relationship between sea level and abrupt climate change

Type Article
Date 2009-12
Language English
Author(s) Sierro Francisco J.1, Andersen Nils2, Bassetti Maria-Angela3, Berne Serge3, 6, Canals Miquel4, Curtis Jason H.5, Dennielou BernardORCID6, Abel Flores Jose1, Frigola Jaime4, Gonzalez-Mora Beatriz1, Grimalt Joan O.7, Hodell David A.5, Jouet Gwenael6, Perez-Folgado Marta1, Schneider Ralph8
Affiliation(s) 1 : Univ Salamanca, Dept Geol, Salamanca 37071, Spain.
2 : Univ Kiel, Leibniz Lab Radiometr Dating & Isotope Res, D-24118 Kiel, Germany.
3 : Univ Perpignan, Lab IMAGES BatU, F-66860 Perpignan, France.
4 : Univ Barcelona, GRC Marine Geosci, Dept Stratig Paleontol & Marine Geosci, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain.
5 : Univ Florida, Dept Geol Sci, Gainesville, FL 32611 USA.
6 : IFREMER, GM, Lab Environm Sedimentaires, F-29280 Plouzane, France.
7 : Inst Environm Assessment & Water Res IDAEA, Dept Environm Chem, Barcelona 08034, Spain.
8 : Univ Kiel, Inst Geowissensch, D-24118 Kiel, Germany.
Source Quaternary Science Reviews (0277-3791) (Elsevier), 2009-12 , Vol. 28 , N. 25-26 , P. 2867-2881
DOI 10.1016/j.quascirev.2009.07.019
WOS© Times Cited 61
Abstract Direct traces of past sea levels are based on the elevation of old coral reefs at times of sea level high-stands. However, these measurements are discontinuous and cannot be easily correlated with climate records from ice cores. In this study we show a new approach to recognizing the imprint of sea level changes in continuous sediment records taken from the continental slope at locations that were continuously submerged, even during periods of sea level lowstand. By using a sediment core precisely synchronized with Greenland ice cores, we were able to recognize major floods of the Mediterranean continental shelf over the past 270 kyr. During the last glacial period five flooding events were observed at the onset of the warmest Greenland interstadials. Consistent correspondence between warm climate episodes and eustatic sea level rises shows that these global flooding events were generated by pronounced melting of the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets, due to rapid intensification of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. The method described in this study opens a new perspective for inter-hemi spheric synchronization of marine climate records if applied in other continental margins from the Southern Hemisphere or the equatorial regions. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Sierro Francisco J., Andersen Nils, Bassetti Maria-Angela, Berne Serge, Canals Miquel, Curtis Jason H., Dennielou Bernard, Abel Flores Jose, Frigola Jaime, Gonzalez-Mora Beatriz, Grimalt Joan O., Hodell David A., Jouet Gwenael, Perez-Folgado Marta, Schneider Ralph (2009). Phase relationship between sea level and abrupt climate change. Quaternary Science Reviews, 28(25-26), 2867-2881. Publisher's official version : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2009.07.019 , Open Access version : https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/6969/