Middle-late Pleistocene deep water circulation in the southwest subtropical Pacific

Type Article
Date 2009-10
Language English
Author(s) Russon T.1, Elliot M.1, Kissel C.2, Cabioch G.3, de Deckker P.4, Correge T.5
Affiliation(s) 1 : Univ Edinburgh, Sch Geosci, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland.
2 : CEA, CNRS UVSQ, Lab Mixte,IPSL, Lab Sci Climat & Environ, F-91198 Gif Sur Yvette, France.
3 : Inst Rech Dev, Unite Rech Paleotrop, Noumea, New Caledonia.
4 : Australian Natl Univ, Res Sch Earth Sci, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia.
5 : Univ Bordeaux, CNRS, UMR 5805, F-33000 Bordeaux, France.
Source Paleoceanography (0883-8305) (Amer Geophysical Union), 2009-10 , Vol. 24 , P. -
DOI 10.1029/2009PA001755
WOS© Times Cited 16
Abstract The modern delta(13)C(DIC) distribution in southwest subtropical Pacific deep waters is consistent with a regional mixing regime between water masses of open Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea origin. This mixing regime is reconstructed across the middle-late Pleistocene using a record of benthic foraminiferal delta(13)C in a sediment core from the New Caledonia Trough. The relative influence on the mixing regime from open Pacific Ocean deep waters is seen to be significantly reduced during glacial in comparison to interglacial stages over the past 1.1 Ma. The spatial delta(13)C gradient in the Southern Ocean between deep waters entering the Tasman Sea and the open Pacific Ocean is shown to be consequently greater during glacial than interglacial stages but was generally reduced across the period of the Middle Pleistocene Transition. The existence of strong spatial chemical gradients in the glacial Southern Ocean limits its capacity to act as an enhanced sink for atmospheric carbon.
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