More Like this
-
Abstract. The oxygen isotopic composition of benthic foraminiferal tests (δ18Ob) is one of the pre-eminent tools for correlating marine sediments and interpreting past terrestrial ice volume and deep-ocean temperatures. Despite the prevalence of δ18Ob applications to marine sediment cores over the Quaternary, its use is limited in the Arctic Ocean because of low benthic foraminiferal abundances, challenges with constructing independent sediment core age models, and an apparent muted amplitude of Arctic δ18Ob variability compared to open-ocean records. Here we evaluate the controls on Arctic δ18Ob by using ostracode Mg/Ca paleothermometry to generate a composite record of the δ18O of seawater (δ18Osw) from 12 sediment cores in the intermediate to deep Arctic Ocean (700–2700 m) that covers the last 600 kyr based on biostratigraphy and orbitally tuned age models. Results show that Arctic δ18Ob was generally higher than open-ocean δ18Ob during interglacials but was generally equivalent to global reference records during glacial periods. The reduced glacial–interglacial Arctic δ18Ob range resulted in part from the opposing effect of temperature, with intermediate to deep Arctic warming during glacials counteracting the whole-ocean δ18Osw increase from expanded terrestrial ice sheets. After removing the temperature effect from δ18Ob, we find that the intermediate to deep Arctic experienced large (≥1 ‰) variations in local δ18Osw, with generally higher local δ18Osw during interglacials and lower δ18Osw during glacials. Both the magnitude and timing of low local δ18Osw intervals are inconsistent with the recent proposal of freshwater intervals in the Arctic Ocean during past glaciations. Instead, we suggest that lower local δ18Osw in the intermediate to deep Arctic Ocean during glaciations reflected weaker upper-ocean stratification and more efficient transport of low-δ18Osw Arctic surface waters to depth by mixing and/or brine rejection.more » « less
-
more » « less
Abstract Patterns of
δ 18O andδ 2H in Earth's precipitation provide essential scientific data for use in hydrological, climatological, ecological and forensic research. Insufficient global spatial data coverage promulgated the use of gridded datasets employing geostatistical techniques (isoscapes) for spatiotemporally coherent isotope predictions. Cluster‐based isoscape regionalization combines the advantages of local or regional prediction calibrations into a global framework. Here we present a revision of a Regionalized Cluster‐Based Water Isotope Prediction model (RCWIP2) incorporating new isotope data having extensive spatial coverage and a wider array of predictor variables combined with high‐resolution gridded climatic data. We introduced coupling ofδ 18O andδ 2H (e.g.,d ‐excess constrained) in the model predictions to prevent runaway isoscapes when each isotope is modelled separately and cross‐checked observed versus modelledd ‐excess values. We improved model error quantification by adopting full uncertainty propagation in all calculations. RCWIP2 improved the RMSE over previous isoscape models by ca. 0.3 ‰ forδ 18O and 2.5 ‰ forδ 2H with an uncertainty <1.0 ‰ forδ 18O and < 8 ‰ forδ 2H for most regions of the world. The determination of the relative importance of each predictor variable in each ecoclimatic zone is a new approach to identify previously unrecognized climatic drivers on mean annual precipitationδ 18O andδ 2H. The improved RCWIP2 isoscape grids and maps (season, monthly, annual, regional) are available for download athttps://isotopehydrologynetwork.iaea.org . -
null (Ed.)Abstract. Reconstructions of global hydroclimate during the Common Era (CE; the past ∼2000 years) are important for providing context for current and future global environmental change. Stable isotope ratios in water are quantitative indicators of hydroclimate on regional to global scales, and these signals are encoded in a wide range of natural geologic archives. Here we present the Iso2k database, a global compilation of previously published datasets from a variety of natural archives that record the stable oxygen (δ18O) or hydrogen (δ2H) isotopic compositions of environmental waters, which reflect hydroclimate changes over the CE. The Iso2k database contains 759 isotope records from the terrestrial and marine realms, including glacier and ground ice (210); speleothems (68); corals, sclerosponges, and mollusks (143); wood (81); lake sediments and other terrestrial sediments (e.g., loess) (158); and marine sediments (99). Individual datasets have temporal resolutions ranging from sub-annual to centennial and include chronological data where available. A fundamental feature of the database is its comprehensive metadata, which will assist both experts and nonexperts in the interpretation of each record and in data synthesis. Key metadata fields have standardized vocabularies to facilitate comparisons across diversearchives and with climate-model-simulated fields. This is the firstglobal-scale collection of water isotope proxy records from multiple typesof geological and biological archives. It is suitable for evaluatinghydroclimate processes through time and space using large-scale synthesis,model–data intercomparison and (paleo)data assimilation. The Iso2k databaseis available for download at https://doi.org/10.25921/57j8-vs18 (Konecky and McKay, 2020) and is also accessible via the NOAA/WDS Paleo Datalanding page: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/study/29593 (last access: 30 July 2020).more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1029/2010PA001926
