We reconstruct sea surface temperatures (SSTs) at Deep Sea Drilling Project Site 608 (42.836°N, 23.087°), north of the Azores Front, and Ocean Drilling Program Site 982 (57.516°N, 15.866°), under the North Atlantic Current, in order to track Miocene (23.1–5.3 Ma) development of North Atlantic surface waters. Mean annual SSTs from TEX86and UK′37proxy estimates at both sites were 10–15 °C higher than modern through the Miocene Climatic Optimum (17–14.5 Ma). During the global cooling of the Middle Miocene Climate Transition (~14.5–12.5 Ma), SSTs at midlatitude Site 608 cooled by ~6 °C, whereas high‐latitude Site 982 cooled by only ~2 °C, resulting in an ~4 Myr collapse of the SST gradient between the two sites. This regional pattern is inconsistent with an increased latitudinal surface temperature gradient, as generally associated with global cooling episodes linked to decreasing
- Award ID(s):
- 1656960
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10300378
- Editor(s):
- Beaufort, Luc
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Climate of the past
- Volume:
- 17
- ISSN:
- 1814-9324
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 2091-2117
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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