Neogene ocean temperatures are characterized by sustained warmth during the mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum followed by gradual cooling through the late Miocene culminating in Northern Hemisphere glaciation in the early Pleistocene. While the magnitude of sea surface temperature (SST) cooling is enhanced at higher latitudes, existing records suggest that the timing is nearly synchronous across the world's oceans. However, the Nordic Seas, north of the Greenland-Scotland Ridge (GSR), experienced rapid cooling steps (14.5-14 Ma, 12.5-12 Ma, 8-6 Ma) that are out of sync with the global SST cooling trend. Here we present a new alkenone paleo-SST record from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) site 985 in the western Norwegian Sea (66°56' N, 6°27' W) and investigate the relationships between rapid SST change, depth of the GSR, ocean circulation, and deep-water formation using proxy and model data. We find significant (p < 0.01) inverse relationships between the depth of the GSR and SSTs at ODP sites north of the ridge (985 and 907), positive relationships between GSR depth and the SST gradient across the ridge, and inverse relationships between deep water production and SST at ODP sites 985 and 907. In sum, these observations suggest that during global Miocene cooling, intervals of GSR deepening allowed for increased sea water exchange and an invigoration of deep-water production in the North Atlantic. We posit that enhanced surficial cyclonic flow in the Nordic Seas and a strengthened East Greenland Current caused rapid cooling in the western Nordic Seas. This cooling is consistent with Pliocene coupled climate model runs with altered tectonic boundary conditions simulating a deeper GSR, implying that this SST response to changes to GSR depth may be an important mechanism in high latitude Neogene climate. Furthermore, a strong linear relationship (r2 = 0.84) between ODP 985 SST and global deep ocean δ13C suggests that ocean circulation responses to tectonically forced variability in the GSR may have had an important impact on the Neogene carbon cycle.
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Data report: Middle Miocene to earliest Pleistocene Trilobatus sacculifer stable isotopic records, IODP Expedition 371 Site U1506, Tasman Sea
The Late Neogene to Quaternary periods include several climate and tectonic events that brought the surface ocean circulation system into its modern configuration. Characterizing how surface conditions, namely temperature and salinity gradients, behaved in response to cooling and warming events has implications for understanding past atmospheric and biotic processes and how the Earth system may respond to increased anthropogenic warming. One region that lacks long-term geochemical records is the Tasman Sea, southwest Pacific Ocean. This region is characterized by a major western boundary current and its extensional flow, which creates large temperature gradients within the basin. Prior geochemical analyses indicate this region warmed and cooled in response to tectonic gateway closures. To build on these geochemical data sets and create a transect across the northern Tasman Sea, we use δ18O and δ13C measurements from the mixed-layer planktic foraminifera species Trilobatus sacculifer to reconstruct surface ocean conditions from the Middle Miocene to early Pleistocene (12–2.3 Ma) at International Ocean Discovery Program Site U1506. We find that surface ocean conditions at the site oscillated through time, with some major stepped changes in the isotopic values through the Miocene. Additional geochemical time series developed in the future from more central and southern Tasman Sea sites will aid in understanding the development and behavior of such frontal boundary systems through the Neogene.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1326927
- PAR ID:
- 10515236
- Publisher / Repository:
- International Ocean Discovery Program
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Proceedings of the International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition reports
- Volume:
- 371
- Issue:
- 201
- ISSN:
- 2377-3189
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- International Ocean Discovery Program IODP JOIDES Resolution Expedition 371 Tasman Frontier Subduction Initiation and Paleogene Climate Climate and Ocean Change Earth Connections Site U1506 planktonic foraminifera Eastern Australian Current southern extension EAC Tasman Front
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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null (Ed.)During International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 371, we will core and log Paleogene and Neogene sediment sequences within the Tasman Sea. The cores will be analyzed for their sediment composition, microfossil components, mineral and water chemistry, and physical properties. The research will improve our understanding of how convergent plate boundaries form, how greenhouse climate systems work, and how and why global climate has evolved over the last 60 my. The most profound subduction initiation event and global plate-motion change since 80 Ma appears to have occurred in the early Eocene, when Tonga-Kermadec and Izu-Bonin-Mariana subduction initiation corresponded with a change in direction of the Pacific plate (Emperor-Hawaii bend) at ~50 Ma. The primary goal of Expedition 371 is to precisely date and quantify deformation and uplift/subsidence associated with Tonga-Kermadec subduction initiation in order to test predictions of alternate geodynamic models. This tectonic change may coincide with the pinnacle of Cenozoic “greenhouse” climate. However, paleoclimate proxy data from lower Eocene strata in the southwest Pacific show especially warm conditions, presenting a significant discrepancy with climate model simulations. The second goal is to determine if paleogeographic changes caused by subduction initiation may have led to anomalous regional warmth by altering ocean circulation. Late Neogene sediment cores will complement earlier drilling to investigate the third goal: tropical and polar climatic teleconnections. During Expedition 371, we will drill in a significant midlatitude transition zone influenced by both the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and the Eastern Australian Current. The accumulation of relatively thick carbonate-rich Neogene bathyal strata make this a good location for generating detailed paleoceanographic records from the Miocene through the Pleistocene that can be linked to previous ocean drilling expeditions in the region (Deep Sea Drilling Project Legs 21, 29, and 90; Ocean Drilling Program Leg 189) and elsewhere in the Pacific Ocean.more » « less
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null (Ed.)The tectonic and paleoceanographic setting of the Great Australian Bight (GAB) and the Mentelle Basin (adjacent to Naturaliste Plateau) offered an opportunity to investigate Cretaceous and Cenozoic climate change and ocean dynamics during the last phase of breakup among remnant Gondwana continents. Sediment recovered from sites in both regions during International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 369 will provide a new perspective on Earth’s temperature variation at subpolar latitudes (60°–62°S) across the extremes of the mid-Cretaceous hot greenhouse climate and the cooling that followed. Basalts and prebreakup sediments were also recovered and will provide constraints regarding the type and age of the Mentelle Basin basement and processes operating during the break up of Gondwana. The primary goals of the expedition were to 1. Investigate the timing and causes for the rise and collapse of the Cretaceous hot greenhouse climate and how this climate mode affected the climate–ocean system and oceanic biota; 2. Determine the relative roles of productivity, ocean temperature, and ocean circulation at high southern latitudes during Cretaceous oceanic anoxic events (OAEs); 3. Investigate potential source regions for deep-water and intermediate-water masses in the southeast Indian Ocean and how these changed during Gondwana breakup; 4. Characterize how oceanographic conditions at the Mentelle Basin changed during the Cenozoic opening of the Tasman Gateway and restriction of the Indonesian Gateway; and 5. Resolve questions on the volcanic and sedimentary origins of the Australo-Antarctic Gulf and Mentelle Basin and provide stratigraphic control on the age and nature of the prebreakup successions. Hole U1512A in the GAB recovered a 691 m thick sequence of black claystone ranging from the lower Turonian to the lower Campanian. Age control is primarily based on calcareous nannofossils, but the presence of other microfossil groups provided consistent low-resolution control. Despite the lithologic uniformity, long- and short-term variations in natural gamma radiation and magnetic susceptibility show cyclic alternations that suggest an orbital control of sediment deposition, which will be useful for developing an astrochronology for the sequence. Sites U1513, U1514, U1515, and U1516 were drilled in water depths between 850 and 3900 m in the Mentelle Basin and penetrated 774, 517, 517, and 542 meters below seafloor, respectively. Under a thin layer of Pleistocene to upper Miocene sediment, Site U1513 cored a succession of Cretaceous units from the Campanian to the Valanginian, as well as a succession of basalts. Site U1514 sampled an expanded Pleistocene to Eocene sequence and terminated in the upper Albian. The Cenomanian to Turonian interval at Site U1514 is represented by deformed sedimentary rocks that probably represent a detachment zone. Site U1515 is located on the west Australian margin at 850 m water depth and was the most challenging site to core because much of the upper 350 m was either chert or poorly consolidated sand. However, the prebreakup Jurassic(?) sediments interpreted from the seismic profiles were successfully recovered. Site U1516 cored an expanded Pleistocene, Neogene, and Paleogene section and recovered a complete Cenomanian/Turonian boundary interval containing five layers with high organic carbon content. Study of the well-preserved calcareous microfossil assemblages from different paleodepths will enable generation of paleotemperature and biotic records that span the rise and collapse of the Cretaceous hot greenhouse (including OAEs 1d and 2), providing insight to resultant changes in deep-water and surface water circulation that can be used to test predictions from earth system models. Measurements of paleotemperature proxies and other data will reveal the timing, magnitude, and duration of peak hothouse conditions and any cold snaps that could have allowed growth of a polar ice sheet. The sites contain a record of the mid-Eocene to early Oligocene opening of the Tasman Gateway and the Miocene to Pliocene restriction of the Indonesian Gateway; both passages have important effects on global oceanography and climate. Advancing understanding of the paleoceanographic changes in a regional context will provide a global test on models of Cenomanian to Turonian oceanographic and climatic evolution related both to extreme Turonian warmth and the evolution of OAE 2. The Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks and underlying Jurassic(?) sediments cored in different parts of the Mentelle Basin provide information on the timing of different stages of the Gondwana breakup. The recovered cores provide sufficient new age constraints to underpin a reevaluation of the basin-wide seismic stratigraphy and tectonic models for the region.more » « less
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null (Ed.)The tectonic and paleoceanographic setting of the Great Australian Bight (GAB) and the Mentelle Basin (MB; adjacent to Naturaliste Plateau) offered an outstanding opportunity to investigate Cretaceous and Cenozoic climate change and ocean dynamics during the last phase of breakup among remnant Gondwana continents. Sediment recovered from sites in both regions during International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 369 will provide a new perspective on Earth’s temperature variation at sub-polar latitudes (60°–62°S) across the extremes of the mid-Cretaceous hot greenhouse climate and the cooling that followed. The primary goals of the expedition were to • Investigate the timing and causes for the rise and collapse of the Cretaceous hot greenhouse climate and how this climate mode affected the climate-ocean system and oceanic biota; • Determine the relative roles of productivity, ocean temperature, and ocean circulation at high southern latitudes during Cretaceous oceanic anoxic events (OAEs); • Identify the main source regions for deep-water and intermediate-water masses in the southeast Indian Ocean and how these changed during Gondwana breakup; • Characterize how oceanographic conditions at the MB changed during the Cenozoic opening of the Tasman Passage and restriction of the Indonesian Gateway; • Resolve questions on the volcanic and sedimentary origins of the Australo-Antarctic Gulf and Mentelle Basin and provide stratigraphic control on the age and nature of the prebreakup successions. Hole U1512A in the GAB recovered a 691 m thick sequence of black claystone ranging from the early Turonian to the early Campanian. Age control is primarily based on calcareous nannofossils, but the presence of other microfossil groups provided consistent but low-resolution control. Despite the lithologic uniformity, long- and short-term variations in natural gamma ray and magnetic susceptibility intensities show cyclic alternations that suggest an orbital control of sediment deposition that will be useful for developing an astrochronology for the sequence. Sites U1513–U1516 were drilled between 850 and 3900 m water depth in the MB and penetrated 774, 517, 517, and 542 meters below seafloor (mbsf), respectively. Under a thin layer of Pleistocene–upper Miocene sediment, Site U1513 cored a succession of Cretaceous units from the Campanian to the Valanginian. Site U1514 sampled an expanded Pleistocene–Eocene sequence and terminated in the upper Albian. The Cenomanian–Turonian interval at Site U1514 recovered deformed sedimentary rocks that probably represent a detachment zone. Site U1515 is located on the west Australian margin at 850 m water depth and was the most challenging site to core because much of the upper 350 m was either chert or poorly consolidated sand. However, the prebreakup Jurassic(?) sediments interpreted from the seismic profiles were successfully recovered. Site U1516 cored an expanded Pleistocene, Neogene, and Paleogene section and recovered a complete Cenomanian/Turonian boundary interval containing five layers with high total organic carbon content. Recovery of well-preserved calcareous microfossil assemblages from different paleodepths will enable generation of paleotemperature and biotic records that span the rise and collapse of the Cretaceous hot greenhouse (including OAEs 1d and 2), providing insight to resultant changes in deep-water and surface water circulation that can be used to test predictions from earth system models. Paleotemperature proxies and other data will reveal the timing, magnitude, and duration of peak hothouse temperatures and any cold snaps that could have allowed growth of a polar ice sheet. The sites will also record the mid-Eocene–early Oligocene opening of the Tasman Gateway and the Miocene–Pliocene restriction of the Indonesian Gateway; both passages have important effects on global oceanography and climate. Understanding the paleoceanographic changes in a regional context provides a global test on models of Cenomanian–Turonian oceanographic and climatic evolution related both to extreme Turonian warmth and the evolution of OAE 2. The Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks and underlying Jurassic(?) sediments cored in different parts of the MB provide information on the timing of different stages of the Gondwana breakup. The recovered cores provide sufficient new age constraints to underpin a reevaluation of the basin-wide seismic stratigraphy and tectonic models for the region.more » « less
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