Glacial/Interglacial Changes in Subarctic North Pacific Stratification

Since the first evidence of low algal productivity during ice ages in the Antarctic Zone of the Southern Ocean was discovered, there has been debate as to whether it was associated with increased polar ocean stratification or with sea-ice cover, shortening the productive season. The sediment concent...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science
Main Authors: Jaccard, S. L., Haug, G. H., Sigman, D. M., Pedersen, T. F., Thierstein, H. R., Röhl, U.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2005
Subjects:
Antarctic
Pacific
Southern Ocean
The Antarctic
Antarc*
Sea ice
Subarctic
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1108696
https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.1108696
Description
Summary:Since the first evidence of low algal productivity during ice ages in the Antarctic Zone of the Southern Ocean was discovered, there has been debate as to whether it was associated with increased polar ocean stratification or with sea-ice cover, shortening the productive season. The sediment concentration of biogenic barium at Ocean Drilling Program site 882 indicates low algal productivity during ice ages in the Subarctic North Pacific as well. Site 882 is located southeast of the summer sea-ice extent even during glacial maxima, ruling out sea-ice–driven light limitation and supporting stratification as the explanation, with implications for the glacial cycles of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration.

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