Assessing the Global Meltwater Spike
Abstract L. V. Worthington (1968, Meteorological Monographs 8, 63–67) hypothesized that a low-salinity lid covered the entire world ocean. By deconvolving isotopic curves from the western equatorial Pacific and equatorial Atlantic, W. H. Berger, R. F. Johnson, and J. S. Killingley (1977), Nature (Lo...
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Cambridge University Press (CUP)
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crcambridgeupr:10.1016/0033-5894(82)90056-4 2024-09-15T18:31:02+00:00 Assessing the Global Meltwater Spike Jones, Glenn A. Ruddiman, William F. 1982 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0033-5894(82)90056-4 http://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:0033589482900564?httpAccept=text/xml http://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:0033589482900564?httpAccept=text/plain https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0033589400022122 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms Quaternary Research volume 17, issue 2, page 148-172 ISSN 0033-5894 1096-0287 journal-article 1982 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1016/0033-5894(82)90056-4 2024-07-24T04:03:22Z Abstract L. V. Worthington (1968, Meteorological Monographs 8, 63–67) hypothesized that a low-salinity lid covered the entire world ocean. By deconvolving isotopic curves from the western equatorial Pacific and equatorial Atlantic, W. H. Berger, R. F. Johnson, and J. S. Killingley (1977), Nature (London) 269, 661–663) and W. H. Berger (1978, Deep-Sea Research 25, 473–480) reconstructed “meltwater spikes” similar to those actually observed in the Gulf of Mexico and thus apparently confirmed the Worthington hypothesis. It is shown that this conclusion is unwarranted. The primary flaw in the reconstructed meltwater spikes is that the mixing intensity used in the deconvolution operation is overestimated. As a result, structure recorded in the mixed isotopic record becomes exaggerated in the attempt to restore the original unmixed record. This structure can be attributed to variable ice-volume decay during deglaciation, effects of differential solution on planktonic foraminifera, temporal changes in abundance of the foraminifera carrying the isotopic signal, and analytical error. An alternative geographic view to the global low-salinity lid is offered: a map showing portions of the ocean potentially affected by increased deglacial meltwater at middle and high latitudes and by increased precipitation-induced runoff at low and middle latitudes. Article in Journal/Newspaper Planktonic foraminifera Cambridge University Press Quaternary Research 17 2 148 172 |
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English |
description |
Abstract L. V. Worthington (1968, Meteorological Monographs 8, 63–67) hypothesized that a low-salinity lid covered the entire world ocean. By deconvolving isotopic curves from the western equatorial Pacific and equatorial Atlantic, W. H. Berger, R. F. Johnson, and J. S. Killingley (1977), Nature (London) 269, 661–663) and W. H. Berger (1978, Deep-Sea Research 25, 473–480) reconstructed “meltwater spikes” similar to those actually observed in the Gulf of Mexico and thus apparently confirmed the Worthington hypothesis. It is shown that this conclusion is unwarranted. The primary flaw in the reconstructed meltwater spikes is that the mixing intensity used in the deconvolution operation is overestimated. As a result, structure recorded in the mixed isotopic record becomes exaggerated in the attempt to restore the original unmixed record. This structure can be attributed to variable ice-volume decay during deglaciation, effects of differential solution on planktonic foraminifera, temporal changes in abundance of the foraminifera carrying the isotopic signal, and analytical error. An alternative geographic view to the global low-salinity lid is offered: a map showing portions of the ocean potentially affected by increased deglacial meltwater at middle and high latitudes and by increased precipitation-induced runoff at low and middle latitudes. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Jones, Glenn A. Ruddiman, William F. |
spellingShingle |
Jones, Glenn A. Ruddiman, William F. Assessing the Global Meltwater Spike |
author_facet |
Jones, Glenn A. Ruddiman, William F. |
author_sort |
Jones, Glenn A. |
title |
Assessing the Global Meltwater Spike |
title_short |
Assessing the Global Meltwater Spike |
title_full |
Assessing the Global Meltwater Spike |
title_fullStr |
Assessing the Global Meltwater Spike |
title_full_unstemmed |
Assessing the Global Meltwater Spike |
title_sort |
assessing the global meltwater spike |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
1982 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0033-5894(82)90056-4 http://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:0033589482900564?httpAccept=text/xml http://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:0033589482900564?httpAccept=text/plain https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0033589400022122 |
genre |
Planktonic foraminifera |
genre_facet |
Planktonic foraminifera |
op_source |
Quaternary Research volume 17, issue 2, page 148-172 ISSN 0033-5894 1096-0287 |
op_rights |
https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/0033-5894(82)90056-4 |
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Quaternary Research |
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17 |
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148 |
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172 |
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1810472631811440640 |