Oceanography in northwestern Europe during the last interglacial from intrashell δ 18 O ranges in Littorina Littorea gastropods

• Published in: Quaternary Research
• Main Authors: Burman, Johan, Påsse, Tore
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2008
• Subjects: Kattegat; North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2008.03.007; http://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0033589408000458?httpAccept=text/xml; http://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0033589408000458?httpAccept=text/plain; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0033589400005329

Abstract Coastal sea-surface temperature (SST) and sea-surface salinity (SSS), including seasonality, in northwest (NW) Europe during the early phase of the Eemian interglacial ca. 125 ka ago were reconstructed from Littorina littorea (common periwinkle) gastropods. The results were based on intra-annual δ 18 O analyses in recent and fossil shells, mainly originating from the sea of Kattegat (Sweden) and the English Channel (United Kingdom), and confined to intertidal settings. The Eemian L. littorea shells indicated annual SSTs in the range 8–18°C for the English Channel and 8–26°C for Kattegat. All specimens from the Eemian sites experienced summer SSTs of ca. 1–3°C above recent conditions. The estimated winter SST in the English Channel during the Eemian was comparable to modern measurements of ca. 8°C. However, the Kattegat region displayed Eemian winter SST approximately 8°C warmer than today, and similar to conditions in the western English Channel. The recent-fossil isotope analogue approach indicated high SSS above 35 practical salinity units (psu) for a channel south of England in full contact with the North Atlantic Ocean during the last interglacial. In addition, the Kattegat shells indicated a SSS of ca. 29 psu, which points out a North Sea affinity for this region during the Eemian.