Impact of iceberg melting on Mediterranean thermohaline circulation during Heinrich events

Down-core samples of planktonic and benthic foraminifera were analyzed for oxygen and carbon isotopes in International Marine Past Global Changes Study (IMAGES) core MD99-2343 in order to study the interactions between climate change in the Northern Hemisphere and the western Mediterranean thermohal...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Paleoceanography
Main Authors: Sierro, Fj, Hodell, Da, Curtis, Jh, Flores, Ja, Reguera, I, Colmenero-hidalgo, E, Barcena, Ma, Grimalt, Jo, Cacho, I, Frigola, J, Canals, M
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Amer Geophysical Union 2005
Subjects:
climatic change
Heinrich events
Mediterranean Sea
carbon and oxygen isotopes
thermohaline circulation
Pleistocene
North Atlantic Deep Water
North Atlantic
Online Access:https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00232/34354/32759.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1029/2004PA001051
https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00232/34354/
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Summary:Down-core samples of planktonic and benthic foraminifera were analyzed for oxygen and carbon isotopes in International Marine Past Global Changes Study (IMAGES) core MD99-2343 in order to study the interactions between climate change in the Northern Hemisphere and the western Mediterranean thermohaline circulation at times of Heinrich events (HE). Our results confirm the antiphase correlation between enhanced North Atlantic Deep Water formation and low ventilation in the Mediterranean. However, this study reveals that this antiphase relationship in deepwater formation between the North Atlantic and Mediterranean was interrupted during times of HE when the injection of large volumes of water from melting icebergs reached the entrance to the Mediterranean. These events, which lasted less than 1000 years, are represented by pronounced decreases in both planktonic delta(18)O and benthic delta(13)C signals. Lower salinities of Mediterranean surface water resulted in a slowdown of western Mediterranean deepwater overturn even though cold sea surface temperatures and drier climate should have resulted in enhanced deepwater formation.

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