Breakup of last glacial deep stratification in the South Pacific

Stratification of the deep Southern Ocean during the Last Glacial Maximum is thought to have facilitated carbon storage and subsequent release during the deglaciation as stratification broke down, contributing to atmospheric CO2 rise. Here, we present neodymium isotope evidence from deep to abyssal...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science
Main Authors: Basak, Chandranath, Froellje, H., Lamy, Frank, Gersonde, Rainer, Benz, Verena, Anderson, R. F., Molina-Kescher, Mario, Pahnke, Katharina
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: 2018
Subjects:
Pacific
Ross Sea
Southern Ocean
Online Access:https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/46821/
https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.e4f092ea-5865-44f7-a567-214146cc1d6a
Description
Summary:Stratification of the deep Southern Ocean during the Last Glacial Maximum is thought to have facilitated carbon storage and subsequent release during the deglaciation as stratification broke down, contributing to atmospheric CO2 rise. Here, we present neodymium isotope evidence from deep to abyssal waters in the South Pacific that confirms stratification of the deep-water column during the Last Glacial Maximum.The results indicate a glacial northward expansion of Ross Sea Bottom Water and a Southern Hemisphere climate trigger for the deglacial break-up of deep stratification. It highlights the important role of abyssal waters in sustaining a deep glacial carbon reservoir and Southern Hemisphere climate change as a prerequisite for the destabilization of the water column and hence the deglacial release of sequestered CO2 through upwelling.

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