Deep water formation in the North Pacific and deglacial CO_2 rise
Deep water formation in the North Atlantic and Southern Ocean is widely thought to influence deglacial CO_2 rise and climate change; here we suggest that deep water formation in the North Pacific may also play an important role. We present paired radiocarbon and boron isotope data from foraminifera...
Published in: | Paleoceanography |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
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Wiley
2014
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Online Access: | https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/ https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/1/palo20120.pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/7/Rae_2014_Paleo_SUPPLEMENT.doc https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/8/Rae_2014_Paleodatatables.xls https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/9/Figure_S1.pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/15/Figure_S2.pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/21/Figure_S3.pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/26/Figure_S4.pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/33/Figure_S5.pdf https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20140918-101910842 |
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Caltech Authors (California Institute of Technology) |
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English |
description |
Deep water formation in the North Atlantic and Southern Ocean is widely thought to influence deglacial CO_2 rise and climate change; here we suggest that deep water formation in the North Pacific may also play an important role. We present paired radiocarbon and boron isotope data from foraminifera from sediment core MD02-2489 at 3640 m in the North East Pacific. These show a pronounced excursion during Heinrich Stadial 1, with benthic-planktic radiocarbon offsets dropping to ~350 years, accompanied by a decrease in benthic δ^(11)B. We suggest that this is driven by the onset of deep convection in the North Pacific, which mixes young shallow waters to depth, old deep waters to the surface, and low-pH water from intermediate depths into the deep ocean. This deep water formation event was likely driven by an increase in surface salinity, due to subdued atmospheric/monsoonal freshwater flux during Heinrich Stadial 1. The ability of North Pacific Deep Water (NPDW) formation to explain the excursions seen in our data is demonstrated in a series of experiments with an intermediate complexity Earth system model. These experiments also show that breakdown of stratification in the North Pacific leads to a rapid ~30 ppm increase in atmospheric CO_2, along with decreases in atmospheric δ^(13)C and Δ^(14)C, consistent with observations of the early deglaciation. Our inference of deep water formation is based mainly on results from a single sediment core, and our boron isotope data are unavoidably sparse in the key HS1 interval, so this hypothesis merits further testing. However, we note that there is independent support for breakdown of stratification in shallower waters during this period, including a minimum in δ^(15)N, younging in intermediate water ^(14)C, and regional warming. We also re-evaluate deglacial changes in North Pacific productivity and carbonate preservation in light of our new data and suggest that the regional pulse of export production observed during the Bølling-Allerød is promoted by relatively stratified conditions, with increased light availability and a shallow, potent nutricline. Overall, our work highlights the potential of NPDW formation to play a significant and hitherto unrealized role in deglacial climate change and CO_2 rise. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Rae, James W. B. Sarnthein, Michael Foster, Gavin L. Ridgwell, Andy Grootes, Pieter M. Elliott, Tim |
spellingShingle |
Rae, James W. B. Sarnthein, Michael Foster, Gavin L. Ridgwell, Andy Grootes, Pieter M. Elliott, Tim Deep water formation in the North Pacific and deglacial CO_2 rise |
author_facet |
Rae, James W. B. Sarnthein, Michael Foster, Gavin L. Ridgwell, Andy Grootes, Pieter M. Elliott, Tim |
author_sort |
Rae, James W. B. |
title |
Deep water formation in the North Pacific and deglacial CO_2 rise |
title_short |
Deep water formation in the North Pacific and deglacial CO_2 rise |
title_full |
Deep water formation in the North Pacific and deglacial CO_2 rise |
title_fullStr |
Deep water formation in the North Pacific and deglacial CO_2 rise |
title_full_unstemmed |
Deep water formation in the North Pacific and deglacial CO_2 rise |
title_sort |
deep water formation in the north pacific and deglacial co_2 rise |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2014 |
url |
https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/ https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/1/palo20120.pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/7/Rae_2014_Paleo_SUPPLEMENT.doc https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/8/Rae_2014_Paleodatatables.xls https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/9/Figure_S1.pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/15/Figure_S2.pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/21/Figure_S3.pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/26/Figure_S4.pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/33/Figure_S5.pdf https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20140918-101910842 |
geographic |
Pacific Southern Ocean |
geographic_facet |
Pacific Southern Ocean |
genre |
North Atlantic Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic Southern Ocean |
op_relation |
https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/1/palo20120.pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/7/Rae_2014_Paleo_SUPPLEMENT.doc https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/8/Rae_2014_Paleodatatables.xls https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/9/Figure_S1.pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/15/Figure_S2.pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/21/Figure_S3.pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/26/Figure_S4.pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/33/Figure_S5.pdf Rae, James W. B. and Sarnthein, Michael and Foster, Gavin L. and Ridgwell, Andy and Grootes, Pieter M. and Elliott, Tim (2014) Deep water formation in the North Pacific and deglacial CO_2 rise. Paleoceanography, 29 (6). pp. 645-667. ISSN 0883-8305. doi:10.1002/2013PA002570. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20140918-101910842 <https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20140918-101910842> |
op_rights |
cc_by_nc_nd |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY-NC-ND |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/2013PA002570 |
container_title |
Paleoceanography |
container_volume |
29 |
container_issue |
6 |
container_start_page |
645 |
op_container_end_page |
667 |
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1766136905767845888 |
spelling |
ftcaltechauth:oai:authors.library.caltech.edu:49813 2023-05-15T17:37:09+02:00 Deep water formation in the North Pacific and deglacial CO_2 rise Rae, James W. B. Sarnthein, Michael Foster, Gavin L. Ridgwell, Andy Grootes, Pieter M. Elliott, Tim 2014-06 application/pdf application/msword application/vnd.ms-excel https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/ https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/1/palo20120.pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/7/Rae_2014_Paleo_SUPPLEMENT.doc https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/8/Rae_2014_Paleodatatables.xls https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/9/Figure_S1.pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/15/Figure_S2.pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/21/Figure_S3.pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/26/Figure_S4.pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/33/Figure_S5.pdf https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20140918-101910842 en eng Wiley https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/1/palo20120.pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/7/Rae_2014_Paleo_SUPPLEMENT.doc https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/8/Rae_2014_Paleodatatables.xls https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/9/Figure_S1.pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/15/Figure_S2.pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/21/Figure_S3.pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/26/Figure_S4.pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/49813/33/Figure_S5.pdf Rae, James W. B. and Sarnthein, Michael and Foster, Gavin L. and Ridgwell, Andy and Grootes, Pieter M. and Elliott, Tim (2014) Deep water formation in the North Pacific and deglacial CO_2 rise. Paleoceanography, 29 (6). pp. 645-667. ISSN 0883-8305. doi:10.1002/2013PA002570. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20140918-101910842 <https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20140918-101910842> cc_by_nc_nd CC-BY-NC-ND Article PeerReviewed 2014 ftcaltechauth https://doi.org/10.1002/2013PA002570 2021-11-11T18:59:53Z Deep water formation in the North Atlantic and Southern Ocean is widely thought to influence deglacial CO_2 rise and climate change; here we suggest that deep water formation in the North Pacific may also play an important role. We present paired radiocarbon and boron isotope data from foraminifera from sediment core MD02-2489 at 3640 m in the North East Pacific. These show a pronounced excursion during Heinrich Stadial 1, with benthic-planktic radiocarbon offsets dropping to ~350 years, accompanied by a decrease in benthic δ^(11)B. We suggest that this is driven by the onset of deep convection in the North Pacific, which mixes young shallow waters to depth, old deep waters to the surface, and low-pH water from intermediate depths into the deep ocean. This deep water formation event was likely driven by an increase in surface salinity, due to subdued atmospheric/monsoonal freshwater flux during Heinrich Stadial 1. The ability of North Pacific Deep Water (NPDW) formation to explain the excursions seen in our data is demonstrated in a series of experiments with an intermediate complexity Earth system model. These experiments also show that breakdown of stratification in the North Pacific leads to a rapid ~30 ppm increase in atmospheric CO_2, along with decreases in atmospheric δ^(13)C and Δ^(14)C, consistent with observations of the early deglaciation. Our inference of deep water formation is based mainly on results from a single sediment core, and our boron isotope data are unavoidably sparse in the key HS1 interval, so this hypothesis merits further testing. However, we note that there is independent support for breakdown of stratification in shallower waters during this period, including a minimum in δ^(15)N, younging in intermediate water ^(14)C, and regional warming. We also re-evaluate deglacial changes in North Pacific productivity and carbonate preservation in light of our new data and suggest that the regional pulse of export production observed during the Bølling-Allerød is promoted by relatively stratified conditions, with increased light availability and a shallow, potent nutricline. Overall, our work highlights the potential of NPDW formation to play a significant and hitherto unrealized role in deglacial climate change and CO_2 rise. Article in Journal/Newspaper North Atlantic Southern Ocean Caltech Authors (California Institute of Technology) Pacific Southern Ocean Paleoceanography 29 6 645 667 |