Age model, sea surface temperature and marine calcifying plankton changes at two sites in the western Mediterranean Sea for the Common Era

• Main Authors: Pallacks, Sven, Ziveri, Patrizia, Martrat, Belén, Mortyn, P Graham, Grelaud, Michaël, Schiebel, Ralf, Incarbona, Alessandro, García-Orellana, Jordi, Anglada-Ortiz, Griselda
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA - Data Publisher for Earth & Environmental Science 2021
• Subjects: anthropogenic; coccolithophore; Common Era; marine surface production; natural variability; North Atlantic Deep Water; North Atlantic Oscillation; planktic foraminifera; planktic foraminifera assemblage; Planktic Foraminifers; warming; Western Mediterranean Sea; Mediterranean Sea Acidification in a Changing Climate MedSeA; North Atlantic; North Atlantic oscillation
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.939423; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.939423

Three high resolution multicore records from two western Mediterranean Sea regions (Alboran and Balearic basins) have been analyzed for sea surface temperature (SST), coccolithophore and planktic foraminiferal abundance changes. Age-depth models at both sites were developed by a combination of 210Pb and 14C dating techniques, describing high sedimentation rates at both study sites, covering the time interval from the Medieval climate anomaly to present. Alkenone derived SST of core MedSeA-S3-c1 and MedSeA-S23-c3 are in good agreement with other results, tracing temperature changes through the Common Era (CE) and show a clear warming emergence at about 1850 CE. Analysis of relative abundance of calcareous nannoplankton assemblages (coccolithophores) was done on core MedSeA-S3-c1 (<63 µm). Taxa do not show any significant abundance variation throughout the record, except for Emiliania huxleyi, Gephyrocapsa oceanica and Florisphaera profunda since the 20th century. Planktic foraminiferal species abundance was analyzed for core MedSeA-S3-c1 and MedSeA-S23-c1, identifying the five key species Globigerinoides ruber (d'Orbigny 1839), Globigerina bulloides (d'Orbigny 1826), Globorotalia inflata (d'Orbigny 1839), Globorotalia truncatulinoides (d'Orbigny 1839), and Orbulina universa (d'Orbigny 1839) from the size fraction >150 µm. Both cores show opposite abundance fluctuations of planktic foraminiferal species (Globigerina bulloides, Globorotalia inflata and Globorotalia truncatulinoides). The relative abundance changes of Globorotalia truncatulinoides plus Globorotalia inflata describe the intensity of deep winter mixing in the Balearic basin. In the Alboran Sea, Globigerina bulloides and Globorotalia inflata instead respond to local upwelling dynamics. Our data suggests that planktic foraminiferal abundance and species changes in the western Mediterranean Sea is already affected by accelerated anthropogenic warming, overprinting natural cycles in this region.