Miocene paleoceanography at Rockall Plateau site 982 ...

• Main Author: Keating, Ronan Stephen
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: No Publisher Supplied 2024
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctic; Ice Sheet; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.7282/t3-92zc-5g94; https://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/72627

The Miocene Epoch contains two juxtaposed end-member climate states beginning with the Miocene Climate Optimum (MCO) (17-14.8 Ma), the most recent interval of ice-free or near ice-free conditions, and ending with the abrupt establishment of a permanent East Antarctic Ice Sheet during the Middle Miocene Climate Transition (MMCT) (14.8-12.8 Ma). The North Atlantic plays an important role in global ocean water circulation and Earth’s climate and yet, relatively few sea surface temperature (SSTs) records have been generated for the Miocene in the subpolar North Atlantic. Biomarker (UK’37, TEX86) SST records at subpolar Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 982 (57.5°N) yield SST estimates which indicate that surface waters in the high latitudes remained warm (>20°C) until ⁓8 Ma when 4°C cooling occurred. In contrast, foraminiferal-based estimates from subtropical and transitional DSDP Sites 563, 558, and 608 (33.6-42.8°N) indicate that the largest cooling (4°C) occurred during the MMCT between 14.8-12.8 Ma, ...