Episodes of intensified biological productivity in the subtropical Atlantic Ocean during the termination of the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO)
The Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO) is an ~500 kyr interval of pronounced global warming from which the climate system recovered in <50 kyr. The deep-sea sedimentary record can provide valuable insight on the marine ecosystem response to this protracted global warming event and consequently...
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ftopenunivgb:oai:oro.open.ac.uk:43958 2023-06-11T04:14:46+02:00 Episodes of intensified biological productivity in the subtropical Atlantic Ocean during the termination of the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO) Moebius, Iris Friedrich, Oliver Edgar, Kirsty M. Sexton, Philip F. 2015-08-01 application/pdf https://oro.open.ac.uk/43958/ https://oro.open.ac.uk/43958/1/Moebius%20etal%202015.pdf https://doi.org/10.1002/2014PA002673 unknown https://oro.open.ac.uk/43958/1/Moebius%20etal%202015.pdf Moebius, Iris; Friedrich, Oliver; Edgar, Kirsty M. and Sexton, Philip F. <http://oro.open.ac.uk/view/person/pfs67.html> (2015). Episodes of intensified biological productivity in the subtropical Atlantic Ocean during the termination of the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO). Paleoceanography, 30(8) pp. 1041–1058. Journal Item Public PeerReviewed 2015 ftopenunivgb https://doi.org/10.1002/2014PA002673 2023-05-28T05:53:01Z The Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO) is an ~500 kyr interval of pronounced global warming from which the climate system recovered in <50 kyr. The deep-sea sedimentary record can provide valuable insight on the marine ecosystem response to this protracted global warming event and consequently on the ecological changes during this time. Here we present new benthic foraminiferal assemblage data from Ocean Drilling Program Site 1051 in the subtropical North Atlantic, spanning the MECO and post-MECO interval (41.1 to 39.5 Ma). We ␣nd little change in the species composition of benthic foraminiferal assemblages during the studied interval, suggesting that the rate of environmental change was gradual enough that these organisms were able to adapt. However, we identify two transient intervals associated with peak warming (higher-productivity interval (HPI)-1; 40.07–39.96 Ma) and shortly after the MECO (HPI-2; 39.68–39.55 Ma), where benthic foraminiferal accumulation rates increase by an order of magnitude. These HPIs at Site 1051 appear to coincide with intervals of strengthened productivity in the Tethys, Southern Ocean, and South Atlantic, and we suggest that an intensi␣ed hydrological cycle during the climatic warmth of the MECO was responsible for eutrophication of marine shelf and slope environments. Article in Journal/Newspaper North Atlantic Southern Ocean The Open University: Open Research Online (ORO) Southern Ocean Paleoceanography 30 8 1041 1058 |
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Open Polar |
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The Open University: Open Research Online (ORO) |
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ftopenunivgb |
language |
unknown |
description |
The Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO) is an ~500 kyr interval of pronounced global warming from which the climate system recovered in <50 kyr. The deep-sea sedimentary record can provide valuable insight on the marine ecosystem response to this protracted global warming event and consequently on the ecological changes during this time. Here we present new benthic foraminiferal assemblage data from Ocean Drilling Program Site 1051 in the subtropical North Atlantic, spanning the MECO and post-MECO interval (41.1 to 39.5 Ma). We ␣nd little change in the species composition of benthic foraminiferal assemblages during the studied interval, suggesting that the rate of environmental change was gradual enough that these organisms were able to adapt. However, we identify two transient intervals associated with peak warming (higher-productivity interval (HPI)-1; 40.07–39.96 Ma) and shortly after the MECO (HPI-2; 39.68–39.55 Ma), where benthic foraminiferal accumulation rates increase by an order of magnitude. These HPIs at Site 1051 appear to coincide with intervals of strengthened productivity in the Tethys, Southern Ocean, and South Atlantic, and we suggest that an intensi␣ed hydrological cycle during the climatic warmth of the MECO was responsible for eutrophication of marine shelf and slope environments. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Moebius, Iris Friedrich, Oliver Edgar, Kirsty M. Sexton, Philip F. |
spellingShingle |
Moebius, Iris Friedrich, Oliver Edgar, Kirsty M. Sexton, Philip F. Episodes of intensified biological productivity in the subtropical Atlantic Ocean during the termination of the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO) |
author_facet |
Moebius, Iris Friedrich, Oliver Edgar, Kirsty M. Sexton, Philip F. |
author_sort |
Moebius, Iris |
title |
Episodes of intensified biological productivity in the subtropical Atlantic Ocean during the termination of the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO) |
title_short |
Episodes of intensified biological productivity in the subtropical Atlantic Ocean during the termination of the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO) |
title_full |
Episodes of intensified biological productivity in the subtropical Atlantic Ocean during the termination of the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO) |
title_fullStr |
Episodes of intensified biological productivity in the subtropical Atlantic Ocean during the termination of the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO) |
title_full_unstemmed |
Episodes of intensified biological productivity in the subtropical Atlantic Ocean during the termination of the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO) |
title_sort |
episodes of intensified biological productivity in the subtropical atlantic ocean during the termination of the middle eocene climatic optimum (meco) |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
https://oro.open.ac.uk/43958/ https://oro.open.ac.uk/43958/1/Moebius%20etal%202015.pdf https://doi.org/10.1002/2014PA002673 |
geographic |
Southern Ocean |
geographic_facet |
Southern Ocean |
genre |
North Atlantic Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic Southern Ocean |
op_relation |
https://oro.open.ac.uk/43958/1/Moebius%20etal%202015.pdf Moebius, Iris; Friedrich, Oliver; Edgar, Kirsty M. and Sexton, Philip F. <http://oro.open.ac.uk/view/person/pfs67.html> (2015). Episodes of intensified biological productivity in the subtropical Atlantic Ocean during the termination of the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO). Paleoceanography, 30(8) pp. 1041–1058. |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/2014PA002673 |
container_title |
Paleoceanography |
container_volume |
30 |
container_issue |
8 |
container_start_page |
1041 |
op_container_end_page |
1058 |
_version_ |
1768371036351365120 |