Latest Miocene restriction of the Mediterranean Outflow Water: a perspective from the Gulf of Cádiz

The Mediterranean-Atlantic water mass exchange provides the ideal setting for deciphering the role of gateway evolution in ocean circulation. However, the dynamics of Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW) during the closure of the Late Miocene Mediterranean-Atlantic gateways are poorly understood. Here,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geo-Marine Letters
Main Authors: Ng, Zhi Lin, Hernández-Molina, F. Javier, Duarte, Débora, Sierro, Francisco J., Ledesma, Santiago, Rogerson, Michael, Llave, Estefanía, Roque, Cristina, Manar, M. Amine
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Springer 2021
Subjects:
F700 Ocean Sciences
F800 Physical and Terrestrial Geographical and Environmental Sciences
North Atlantic
Online Access:https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/46194/
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-021-00693-9
https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/46194/15/Ng2021_Article_LatestMioceneRestrictionOfTheM.pdf
https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/46194/1/Ng2021_Article_LatestMioceneRestrictionOfTheM.pdf
https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/46194/2/Ngetal.2021_AuthorsAcceptedManuscript.pdf
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Summary:The Mediterranean-Atlantic water mass exchange provides the ideal setting for deciphering the role of gateway evolution in ocean circulation. However, the dynamics of Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW) during the closure of the Late Miocene Mediterranean-Atlantic gateways are poorly understood. Here, we define the sedimentary evolution of Neogene basins from the Gulf of Cádiz to the West Iberian margin to investigate MOW circulation during the latest Miocene. Seismic interpretation highlights a middle to upper Messinian seismic unit of transparent facies, whose base predates the onset of the Messinian salinity crisis (MSC). Its facies and distribution imply a predominantly hemipelagic environment along the Atlantic margins, suggesting an absence or intermittence of MOW preceding evaporite precipitation in the Mediterranean, simultaneous to progressive gateway restriction. The removal of MOW from the Mediterranean-Atlantic water mass exchange reorganized the Atlantic water masses and is correlated to a severe weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and a period of further cooling in the North Atlantic during the latest Miocene.

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