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Titel |
Contribution of changes in opal productivity and nutrient distribution in the coastal upwelling systems to Late Pliocene/Early Pleistocene climate cooling |
VerfasserIn |
J. Etourneau, C. Ehlert, M. Frank, P. Martinez, R. Schneider |
Medientyp |
Artikel
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Sprache |
Englisch
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ISSN |
1814-9324
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Digitales Dokument |
URL |
Erschienen |
In: Climate of the Past ; 8, no. 5 ; Nr. 8, no. 5 (2012-09-13), S.1435-1445 |
Datensatznummer |
250005833
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Publikation (Nr.) |
copernicus.org/cp-8-1435-2012.pdf |
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Zusammenfassung |
The global Late Pliocene/Early Pleistocene cooling (~3.0–2.0 million
years ago – Ma) concurred with extremely high diatom and
biogenic opal production in most of the major coastal upwelling regions.
This phenomenon was particularly pronounced in the Benguela upwelling system
(BUS), off Namibia, where it is known as the Matuyama Diatom Maximum (MDM).
Our study focuses on a new diatom silicon isotope (δ30Si)
record covering the MDM in the BUS. Unexpectedly, the variations in
δ30Si signal follow biogenic opal content, whereby the highest
δ30Si values correspond to the highest biogenic opal content. We
interpret the higher δ30Si values during the MDM as a result of
a stronger degree of silicate utilisation in the surface waters caused by
high productivity of mat-forming diatom species. This was most likely
promoted by weak upwelling intensity dominating the BUS during the Late
Pliocene/Early Pleistocene cooling combined with a large silicate supply derived from
a strong Southern Ocean nutrient leakage responding to the expansion of
Antarctic ice cover and the resulting stratification of the polar ocean
3.0–2.7 Ma ago. A similar scenario is hypothesized for other major coastal
upwelling systems (e.g. off California) during this time interval,
suggesting that the efficiency of the biological carbon pump was probably
sufficiently enhanced in these regions during the MDM to have significantly
increased the transport of atmospheric CO2 to the deep ocean. In
addition, the coeval extension of the area of surface water stratification
in both the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific, which decreased CO2
release to the atmosphere, led to further enhanced atmospheric CO2
drawn-down and thus contributed significantly to Late Pliocene/Early
Pleistocene cooling. |
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