Terrestrial plant‐derived n‐alkanes (C 25– C 35 ) were measured in three piston cores (PC1, PC2 and PC4) in the Sea of Okhotsk covering the last 30 kyrs. Down core profiles of the n‐alkane concentrations and mass accumulation rates (MAR) were characterized by deglacial maxima. In particular, cores PC2 and PC4, which were collected from the central and western Sea of Okhotsk, respectively, show a two‐step increase around the Meltwater Pulse events (MWP) 1A (14.5–13.5 kyr BP) and 1B (about 10 kyr BP). This finding was interpreted by the outflow of terrestrial organic matter from the submerged land shelf to the Sea of Okhotsk through the East Sakhalin Current. This study demonstrated that the sea level rise forced by global warming in the deglaciation period may have caused the enhanced transport of terrestrial organic matter in marginal seas.
Changes in the surface environment of the central Sea of Okhotsk were reconstructed using TEX 86 paleothermometry, facilitated by the BIT index, in order to investigate paleoenvironmental changes during the glacial‐interglacial cycles. The core top TEX 86 ‐derived temperature is the same as the present‐day summer sea surface temperature (SST), suggesting that TEX 86 records seasonal rather than annually averaged SSTs in this region. The TEX 86 record reveals ∼3°C lower summer SST during glacial maxima than during interglacial periods and significant warming during the deglaciations (15–10 ka and 136–130 ka). This is consistent with previous inferences of more expanded and persistent seasonal sea ice during the glacial periods than the present‐day and its substantial retreat during the deglaciation. Timing of the deglacial warming also coincided with a distinct increase in coccolithophorid productivity, suggesting a causal relationship between sea surface warming and coccolithophorid blooms during the deglaciations. The relationship could reflect an increase in the supply of fresh and warm water from the Amur River during deglaciation, which significantly impacted hydrology by facilitating sea surface stratification, which in turn promoted production of coccolithophids.
Abstract International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 382 in the Scotia Sea’s Iceberg Alley recovered among the most continuous and highest resolution stratigraphic records in the Southern Ocean near Antarctica spanning the last 3.3 Myr. Sites drilled in Dove Basin (U1536/U1537) have well‐resolved magnetostratigraphy and a strong imprint of orbital forcing in their lithostratigraphy. All magnetic reversals of the last 3.3 Myr are identified, providing a robust age model independent of orbital tuning. During the Pleistocene, alternation of terrigenous versus diatomaceous facies shows power in the eccentricity and obliquity frequencies comparable to the amplitude modulation of benthic δ 18 O records. This suggests that variations in Dove Basin lithostratigraphy during the Pleistocene reflect a similar history as globally integrated ice volume at these frequencies. However, power in the precession frequencies over the entire ∼3.3 Myr record does not match the amplitude modulation of benthic δ 18 O records, suggesting Dove Basin contains a unique record at these frequencies. Comparing the position of magnetic reversals relative to local facies changes in Dove Basin and the same magnetic reversals relative to benthic δ 18 O at North Atlantic IODP Site U1308, we demonstrate Dove Basin facies change at different times than benthic δ 18 O during intervals between ∼3 and 1 Ma. These differences are consistent with precession phase shifts and suggest climate signals with a Southern Hemisphere summer insolation phase were recorded around Antarctica. If Dove Basin lithology reflects local Antarctic ice volume changes, these signals could represent ice sheet precession‐paced variations not captured in benthic δ 18 O during the 41‐kyr world.
Abstract. Antarctica’s terrestrial ecosystems are at risk from a rapidly changing climate. Investigating how Antarctica’s vascular plants responded to major climatic variations in the geological past, especially under atmospheric CO2 values similar to modern and future projections, may provide insight into how organisms could migrate across the continent as conditions change. Here, we investigate vegetation trends across the Oligocene/Miocene Transition (OMT, ~23 Myr), one of the largest transient glaciations of the Cenozoic. Despite extensive ice sheet expansion, Antarctic vegetation survived throughout this glacial episode. We use compound specific isotope trends (δ13C and δ2H) of plant waxes in an Antarctic proximal sediment core from the Ross Sea (Deep Sea Drilling Project site 270) to investigate the response and survival mechanisms of Antarctic vegetation during this event. We detect the first observation of a marked negative n-alkane δ13C excursion over the OMT, coupled with a shift to more positive n-alkane δ2H. We interpret this as plants sacrificing water use efficiency to maintain photosynthesis and carbon uptake during increasing glacial conditions, as atmospheric CO2 decreased and orbital configurations favoured shorter, colder growing seasons with lower light intensity. We consider further drivers of these isotopic trends to be enhanced aridity, and a shift to a stunted, low elevation vegetation. These findings establish the adaptability of ancient Antarctic vegetation under atmospheric CO2 conditions comparable to modern, and mechanisms that allowed vegetation to keep a foothold on the continent despite prolonged hostile conditions.
The reconstruction of fire history is essential to understand the palaeoclimate and human history. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been extensively used as a fire marker. In this work, the distribution of PAHs in Borneo peat archives was investigated to understand how PAHs reflect the palaeo-fire activity. In total, 52 peat samples were analysed from a Borneo peat core for the PAH analysis. Pyrogenic PAHs consist of 2–7 aromatic rings, some of which have methyl and ethyl groups. The results reveal that the concentration of pyrogenic PAHs fluctuated with the core depth. Compared to low-molecular-weight (LMW) PAHs, the high-molecular-weight (HMW) PAHs had a more similar depth variation to the charcoal abundance. This finding also suggests that the HMW PAHs were mainly formed at a local fire near the study area, while the LMW PAHs could be transported from remote locations.
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