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Instrumental validation of Globigerinoides ruber Mg/Ca as a proxy for NE Pacific summer SST

Instrumental validation of Globigerinoides ruber Mg/Ca as a proxy for NE Pacific summer SST
Instrumental validation of Globigerinoides ruber Mg/Ca as a proxy for NE Pacific summer SST
Accurate reconstruction of sea surface temperature (SST) is a high research priority, given that it is such a crucial variable in the Earth’s climate system. The Mg/Ca composition of Globigerinoides ruber (white) has been calibrated and applied for a number of tropical and extratropical paleo?SST reconstructions, though validation studies of the proxy against instrumental observations are relatively scarce. Here we present a validation of G. ruber Mg/Ca?derived SSTs against instrumental summer values, firstly from the modern seasonal water column perspective, and secondly from a 20th century observational time series. The study occurs in the San Lázaro Basin (SLB), one of the marginal basins in the NE Pacific known for very high sedimentation rates, excellent preservation, laminated sequences, and the ability to record upwelling processes on high?resolution timescales, from interannual climatic variability (El Niño / Southern Oscillation (ENSO)) to interdecadal (e.g., the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO)). Results suggest that the proxy best reflects the summer season. The proxy?instrument time?series comparison for summer SSTs displays remarkable agreement, driven largely by ENSO cycles for the past century, with some events missing due to scarcity of foraminiferal specimens and/or lack of sufficient temporal resolution. This study validates the G. ruber Mg/Ca proxy for summer SSTs in this region, and suggests its high fidelity to reconstruct summer SST from SLB over longer timescales to record multi?decadal and multi?centennial variabilities.
0094-8276
L16601
Mortyn, P. Graham
cfb20adb-a4e5-45fd-8218-5bda08ae8651
Herguera, Juan Carlos
5d742415-07a5-40f4-9f58-5621d837f476
Martínez-Botí, Miguel A.
5d8a3d7c-bb00-467f-9fa4-1d9a6230697f
Mortyn, P. Graham
cfb20adb-a4e5-45fd-8218-5bda08ae8651
Herguera, Juan Carlos
5d742415-07a5-40f4-9f58-5621d837f476
Martínez-Botí, Miguel A.
5d8a3d7c-bb00-467f-9fa4-1d9a6230697f

Mortyn, P. Graham, Herguera, Juan Carlos and Martínez-Botí, Miguel A. (2011) Instrumental validation of Globigerinoides ruber Mg/Ca as a proxy for NE Pacific summer SST. Geophysical Research Letters, 38, L16601. (doi:10.1029/2011GL047803).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Accurate reconstruction of sea surface temperature (SST) is a high research priority, given that it is such a crucial variable in the Earth’s climate system. The Mg/Ca composition of Globigerinoides ruber (white) has been calibrated and applied for a number of tropical and extratropical paleo?SST reconstructions, though validation studies of the proxy against instrumental observations are relatively scarce. Here we present a validation of G. ruber Mg/Ca?derived SSTs against instrumental summer values, firstly from the modern seasonal water column perspective, and secondly from a 20th century observational time series. The study occurs in the San Lázaro Basin (SLB), one of the marginal basins in the NE Pacific known for very high sedimentation rates, excellent preservation, laminated sequences, and the ability to record upwelling processes on high?resolution timescales, from interannual climatic variability (El Niño / Southern Oscillation (ENSO)) to interdecadal (e.g., the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO)). Results suggest that the proxy best reflects the summer season. The proxy?instrument time?series comparison for summer SSTs displays remarkable agreement, driven largely by ENSO cycles for the past century, with some events missing due to scarcity of foraminiferal specimens and/or lack of sufficient temporal resolution. This study validates the G. ruber Mg/Ca proxy for summer SSTs in this region, and suggests its high fidelity to reconstruct summer SST from SLB over longer timescales to record multi?decadal and multi?centennial variabilities.

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Published date: 17 August 2011
Organisations: Geochemistry

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 196885
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/196885
ISSN: 0094-8276
PURE UUID: 44d89d5d-aafb-490f-8368-243df729aae5

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Date deposited: 14 Sep 2011 08:56
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 04:09

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Contributors

Author: P. Graham Mortyn
Author: Juan Carlos Herguera
Author: Miguel A. Martínez-Botí

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