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Sea-level and deep-sea-temperature variability over the past 5.3 million years

Sea-level and deep-sea-temperature variability over the past 5.3 million years
Sea-level and deep-sea-temperature variability over the past 5.3 million years
Ice volume (and hence sea level) and deep-sea temperature are key measures of global climate change. Sea level has been documented using several independent methods over the past 0.5 million years (Myr). Older periods, however, lack such independent validation; all existing records are related to deep-sea oxygen isotope (?18O) data that are influenced by processes unrelated to sea level. For deep-sea temperature, only one continuous high-resolution (Mg/Ca-based) record exists, with related sea-level estimates, spanning the past 1.5 Myr. Here we present a novel sea-level reconstruction, with associated estimates of deep-sea temperature, which independently validates the previous 0–1.5 Myr reconstruction and extends it back to 5.3 Myr ago. We find that deep-sea temperature and sea level generally decreased through time, but distinctly out of synchrony, which is remarkable given the importance of ice-albedo feedbacks on the radiative forcing of climate. In particular, we observe a large temporal offset during the onset of Plio-Pleistocene ice ages, between a marked cooling step at 2.73 Myr ago and the first major glaciation at 2.15 Myr ago. Last, we tentatively infer that ice sheets may have grown largest during glacials with more modest reductions in deep-sea temperature.
0028-0836
477-482
Rohling, E.J.
a2a27ef2-fcce-4c71-907b-e692b5ecc685
Foster, G.L.
fbaa7255-7267-4443-a55e-e2a791213022
Grant, K.M.
f9d9fa1b-62f3-4e90-a6f0-b46bc213fdb2
Marino, G.
d2f4dc29-b2e7-4cf0-8abd-6fd855bfab81
Roberts, A.P.
4497b436-ef02-428d-a46e-65a22094ba52
Tamisiea, M.E.
b9462cf7-ca42-4443-b984-dc3c31c6bc0f
Williams, F.
7297c558-0d45-40fe-8d05-7daa160645b1
Rohling, E.J.
a2a27ef2-fcce-4c71-907b-e692b5ecc685
Foster, G.L.
fbaa7255-7267-4443-a55e-e2a791213022
Grant, K.M.
f9d9fa1b-62f3-4e90-a6f0-b46bc213fdb2
Marino, G.
d2f4dc29-b2e7-4cf0-8abd-6fd855bfab81
Roberts, A.P.
4497b436-ef02-428d-a46e-65a22094ba52
Tamisiea, M.E.
b9462cf7-ca42-4443-b984-dc3c31c6bc0f
Williams, F.
7297c558-0d45-40fe-8d05-7daa160645b1

Rohling, E.J., Foster, G.L., Grant, K.M., Marino, G., Roberts, A.P., Tamisiea, M.E. and Williams, F. (2014) Sea-level and deep-sea-temperature variability over the past 5.3 million years. Nature, 508 (7497), 477-482. (doi:10.1038/nature13230).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Ice volume (and hence sea level) and deep-sea temperature are key measures of global climate change. Sea level has been documented using several independent methods over the past 0.5 million years (Myr). Older periods, however, lack such independent validation; all existing records are related to deep-sea oxygen isotope (?18O) data that are influenced by processes unrelated to sea level. For deep-sea temperature, only one continuous high-resolution (Mg/Ca-based) record exists, with related sea-level estimates, spanning the past 1.5 Myr. Here we present a novel sea-level reconstruction, with associated estimates of deep-sea temperature, which independently validates the previous 0–1.5 Myr reconstruction and extends it back to 5.3 Myr ago. We find that deep-sea temperature and sea level generally decreased through time, but distinctly out of synchrony, which is remarkable given the importance of ice-albedo feedbacks on the radiative forcing of climate. In particular, we observe a large temporal offset during the onset of Plio-Pleistocene ice ages, between a marked cooling step at 2.73 Myr ago and the first major glaciation at 2.15 Myr ago. Last, we tentatively infer that ice sheets may have grown largest during glacials with more modest reductions in deep-sea temperature.

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 4 March 2014
e-pub ahead of print date: 16 April 2014
Published date: 24 April 2014
Organisations: Geochemistry, Paleooceanography & Palaeoclimate

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 364324
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/364324
ISSN: 0028-0836
PURE UUID: 0a4237a5-b48b-4dc5-8076-b0e4f8c84477
ORCID for E.J. Rohling: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-5349-2158
ORCID for G.L. Foster: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-3688-9668

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 22 Apr 2014 10:47
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:35

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Contributors

Author: E.J. Rohling ORCID iD
Author: G.L. Foster ORCID iD
Author: K.M. Grant
Author: G. Marino
Author: A.P. Roberts
Author: M.E. Tamisiea
Author: F. Williams

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