Iron fertilisation and biogeochemical cycles in the sub-Arctic northwest Pacific during the late Pliocene intensification of northern hemisphere glaciation

Bailey, Ian, Liu, Qingsong, Swann, George E.A., Jiang, Zhaozia, Sun, Youbin, Zhao, Xiang and Roberts, Andrew P. (2011) Iron fertilisation and biogeochemical cycles in the sub-Arctic northwest Pacific during the late Pliocene intensification of northern hemisphere glaciation. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 307 (3-4), 253-265. (doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2011.05.029).

Abstract

Increases in the low-field mass-specific magnetic susceptibility (?), dropstones and the terrigenous sediment component from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 882 (~45°N) have been interpreted to indicate a major onset of ice-rafting to the sub-Arctic northwest Pacific Ocean during marine isotope stage (MIS) G6 (from ~2.75 Ma). In contrast, studies of the terrigenous content of sediments cored downwind of ODP Site 882 indicate that dust and disseminated volcanic ash deposition in the sub-Arctic Pacific increased markedly during MIS G6. To investigate the relative contribution of dust, volcanic ash and ice rafting to the Pliocene ? increase, we present new high-resolution environmental magnetic and ice-rafted debris records from ODP sites 882 and 885. Our results demonstrate that the ? increase at both sites across MIS G6 is predominantly controlled by a previously overlooked mixture of aeolian dust and volcanic ash. Our findings call into question the reliability of ? as a proxy for ice-rafting to the North Pacific. They also highlight a previously undocumented link between iron fertilization and biogeochemical cycling in the North Pacific at a key stage during intensification of late Pliocene northern hemisphere glaciation.

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