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Ocean circulation reconstructions from εNd: A model-based feasibility study

Ocean circulation reconstructions from εNd: A model-based feasibility study
Ocean circulation reconstructions from εNd: A model-based feasibility study
Over the past decade, records of the seawater neodymium isotopic composition (εNd) have become a widely used proxy to reconstruct changes in ocean circulation. Our study investigates the transient response of εNd to large-scale ocean circulation changes using an Earth system model of intermediate complexity. It is shown that a weakening of the North Atlantic Deep Water formation results in positive εNd anomalies in the Atlantic and the Pacific below 1000 m water depth whereas variations in Antarctic Bottom Water production generate a Pacific-Atlantic dipole pattern of deep ocean εNd changes. Further experiments explore which ocean regions are suitable to record the temporal evolution of the overturning in the North Atlantic and the Southern Ocean by means of εNd data. High local correlations occur between simulated Southern Ocean overturning changes and simulated εNd anomalies in the deep North Pacific and almost globally for simulated North Atlantic overturning changes, respectively, clearly indicating the strong potential of εNd to work as a proxy of past ocean circulation changes. Finally, the compromising effects of simultaneously occurring anomalies in the North Atlantic and the Southern Ocean overturning cells on reconstructions of past ocean circulation changes are identified. Combining our model simulations with currently available core data, our study demonstrates that changes in εNd documented in numerous Atlantic paleorecords clearly support the notion of a strengthening in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation over the course of Termination 1.
neodymium, ocean circulation, meridional overturning, ocean modeling, reconstruction
0883-8305
1003-1023
Friedrich, T.
57ace87a-f343-4c89-ad5d-35e6661467ef
Timmermann, A.
6726cd89-fa43-4379-8b81-e94ca08d74fa
Stichel, T.
c04e16ca-782d-47af-b955-7bbdd9e7f91d
Pahnke, K.
adf1d811-ff17-4081-b0fa-b9e66ac3eafd
Friedrich, T.
57ace87a-f343-4c89-ad5d-35e6661467ef
Timmermann, A.
6726cd89-fa43-4379-8b81-e94ca08d74fa
Stichel, T.
c04e16ca-782d-47af-b955-7bbdd9e7f91d
Pahnke, K.
adf1d811-ff17-4081-b0fa-b9e66ac3eafd

Friedrich, T., Timmermann, A., Stichel, T. and Pahnke, K. (2014) Ocean circulation reconstructions from εNd: A model-based feasibility study. Paleoceanography, 29 (11), 1003-1023. (doi:10.1002/2014PA002658).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Over the past decade, records of the seawater neodymium isotopic composition (εNd) have become a widely used proxy to reconstruct changes in ocean circulation. Our study investigates the transient response of εNd to large-scale ocean circulation changes using an Earth system model of intermediate complexity. It is shown that a weakening of the North Atlantic Deep Water formation results in positive εNd anomalies in the Atlantic and the Pacific below 1000 m water depth whereas variations in Antarctic Bottom Water production generate a Pacific-Atlantic dipole pattern of deep ocean εNd changes. Further experiments explore which ocean regions are suitable to record the temporal evolution of the overturning in the North Atlantic and the Southern Ocean by means of εNd data. High local correlations occur between simulated Southern Ocean overturning changes and simulated εNd anomalies in the deep North Pacific and almost globally for simulated North Atlantic overturning changes, respectively, clearly indicating the strong potential of εNd to work as a proxy of past ocean circulation changes. Finally, the compromising effects of simultaneously occurring anomalies in the North Atlantic and the Southern Ocean overturning cells on reconstructions of past ocean circulation changes are identified. Combining our model simulations with currently available core data, our study demonstrates that changes in εNd documented in numerous Atlantic paleorecords clearly support the notion of a strengthening in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation over the course of Termination 1.

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More information

e-pub ahead of print date: 4 November 2014
Published date: November 2014
Keywords: neodymium, ocean circulation, meridional overturning, ocean modeling, reconstruction
Organisations: Geochemistry

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 370716
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/370716
ISSN: 0883-8305
PURE UUID: a0a56933-621e-43cd-b8a1-6e52a6c17432

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Date deposited: 05 Nov 2014 09:28
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 18:21

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Contributors

Author: T. Friedrich
Author: A. Timmermann
Author: T. Stichel
Author: K. Pahnke

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