The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Coralline algal Barium as indicator for 20th century northwestern North Atlantic surface ocean freshwater variability

Coralline algal Barium as indicator for 20th century northwestern North Atlantic surface ocean freshwater variability
Coralline algal Barium as indicator for 20th century northwestern North Atlantic surface ocean freshwater variability
During the past decades climate and freshwater dynamics in the northwestern North Atlantic have undergone major changes. Large-scale freshening episodes, related to polar freshwater pulses, have had a strong influence on ocean variability in this climatically important region. However, little is known about variability before 1950, mainly due to the lack of long-term high-resolution marine proxy archives. Here we present the first multidecadal-length records of annually resolved Ba/Ca variations from Northwest Atlantic coralline algae. We observe positive relationships between algal Ba/Ca ratios from two Newfoundland sites and salinity observations back to 1950. Both records capture episodical multi-year freshening events during the 20th century. Variability in algal Ba/Ca is sensitive to freshwater-induced changes in upper ocean stratification, which affect the transport of cold, Ba-enriched deep waters onto the shelf (highly stratified equals less Ba/Ca). Algal Ba/Ca ratios therefore may serve as a new resource for reconstructing past surface ocean freshwater changes.
1761
Hetzinger, S.
41a3e890-6bd0-4820-bd23-289ece945258
Halfar, J.
be2bec8c-8fdf-423c-a6dd-fa0af6b37d5f
Zack, T.
42982af3-1d9b-46c4-8cf9-9baa967c12fb
Mecking, J.V.
9b090069-5061-4340-b736-9690894ce203
Kunz, B.E.
9b2379f3-ee14-4827-a360-810cfc76411b
Jacob, D.E.
2306ee5d-986c-4a3f-896e-014671f6c813
Adey, W.H.
7bcb9fa7-efe9-4203-b730-317fd0ebefb4
Hetzinger, S.
41a3e890-6bd0-4820-bd23-289ece945258
Halfar, J.
be2bec8c-8fdf-423c-a6dd-fa0af6b37d5f
Zack, T.
42982af3-1d9b-46c4-8cf9-9baa967c12fb
Mecking, J.V.
9b090069-5061-4340-b736-9690894ce203
Kunz, B.E.
9b2379f3-ee14-4827-a360-810cfc76411b
Jacob, D.E.
2306ee5d-986c-4a3f-896e-014671f6c813
Adey, W.H.
7bcb9fa7-efe9-4203-b730-317fd0ebefb4

Hetzinger, S., Halfar, J., Zack, T., Mecking, J.V., Kunz, B.E., Jacob, D.E. and Adey, W.H. (2013) Coralline algal Barium as indicator for 20th century northwestern North Atlantic surface ocean freshwater variability. Scientific Reports, 3, 1761. (doi:10.1038/srep01761).

Record type: Article

Abstract

During the past decades climate and freshwater dynamics in the northwestern North Atlantic have undergone major changes. Large-scale freshening episodes, related to polar freshwater pulses, have had a strong influence on ocean variability in this climatically important region. However, little is known about variability before 1950, mainly due to the lack of long-term high-resolution marine proxy archives. Here we present the first multidecadal-length records of annually resolved Ba/Ca variations from Northwest Atlantic coralline algae. We observe positive relationships between algal Ba/Ca ratios from two Newfoundland sites and salinity observations back to 1950. Both records capture episodical multi-year freshening events during the 20th century. Variability in algal Ba/Ca is sensitive to freshwater-induced changes in upper ocean stratification, which affect the transport of cold, Ba-enriched deep waters onto the shelf (highly stratified equals less Ba/Ca). Algal Ba/Ca ratios therefore may serve as a new resource for reconstructing past surface ocean freshwater changes.

Text
srep01761.pdf - Version of Record
Download (1MB)

More information

Published date: 2 May 2013
Organisations: Physical Oceanography

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 378190
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/378190
PURE UUID: 96f02960-24b4-48b6-b7dc-001eeefbf24f

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 19 Jun 2015 12:33
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 20:19

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: S. Hetzinger
Author: J. Halfar
Author: T. Zack
Author: J.V. Mecking
Author: B.E. Kunz
Author: D.E. Jacob
Author: W.H. Adey

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×