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Depth fluctuations of Mediterranean outflow water along its northward propagation during the late pleistocene

Depth fluctuations of Mediterranean outflow water along its northward propagation during the late pleistocene
Depth fluctuations of Mediterranean outflow water along its northward propagation during the late pleistocene
Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW) critically influences the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, yet its northward transport dynamics along the Iberian Margin remain unclear. Using terrigenous grain-size sortable silt and benthic foraminiferal carbon isotopes from two depth-strategic sites (U1389: 644 m vs. U1588: 1,339 m), we constrain MOW's northward depth fluctuations over the last 250 kyr. Results show that MOW progressively deepened from ∼100 to 60 ka, then stabilized—synchronized with the prevalence of millennial-scale climate variability. During interglacials, MOW directly influenced U1588, while deepened below this site during glacials. Flow speed gradients between Sites U1389 and U1588 show pronounced precession cycles. At precession maxima—Northern Hemisphere summer insolation minima—when flow intensified, MOW underwent enhanced mixing and dilution during northward transport. This results from increased density contrasts between MOW and ambient waters, indicating deeper MOW penetration. We demonstrate precessional forcing on both the strength and depth of MOW's northward propagation.
IODP Expedition 397, Iberian Margin, Mediterranean Outflow Water, end-member modeling, precession, sortable silt
0094-8276
Chen, Xinyang
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Wu, Jiawang
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Pang, Xiaolei
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Dang, Haowen
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Zhong, Lifeng
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Yu, Jimin
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Colin, Christopher
ede6f365-7c1d-4d2f-b242-9fd3071874b1
Liu, Zhifei
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de Lange, Gert
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Kaboth-Bahr, Stefanie
e06c1a11-d17a-4c15-9721-ccef2ee252f8
Xuan, Chuang
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Ikeda, Hisashi
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Herbert, Timothy
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Huang, Huai-Hsuan
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Alvarez Zarikian, Carlos
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Abrantes, Fatima
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Hodell, David
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Chen, Xinyang
288ef548-1c0b-4eef-835b-0d22fe7cb3b8
Wu, Jiawang
2d89543a-9b70-404c-8fe6-f28054355c55
Pang, Xiaolei
0e30afed-7ec4-43a6-82b3-781f16a2b167
Dang, Haowen
43b3b388-9520-4b8c-aca9-352a36ad974d
Zhong, Lifeng
cdc57332-84a3-4072-b813-0af58a1451fd
Yu, Jimin
2e18cfd4-713d-4598-bef1-cb67f4402ebf
Colin, Christopher
ede6f365-7c1d-4d2f-b242-9fd3071874b1
Liu, Zhifei
598282d9-3488-4ddc-aac7-8053938a2fb2
de Lange, Gert
712a1c7c-f4d2-44f9-a966-ad197fa26222
Kaboth-Bahr, Stefanie
e06c1a11-d17a-4c15-9721-ccef2ee252f8
Xuan, Chuang
3f3cad12-b17b-46ae-957a-b362def5b837
Ikeda, Hisashi
7900d006-60c9-4cfd-b88e-6a7ed6e45f32
Herbert, Timothy
bc9c8324-d571-4d1c-9a22-55d49a4faaf8
Huang, Huai-Hsuan
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Alvarez Zarikian, Carlos
86a7c482-686c-4a37-a036-ef70c5d1c6f9
Abrantes, Fatima
89291caa-9531-4216-955d-c7b380073e46
Hodell, David
7ce9a5a2-1c4d-4c40-b600-b55f74f02e62

Chen, Xinyang, Wu, Jiawang, Pang, Xiaolei, Dang, Haowen, Zhong, Lifeng, Yu, Jimin, Colin, Christopher, Liu, Zhifei, de Lange, Gert, Kaboth-Bahr, Stefanie, Xuan, Chuang, Ikeda, Hisashi, Herbert, Timothy, Huang, Huai-Hsuan, Alvarez Zarikian, Carlos, Abrantes, Fatima and Hodell, David (2025) Depth fluctuations of Mediterranean outflow water along its northward propagation during the late pleistocene. Geophysical Research Letters, 52 (14), [e2025GL116967]. (doi:10.1029/2025GL116967).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW) critically influences the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, yet its northward transport dynamics along the Iberian Margin remain unclear. Using terrigenous grain-size sortable silt and benthic foraminiferal carbon isotopes from two depth-strategic sites (U1389: 644 m vs. U1588: 1,339 m), we constrain MOW's northward depth fluctuations over the last 250 kyr. Results show that MOW progressively deepened from ∼100 to 60 ka, then stabilized—synchronized with the prevalence of millennial-scale climate variability. During interglacials, MOW directly influenced U1588, while deepened below this site during glacials. Flow speed gradients between Sites U1389 and U1588 show pronounced precession cycles. At precession maxima—Northern Hemisphere summer insolation minima—when flow intensified, MOW underwent enhanced mixing and dilution during northward transport. This results from increased density contrasts between MOW and ambient waters, indicating deeper MOW penetration. We demonstrate precessional forcing on both the strength and depth of MOW's northward propagation.

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Geophysical Research Letters - 2025 - Chen - Depth Fluctuations of Mediterranean Outflow Water Along Its Northward - Version of Record
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Published date: 11 July 2025
Keywords: IODP Expedition 397, Iberian Margin, Mediterranean Outflow Water, end-member modeling, precession, sortable silt

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 503919
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/503919
ISSN: 0094-8276
PURE UUID: 567065c3-c048-45fb-92ce-de9aa32d9309
ORCID for Chuang Xuan: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-4043-3073

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Date deposited: 18 Aug 2025 16:43
Last modified: 23 Aug 2025 01:59

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Contributors

Author: Xinyang Chen
Author: Jiawang Wu
Author: Xiaolei Pang
Author: Haowen Dang
Author: Lifeng Zhong
Author: Jimin Yu
Author: Christopher Colin
Author: Zhifei Liu
Author: Gert de Lange
Author: Stefanie Kaboth-Bahr
Author: Chuang Xuan ORCID iD
Author: Hisashi Ikeda
Author: Timothy Herbert
Author: Huai-Hsuan Huang
Author: Carlos Alvarez Zarikian
Author: Fatima Abrantes
Author: David Hodell

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