Evolution of South Atlantic density and chemical stratification across the last deglaciation

Roberts, J. and Gottschalk, Julia and Skinner, L. C. and Peck, V. L. and Kender, S. and Elderfield, H. and Waelbroeck, C. and Vázquez Riveiros, Natalia and Hodell, D. A. (2015) Evolution of South Atlantic density and chemical stratification across the last deglaciation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 113 (3). pp. 514-519. ISSN 0027-8424 Online ISSN 1091-6490 DOI 10.1073/pnas.1511252113

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Abstract

The cause of the rise in atmospheric pCO2 over the last deglaciation has been a puzzle since its discovery in the early 1980s. It is widely believed to be related to changes in carbon storage in the deep ocean, but the exact mechanisms responsible for releasing CO2 from the deep-ocean reservoir, including the role of ocean density stratification, remains an open question. Here we reconstruct changes in the intermediate-deep density gradient in the South Atlantic across the last deglaciation and find evidence of an early deglacial chemical destratification and a late deglacial density destratification These results suggest that other mechanisms, besides deep-ocean density destratification, were responsible for the ocean–atmosphere transfer of carbon over the deglacial period.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	2015AREP; IA69;
Subjects:	01 - Climate Change and Earth-Ocean Atmosphere Systems
Divisions:	01 - Climate Change and Earth-Ocean Atmosphere Systems 08 - Green Open Access
Journal or Publication Title:	Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume:	113
Page Range:	pp. 514-519
Identification Number:	10.1073/pnas.1511252113
Depositing User:	Sarah Humbert
Date Deposited:	15 Dec 2015 18:28
Last Modified:	31 May 2017 17:09
URI:	http://eprints.esc.cam.ac.uk/id/eprint/3510

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