Antiphased dust deposition and productivity in the Antarctic Zone over 1.5 million years

Authors

• Michael E. Weber, Universität Bonn
• Ian Bailey, University of Exeter
• Sidney R. Hemming, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
• Yasmina M. Martos, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
• Brendan T. Reilly, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
• Thomas A. Ronge, Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung
• Stefanie Brachfeld, Montclair State UniversityFollow
• Trevor Williams, Texas A&M University
• Maureen Raymo, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
• Simon T. Belt, University of Plymouth
• Lukas Smik, University of Plymouth
• Hendrik Vogel, University of Bern
• Victoria L. Peck, British Antarctic Survey
• Linda Armbrecht, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies
• Alix Cage, Keele University
• Fabricio G. Cardillo, Servicio de Hidrografia Naval
• Zhiheng Du, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources
• Gerson Fauth, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos
• Christopher J. Fogwill, Cranfield University
• Marga Garcia, CSIC - Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (IACT)
• Marlo Garnsworthy, Wordy Bird Studio
• Anna Glüder, Oregon State University
• Michelle Guitard, University of South Florida St. Petersburg
• Marcus Gutjahr, GEOMAR - Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel
• Iván Hernández-Almeida, ETH Zürich
• Frida S. Hoem, Universiteit Utrecht
• Ji Hwan Hwang, Pukyong National University
• Mutsumi Iizuka, Tokyo City University
• Yuji Kato, University of Tsukuba
• Bridget Kenlee, University of California, Riverside
• Suzanne OConnell, Wesleyan University Middletown
• Lara F. Pérez, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-1-2022

Journal / Book Title

Nature Communications

Abstract

The Southern Ocean paleoceanography provides key insights into how iron fertilization and oceanic productivity developed through Pleistocene ice-ages and their role in influencing the carbon cycle. We report a high-resolution record of dust deposition and ocean productivity for the Antarctic Zone, close to the main dust source, Patagonia. Our deep-ocean records cover the last 1.5 Ma, thus doubling that from Antarctic ice-cores. We find a 5 to 15-fold increase in dust deposition during glacials and a 2 to 5-fold increase in biogenic silica deposition, reflecting higher ocean productivity during interglacials. This antiphasing persisted throughout the last 25 glacial cycles. Dust deposition became more pronounced across the Mid-Pleistocene Transition (MPT) in the Southern Hemisphere, with an abrupt shift suggesting more severe glaciations since ~0.9 Ma. Productivity was intermediate pre-MPT, lowest during the MPT and highest since 0.4 Ma. Generally, glacials experienced extended sea-ice cover, reduced bottom-water export and Weddell Gyre dynamics, which helped lower atmospheric CO2 levels.

Comments

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DOI

10.1038/s41467-022-29642-5

Journal ISSN / Book ISBN

85128348255 (Scopus)

MSU Digital Commons Citation

Weber, Michael E.; Bailey, Ian; Hemming, Sidney R.; Martos, Yasmina M.; Reilly, Brendan T.; Ronge, Thomas A.; Brachfeld, Stefanie; Williams, Trevor; Raymo, Maureen; Belt, Simon T.; Smik, Lukas; Vogel, Hendrik; Peck, Victoria L.; Armbrecht, Linda; Cage, Alix; Cardillo, Fabricio G.; Du, Zhiheng; Fauth, Gerson; Fogwill, Christopher J.; Garcia, Marga; Garnsworthy, Marlo; Glüder, Anna; Guitard, Michelle; Gutjahr, Marcus; Hernández-Almeida, Iván; Hoem, Frida S.; Hwang, Ji Hwan; Iizuka, Mutsumi; Kato, Yuji; Kenlee, Bridget; OConnell, Suzanne; and Pérez, Lara F., "Antiphased dust deposition and productivity in the Antarctic Zone over 1.5 million years" (2022). Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works. 711.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/earth-environ-studies-facpubs/711

Published Citation

Weber, M.E., Bailey, I., Hemming, S.R. et al. Antiphased dust deposition and productivity in the Antarctic Zone over 1.5 million years. Nature Communications 13, 2044 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29642-5