Grelaud, Michaël; Marino, Gianluca; Ziveri, Patrizia; Rohling, Eelco J (2012): Distribution of Florisphaera profunda and Helicosphaera carteri in down core and surface sediments [dataset publication series]. PANGAEA, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.805696, Supplement to: Grelaud, M et al. (2012): Abrupt shoaling of the nutricline in response to massive freshwater flooding at the onset of the last interglacial sapropel event. Paleoceanography, 27, PA3208, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012PA002288
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Abstract:
A detailed assessment of the respective roles of production, export, and subsequent preservation of organic carbon (Corg) in the eastern Mediterranean (EMED) sediments during the formation of sapropels remains elusive. Here we present new micropaleontological results for both surface samples taken at several locations in the EMED and last interglacial sapropel S5 from core LC21 in the southeastern Aegean Sea. A strong exponential anticorrelation between relative abundances of the lower photic zone coccolithophore Florisphaera profundain the surface sediments and modern concentrations of chlorophyll a (Chl-a) at the sea surface suggests thatF. profunda percentages can be used to track past productivity changes in the EMED. Prior to S5 deposition, an abrupt and large increase of F. profunda percentages in LC21 coincided (within the multidecadal resolution of the records) with the marked freshening of EMED surface waters. This suggests a strong coupling between freshwater-bound surface to intermediate water (density) stratification and enhanced upward advection of nutrients to the base of the photic zone, fuelling a productive deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM) underneath a nutrient-starved surface layer. Our findings imply that (at least) at the onset of sapropel formation physical and biogeochemical processes likely operated in tandem, enabling high Corg accumulation at the seafloor.
Project(s):
Funding:
Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), grant/award no. 265103: Mediterranean Sea Acidification in a Changing Climate
Coverage:
Median Latitude: 35.855763 * Median Longitude: 25.139944 * South-bound Latitude: 32.088333 * West-bound Longitude: 4.024000 * North-bound Latitude: 40.840000 * East-bound Longitude: 34.100000
Date/Time Start: 1995-01-17T00:00:00 * Date/Time End: 2002-03-04T14:30:00
License:
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC-BY-3.0)
Size:
2 datasets
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Datasets listed in this publication series
- Grelaud, M; Marino, G; Ziveri, P et al. (2012): Relative abundances of Florisphaera profunda and Helicosphaera carteri during the sapropel S5 of sediment core MD81-LC21. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.805357
- Grelaud, M; Marino, G; Ziveri, P et al. (2012): (Table S1) Distribution of Florisphaera profunda in surface sediment samples. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.805695