Description: We present dissolved neodymium and hafnium concentrations and radiogenic isotope compositions of surface and deep-water masses from the Bay of Biscay. Neodymium isotope signatures in surface waters of the Bay of Biscay are dominated by local weathering inputs from the surrounding continental margin. Subsurface Eastern North Atlantic Central Water (ENACW) shows a distinct Nd isotope signature (εNd≅‑12.0) at the southwestern-most station and is significantly diluted by mixing with more radiogenic waters on its way north along the European margin. Furthermore, the Nd isotope data clearly show a declining fraction of Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW) at intermediate depths on its way north indicating that only 40% to 60% of MOW still present in the mixture at the Galician margin arrive at the stations further north in the Bay of Biscay. A potentially seasonal variability of the flow path of MOW is identified when comparing the results of the Nd isotope compositions and salinity data of this study with those of earlier studies from the area. In agreement with Nd isotope and concentration analyses Hf isotope composition of MOW is affected by large-scale inputs of terrigenous material into the Mediterranean as can be deduced from elevated Hf concentrations at the Galician margin. Hf isotope signatures of all water masses of the Bay of Biscay, moreover, are overprinted by local weathering inputs and do not reflect water mass mixing. However, combined dissolved Nd and Hf isotopes serve as a useful indicator of local weathering influences on signatures expected from long distance admixture.

Description: As part of the return flow of the Atlantic overturning circulation, Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) redistributes heat, salt, CO2 and nutrients from the Southern Ocean to the tropical Atlantic and thus plays a key role in ocean-atmosphere exchange. It feeds (sub) tropical upwelling linking high and low latitude ocean biogeochemistry but the dynamics of AAIW during the last deglaciation remain poorly constrained. We present new multi-decadal benthic foraminiferal Cd/Ca and stable carbon isotope (d13C) records from tropical W-Atlantic sediment cores indicating abrupt deglacial nutrient enrichment of AAIW as a consequence of enhanced deglacial Southern Ocean upwelling intensity. This is the first clear evidence from the intermediate depth tropical W-Atlantic that the deglacial reconnection of shallow and deep Atlantic overturning cells effectively altered the AAIW nutrient budget and its geochemical signature. The rapid nutrient injection via AAIW likely fed temporary low latitude productivity, thereby dampening the deglacial rise of atmospheric CO2.

Description: Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) is an important conduit for nutrients to reach the nutrient-poor low-latitude ocean areas. In the Atlantic, it forms part of the return path of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Despite the importance of AAIW, little is known about variations in its composition and signature during the prominent AMOC and climate changes of the last deglaciation. Here, we reconstruct benthic foraminiferal Mg/Ca-based intermediate water temperatures (IWTMg/Ca) and intermediate water neodymium (Nd) isotope compositions at sub-millennial resolution from unique sediment cores located at the northern tip of modern AAIW extent in the tropical W-Atlantic (core M78/235-1, 850 water depth, and core M78/222-9, 1018 m water depth). Our data indicate a pronounced warming of AAIW in the tropical W-Atlantic during Heinrich Stadial 1 (HS1) and the Younger Dryas (YD). We argue that these warming events were induced by major AMOC perturbations resulting in the pronounced accumulation of heat in the surface Southern Ocean. Combined with published results, our data suggest the subsequent uptake of Southern Ocean heat by AAIW and its rapid northward transfer to the tropical W-Atlantic. Hence, the rapid deglacial northern climate perturbations directly controlled the AAIW heat budget in the tropical W-Atlantic after a detour via the Southern Ocean. We speculate that the ocean heat redistribution via AAIW effectively dampened Southern Hemisphere warming during the deglaciation and may therefore have been a crucial player in the climate seesaw mechanisms between the two hemispheres.

Description: The concentrations of rare earth elements (REEs) in seawater display systematic variations related to weathering inputs, particle scavenging and water mass histories. Here we investigate the REE concentrations of water column profiles in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean, a key region of the global circulation and primary production. The data reveal a pronounced contrast between the vertical profiles in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) and those to the south of the ACC in the Weddell Gyre (WG). The ACC profiles exhibit the typical increase of REE concentrations with water depth and a change in the shape of the profiles from near linear for the light REEs to more convex for the heavy REEs. In contrast, the WG profiles exhibit high REE concentrations throughout the water column with only the near surface samples showing slightly reduced concentrations indicative of particle scavenging. Seawater normalised REE patterns reveal the strong remineralisation signal in the ACC with the light REEs preferentially removed in surface waters and the mirror image pattern of their preferential release in deep waters. In the WG the patterns are relatively homogenous reflecting the prevalence of well-mixed Lower Circumpolar Deep Water (LCDW) that follows shoaling isopycnals in the region. In the WG particle scavenging of REEs is comparatively small and limited to the summer months by light limitation and winter sea ice cover. Considering the surface water depletion compared to LCDW and that the surface waters of the WG are replaced every few years, the removal rate is estimated to be on the order of 1 nmol/m3/yr for La and Nd. The negative cerium anomalies observed in deep waters are some of the strongest found globally with only the deepest waters in parts of the Pacific having stronger anomalies. These deep waters have been isolated from fresh continental REE inputs during their long journey through the abyssal Indo-Pacific ocean and suggests that the high REE concentrations found in the ACC and WG reflect contributions from old deep waters.

Description: The past variability of the South Asian Monsoon is mostly known from records of wind strength over the Arabian Sea while high-resolution paleorecords from regions of strong monsoon precipitation are still lacking. Here, we present records of past monsoon variability obtained from sediment core SK 168/GC-1, which was collected at the Alcock Seamount complex in the Andaman Sea. We utilize the ecological habitats of different planktic foraminiferal species to reconstruct freshwater-induced stratification based on paired Mg/Ca and d18O analyses and to estimate seawater d18O (d18Osw). The difference between surface and thermocline temperatures (delta T) and d18Osw (delta d18Osw) is used to investigate changes in upper ocean stratification. Additionally, Ba/Ca in G. sacculifer tests is used as a direct proxy for riverine runoff and sea surface salinity (SSS) changes related to monsoon precipitation on land. Our delta d18Osw time series reveals that upper ocean salinity stratification did not change significantly throughout the last glacial suggesting little influence of NH insolation changes. The strongest increase in temperature gradients between the mixed layer and the thermocline is recorded for the mid-Holocene and indicate the presence of a significantly shallower thermocline. In line with previous work, the d18Osw and Ba/Ca records demonstrate that monsoon climate during the LGM was characterized by a significantly weaker southwest monsoon circulation and strongly reduced runoff. Based on our data the South Asian Summer Monsoon (SAM) over the Irrawaddyy strengthened gradually after the LGM beginning at ~18 ka. This is some 3 kyrs before an increase of the Ba/Ca record from the Arabian Sea and indicates that South Asian Monsoon climate dynamics are more complex than the simple N-S displacement of the ITCZ as generally described for other regions. Minimum d18Osw values recorded during the mid-Holocene are in phase with Ba/Ca marking a stronger monsoon precipitation, which is consistent with model simulations.