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Strong and deep Atlantic meridional overturning circulation during the last glacial cycle

Nature volume 517, pages 73–76 (2015)Cite this article

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Abstract

Extreme, abrupt Northern Hemisphere climate oscillations during the last glacial cycle (140,000 years ago to present) were modulated by changes in ocean circulation and atmospheric forcing1. However, the variability of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC), which has a role in controlling heat transport from low to high latitudes and in ocean CO2 storage, is still poorly constrained beyond the Last Glacial Maximum2,3,4. Here we show that a deep and vigorous overturning circulation mode has persisted for most of the last glacial cycle, dominating ocean circulation in the Atlantic, whereas a shallower glacial mode with southern-sourced waters filling the deep western North Atlantic prevailed during glacial maxima3,5. Our results are based on a reconstruction of both the strength and the direction of the AMOC during the last glacial cycle from a highly resolved marine sedimentary record in the deep western North Atlantic. Parallel measurements of two independent chemical water tracers (the isotope ratios of 231Pa/230Th and 143Nd/144Nd)6,7,8, which are not directly affected by changes in the global cycle, reveal consistent responses of the AMOC during the last two glacial terminations. Any significant deviations from this configuration, resulting in slowdowns of the AMOC, were restricted to centennial-scale excursions during catastrophic iceberg discharges of the Heinrich stadials. Severe and multicentennial weakening of North Atlantic Deep Water formation occurred only during Heinrich stadials close to glacial maxima with increased ice coverage, probably as a result of increased fresh-water input. In contrast, the AMOC was relatively insensitive to submillennial meltwater pulses during warmer climate states, and an active AMOC prevailed during Dansgaard–Oeschger interstadials (Greenland warm periods).

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Figure 1: Conceptual modes of the AMOC.
Figure 2: The evolution of circulation proxies during termination 1 and termination 2.
Figure 3: Proxies of ocean circulation compared with palaeoclimatic conditions over the past 140 kyr.
Figure 4: Circulation modes of the AMOC as indicated by paired 231Pa/230Th and εNd signatures from identical sediment samples colour-coded for distinct time periods.

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Acknowledgements

Sediment material for this study was provided by the ODP/IODP core repository Bremen. The manuscript benefited from input by S. Jaccard and A. Mangini. We thank J. Grützner, H. Dicht, J. Link and S. Rheinberger for advice and analytical assistance. Financial support for this research was provided by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft through grant Ma821/41 to E.B. J.L. was supported by the FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF, Marie Curie proposal 622483.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Environmental Physics, University of Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany ,

    E. Böhm, P. Blaser, B. Antz, J. Fohlmeister, N. Frank & M. Deininger

  2. Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, Institute of Geological Sciences, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland ,

    J. Lippold

  3. GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, 24148 Kiel, Germany ,

    M. Gutjahr & M. Frank

  4. National Oceanography Centre Southampton, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK ,

    M. Gutjahr

  5. Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland ,

    M. B. Andersen

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  1. E. Böhm
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Contributions

J.L. developed the concept and designed the study. E.B., J.L., P.B. and B.A. carried out the chemical preparations of the samples. E.B., J.L., M.B.A. and B.A. performed opal, U, Th and Pa measurements. E.B., J.L., M.G. and P.B. performed the Nd isotope measurements. J.F. improved the age model. J.L., E.B., M.G., M.F., M.B.A., J.F., N.F. and M.D. interpreted the results and wrote the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. Lippold.

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Extended data figures and tables

Extended Data Figure 1 Bermuda Rise sediment Ti/Ca compared with NGRIP ice-core δ18O.

Age control points (red) aligning the Ti/Ca profile of ODP 1063 (b) with the δ18O time series of the NGRIP ice core (a).

Extended Data Figure 2 Sedimentation rates of ODP 1063.

Extended Data Figure 3 Comparison of age models for ODP 1063.

Tuning points used in this study and by ref. 20. The age models agree within few 100 yr.

Extended Data Figure 4 231Pa/230Th and opal concentration records of ODP 1063.

Comparison of the 231Pa/230Th data (a; error bars, 2 s.d.) with the variations in the opal concentration (b; error bars, 2 s.d.).

Extended Data Figure 5 231Pa/230Th as a function of opal concentration.

According to the P value the weak positive correlation (r2 = 0.16, α > 5%) of the opal concentration (error bars, 2 s.d.) and the 231Pa/230Th ratio (error bars, 2 s.d.) is not significant. The grey shaded area indicates preserved opal concentrations above 5%, below which no measurable influence on sedimentary 231Pa/230Th has been found in the framework of an Atlantic-wide study55.

Extended Data Figure 6 Three-box model including Nd isotope ratios, Nd concentrations and exchange rates.

ij is the water exchange between the boxes i and j, εi is the Nd isotope composition, and ci is the Nd concentration.

Extended Data Figure 7 Fraction of NADW at the Bermuda Rise.

Water mass mixing is derived from a linear mixing model and εNd data sets from ODP 1063 and RC11-83/TN0577 for three different εNd(NADW) values. Given the uncertainties of the boundary conditions, in particular Nd concentrations and endmember variability, we focus on the long-term trend of the AMOC only and use a 10 kyr running mean for εNd(ODP 1063) and εNd(SSW). For the calculations a range of endmember compositions for εNd(NADW) has been assumed (−14 to −16), defining the range of uncertainty (bright blue). The calculations show that there was an increase in the fraction of SSW and a decrease in the fraction of NSW in the water mass mixture at ODP 1063 only during the peak of the last glacial period.

Extended Data Figure 8 Comparison of εNd results from the Bermuda Rise.

εNd obtained from bulk sediment leachates (blue27; red, this study) reproduces foraminifera-derived εNd (black8) within the standard deviation (error bars, 2 s.d.).

Extended Data Figure 9 North Atlantic 231Pa/230Th profiles.

Data from ODP 1063 (red; error bars, 2 s.d.) compared with data from SU90-1164 (black; error bars, 1 s.d.).

Extended Data Table 1 Measured radiocarbon ages for Globorotalia inflata
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Böhm, E., Lippold, J., Gutjahr, M. et al. Strong and deep Atlantic meridional overturning circulation during the last glacial cycle. Nature 517, 73–76 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature14059

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