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Interhemispheric teleconnections: Late Pliocene change in Mediterranean outflow water linked to changes in Indonesian Through-Flow and Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, a review and update

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Abstract

The ultimate, possibly geodynamic control and potential impact of changes in circulation activity and salt discharge of Mediterranean outflow waters (MOW) on Atlantic meridional overturning circulation have formed long-standing objectives in paleoceanography. Late Pliocene changes in the distal advection of MOW were reconstructed on orbital timescales for northeast Atlantic DSDP/ODP sites 548 and 982 off Brittany and on Rockall Plateau, supplemented by a proximal record from Site U1389 west off Gibraltar, and compared to Western Mediterranean surface and deep-water records of Alboran Sea Site 978. From ~3.43 to 3.3 Ma, MOW temperatures and salinities form a prominent rise by 2–4 °C and ~3 psu, induced by a preceding and coeval rise in sea surface and deep-water salinity and increased summer aridity in the Mediterranean Sea. We speculate that these changes triggered an increased MOW flow and were ultimately induced by a persistent 2.5 °C cooling of Indonesian Through-Flow waters. The temperature drop resulted from the northward drift of Australia that crossed a threshold value near 3.6–3.3 Ma and led to a large-scale cooling of the eastern subtropical Indian Ocean and in turn, to a reduction of African monsoon rains. Vice versa, we show that the distinct rise in Mediterranean salt export after ~3.4 Ma induced a unique long-term rise in the formation of Upper North Atlantic Deep Water, that followed with a phase lag of ~100 ky. In summary, we present evidence for an interhemispheric teleconnection of processes in the Indonesian Gateways, the Mediterranean and Labrador Seas, jointly affecting Pliocene climate.

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Acknowledgements

We are thankful to Ángela García Gallardo (University of Graz) for the acquisition of the Zr/Al data at the Bremen Core Repository and thank DiNezio (University of Texas) for providing an early version of his manuscript on GCM model results. We acknowledge two constructive reviews, in particular one of Peter Molnar, and M. Latif (Geomar Kiel) for valuable advise on different modes of ENSO. The study contributes to project P25831-N29 of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Geosciences, University of Kiel, 24098, Kiel, Germany

    Michael Sarnthein & Nabil Khélifi

  2. Institute of Earth Science, NAWI Graz Geocenter, University of Graz, 8010, Graz, Austria

    Patrick Grunert

  3. Springer Verlag, 69121, Heidelberg, Germany

    Nabil Khélifi

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

    Nabil Khélifi, Martin Frank & Dirk Nürnberg

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  1. Michael Sarnthein
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Correspondence to Michael Sarnthein.

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Sarnthein, M., Grunert, P., Khélifi, N. et al. Interhemispheric teleconnections: Late Pliocene change in Mediterranean outflow water linked to changes in Indonesian Through-Flow and Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, a review and update. Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) 107, 505–515 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-017-1505-6

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