ALBERT

Description: IODP Exp. 383 recovered two Pleistocene sedimentary sequences from the upper continental slope along the southernmost Chilean margin that are well positioned to monitor changes in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) upstream of the Drake Passage and the history of Patagonian glaciation. These sites are characterized by high sedimentation rates and a complex distribution of siliciclastic sediments with infrequent decimeter-scale beds of calcareous biogenic sediments. Unravelling ocean circulation and climate history from these sites requires a primary understanding of sedimentary provenance and transport mechanisms derived from a complete lithological characterization of the sequence. Here, we integrate downcore shipboard physical properties with sedimentological observations to fully characterize the sequences, evaluate potential for correlation and constrain regional depositional processes. Site U1542 (52°S; 1101 m water depth) consists of a 249 m spliced sedimentary sequence containing Middle Pleistocene to Holocene sediments. It mainly consists of clayey silt that is often interbedded with thin (~75 cm) beds of calcareous sand-bearing clayey to sandy silt with foraminifera and nannofossils or foraminifera-rich nannofossil ooze. Site U1544 (55°S; 2090 m water depth) consists of a 98 m sedimentary sequence obtained from a single hole. Sediments are also dominated by silty clay, but exhibit slightly thicker beds of calcareous ooze and a significantly higher proportion of cm- to dm-scale sand beds that are interpreted as turbidites. Based on the lithology of the recovered sediments and proximity to a glaciated continental margin, terrigenous sediment is likely delivered to these locations by a combination of ice rafting, glacial meltwater plumes, episodic downslope transport from the outer continental shelf and fine-grained sediments transported by the Cape Horn Current entering the Drake Passage as the northern branch of the ACC.

Description: Southern Ocean deep-water circulation plays an important role in the global carbon cycle. On geological time-scales, upwelling along the Chilean continental margin likely contributed to the deglacial atmospheric carbon dioxide rise, but little quantitative evidence exists of carbon storage. Here, we use a new X-ray Micro-Computer-Tomography method to assess foraminiferal test dissolution as proxy for paleo-carbonate ion concentrations [CO3^2−]. Our subantarctic Southeast Pacific sediment core depth transect shows significant deep-water [CO3^2−] variations during the Last Glacial Maximum and Deglaciation (10 – 22 ka BP). We provide evidence for an increase in [CO3^2−] during the early deglacial period (15-19 ka BP), followed by a ca. 40 µmol kg^-1 reduction in Lower Circumpolar Deepwater (CDW). This decreased Pacific to Atlantic export of low-carbon CDW contributed to significantly lowered carbon storage within the Southern Ocean, highlighting the importance of a dynamic Pacific–Southern Ocean deep-water reconfiguration for shaping late-glacial oceanic carbon storage, and subsequent deglacial oceanic-atmospheric CO2 transfer.

Description: Southern Ocean deep-water circulation plays a vital role in the global carbon cycle. On geological time scales, upwelling along the Chilean margin likely contributed to the deglacial atmospheric carbon dioxide rise, but little quantitative evidence exists of carbon storage. Here, we develop an X-ray Micro-Computer-Tomography method to assess foraminiferal test dissolution as proxy for paleo-carbonate ion concentrations [CO32−]. Our subantarctic Southeast Pacific sediment core depth transect shows significant deep-water [CO32−] variations during the Last Glacial Maximum and Deglaciation (10-22 ka BP). We provide evidence for an increase in [CO32−] during the early-deglacial period (15-19 ka BP) in Lower Circumpolar Deepwater. The export of such low-carbon deep-water from the Pacific to the Atlantic contributed to significantly lowered carbon storage within the Southern Ocean, highlighting the importance of a dynamic Pacific-Southern Ocean deep-water reconfiguration for shaping late-glacial oceanic carbon storage, and subsequent deglacial oceanic-atmospheric CO2 transfer.

Description: Evaluation of foraminiferal test dissolution in deep-sea sediments facilitates reconstruction of seawater chemistry. Here we observed test dissolution processes of the planktic foraminifera Trilobatus sacculifer, Globigerinoides ruber, and Neogloboquadrina dutertrei from mid-latitudes of the western North Pacific; in these three species, we tested the ability of a new dissolution index using data from X-ray micro-computed tomography scanning (XMCT). Although the dissolution process of foraminiferal tests differed slightly among species, dissolution of all species was equally assessed by the calcite density distribution (%Low-CT-number calcite volume) calculated from the CT number histogram. As for T. sacculifer and G. ruber, the test area density, a conventional proxy for assessing test condition based on weight measurement, is affected by variance in the thickness of the outermost chamber wall; thus, this conventional proxy can be affected by sea surface conditions during test calcification. In contrast, the relationship between the %Low-CT-number calcite volume of tests and the deep seawater calcite saturation state suggests that XMCT scanning is applicable for evaluating the intensity of foraminiferal test dissolution at the under-saturated deep seafloor in this area and is an invaluable proxy for detecting deep seawater carbonate ion concentration changes on glacial-interglacial timescales.

Description: Evaluation of foraminiferal test dissolution in deep-sea sediments facilitates reconstruction of seawater chemistry. Here we observed test dissolution processes of the planktic foraminifera Globigerinoides sacculifer, Globigerinoides ruber, and Neogloboquadrina dutertrei from mid-latitudes of the western North Pacific, and tested the ability of a new dissolution index using data from X-ray micro-computed tomography scanning. Although the dissolution process of foraminiferal tests differed slightly among species, dissolution of all species was equally assessed by the calcite density distribution (%Low-CT-number calcite volume) calculated from the CT number histogram. Furthermore, the correlation between the %Low-CT-number calcite volume of tests and the deep seawater calcite saturation state suggests that XMCT scanning is an appropriate tool for evaluating the intensity of foraminiferal test dissolution in the mid-latitudes of the North Pacific. The %Low-CT-number calcite volume of foraminiferal tests can be an invaluable proxy for the quantitative reconstruction of the deep seawater carbonate ion concentrations during glacial-interglacial periods.