Fengming Chang

Radiolarian fauna in surface sediments of the northeastern East China Sea

Radiolarian abundance and species composition have been determined in 72 surface: sediment samples from the northeastern East China Sea. The results are compared with chemical and physical properties of the overlying water masses, and with sediment conditions. In the study area, radiolarian abundance and species number increase markedly from northwest to southeast, and their distributions can be divided into three provinces: the low-density zone corresponding to the shelf, the middle-density zone corresponding to the western slope of the Okinawa Trough and the high-density zone corresponding to the central part of the Okinawa Trough. The distribution of radiolarians correlates well with modem sea surface temperature and sea surface salinity, but shows a negative relation with nutrients and primary productivity of the overlying water. This distribution pattern is also strongly affected by the sediment type and terrigenous material input. Also, the Kuroshio Current has an important effect on controlling the distribution and species composition of radiolarian fauna in this area. Based on three Q-mode factors (accounting for 90.2% of the variance), three radiolarian assemblages have been distinguished, and their distributions are clearly correlated with oceanographic current patterns in the region. The mixed water assemblage dominated by Tetrapyle circularis, Tetrapyle quadriloba and Ommatartus tetrathalamus tetrathalamus is restricted to the area of the Mixed Water, but mainly influenced by the Shelf Water. The Kuroshio Water assemblage, which is dominated by Lithelius minor, Dictyocoryne profunda, Stylodictya multispina, Acrosphaera spinosa, Dictyocoryne truncatum, Spongaster tetrars, Stylodictya arachnia and Ommatartus tetrathalamus tetrathalamus, is basically controlled by the Kuroshio Surface Water. And the transition assemblage dominated by Tetrapyle quadriloba and Monozonium pachystylum is associated with the Tsushima Warm Current Water. The boundaries among these assemblages approximately coincide with the oceanographic front. And the changes in the distribution of these assemblages could be,regarded as-not only modifications of the water masses, but also indicators of the possible movements of the oceanic front

The silicon isotope composition of Ethmodiscus rex laminated diatom mats from the tropical West Pacific: Implications for silicate cycling during the Last Glacial Maximum

The cause of massive blooms of Ethmodiscus rex laminated diatom mats (LDMs) in the eastern Philippine Sea (EPS) during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) remains uncertain. In order to better understand the mechanism of formation of E. rex LDMs from the perspective of dissolved silicon (DSi) utilization, we determined the silicon isotopic composition of single E. rex diatom frustules (δ30SiE. rex) from two sediment cores in the Parece Vela Basin of the EPS. In the study cores, δ30SiE. rex varies from −1.23‰ to −0.83‰ (average −1.04‰), a range that is atypical of marine diatom δ30Si and that corresponds to the lower limit of reported diatom δ30Si values of any age. A binary mixing model (upwelled silicon versus eolian silicon) accounting for silicon isotopic fractionation during DSi uptake by diatoms was constructed. The binary mixing model demonstrates that E. rex dominantly utilized DSi from eolian sources (i.e., Asian dust) with only minor contributions from upwelled seawater sources (i.e., advected from Subantarctic Mode Water, Antarctic Intermediate Water, or North Pacific Intermediate Water). E. rex utilized only ~24% of available DSi, indicating that surface waters of the EPS were eutrophic with respect to silicon during the LGM. Our results suggest that giant diatoms did not always use a buoyancy strategy to obtain nutrients from the deep nutrient pool, thus revising previously proposed models for the formation of E. rex LDMs.

Evidence for sea level and monsoonally driven variations in terrigenous input to the northern East China Sea during the last 24.3 ka

Geochemical and sedimentological analyses of core PC-1 recovered from the northern East China Sea (ECS) provide insights into variations in terrigenous input associated with sea level and climate changes over the past 24.3 ka. Based on high-resolution multiproxy records, our results suggest that the competing processes of sea level and monsoonally driven precipitation determined terrigenous input to the northern ECS. Dominance of terrigenous material, along with relatively light Globigerinoides ruber δ18O, indicates that the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) lowstand of sea level has occurred during the period 21.5–19.6 ka, not suggesting an early slow rise but supporting the conventional LGM age of 21 ka. This LGM lowstand was terminated by the rapid sea level rise of 19 ka meltwater pulse (MWP), which is well expressed by the nearly synchronous decreases in both terrigenous detritus and mean grain size from 19.6 to 18.9 ka. MWP-1A is clearly marked in our records by a sharp reduction in terrigenous input and pronounced maxima of G. ruber δ18O at 15.3–14.8 ka, given the considerable age uncertainties of deglacial marine radiocarbon samples. A slightly increasing input of terrigenous matter is noted after 13.4 ka, potentially pointing to a sea level fall following the Inter-Allerod Cooling Period, which was seldom reported previously. Although MWP-1B did not leave robust signatures in terrigenous input, it is explicitly captured by the heavy δ18O of G. ruber and decline in mean grain size at 11.5–10.9 ka. MWP-1c probably occurred in a broad millennial interval with multiple peaks, which are robustly marked by the abrupt variations in terrigenous input and marine organic matter at 9.7–9.3 and 9.1 ka, respectively. During the late Holocene, the effect of continuously weakening monsoon precipitation overwhelmed that of stable sea level resulting in a uniform increase in the proportion of marine-derived organic matter after 5.5 ka.

Sea surface temperature and salinity reconstruction based on stable isotopes and Mg/Ca of planktonic foraminifera in the western Pacific Warm Pool during the last 155 ka

Changes in sea surface temperature (SST), seawater oxygen isotope (δ18Osw), and local salinity proxy (δ18Osw-ss) in the past 155 ka were studied using a sediment core (MD06-3052) from the northern edge of the western Pacific Warm Pool (WPWP), within the flow path of the bifurcation of the North Equatorial Current. Our records reveal a lead-lag relationship between paired Mg/Ca-SST and δ18O during Termination II and the last interglacial period. Similarity in SST between our site and the Antarctic temperature proxy and in CO2 profile showed a close connection between the WPWP and the Antarctic. Values of δ18O sw exhibited very similar variations to those of mean ocean δ18Osw, owing to the past sea-level changes on glacial-interglacial timescale. Calculated values of δ18Osw-ss reflect a more saline condition during high local summer insolation (SI) periods. Such correspondence between δ18Osw-ss and local SI in the WPWP may reflect complex interaction between ENSO and monsoon, which was stimulated by changes in solar irradiance and their influence on the local hydrologic cycle. This then caused a striking reorganization of atmospheric circulation over the WPWP.

Sediment provenance discrimination in northern Okinawa Trough during the last 24 ka and paleoenvironmental implication: rare earth elements evidence

Rare earth elements (REE) compositions and discriminant function were successfully used to examine high resolution sediment source changes in the northern Okinawa Trough over, the last 24.1 ka, especially for the influence from the Yellow River and the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) that has not been well solved. Variations of these parameters were clearly divided into three distinct depositional units. During Interval 1 (24.1-16.0 ka BP), the paleo-Yellow River and the paleo-Yangtze River mouths were situated near the studied area and could have played major roles in the sedimentation therein. In Interval 2 (16.0-7.3 ka BP), these river mouths gradually retreated with global sea-level rise, leading to less fluvial inputs from them to the northern Okinawa Trough. Meanwhile, formation of the TWC could carry some sediment loads of Taiwan to the studied core, especially during its late phase (8.0-7.3 ka BP). Modern oceanographic conditions, with a predominance of the TWC, were finally established since the beginning of Interval 3, causing more terrigenous contribution from Taiwan to the studied area. Sub-sequently, modern depositional environments mainly influenced by the Yellow River, the Yangtze River, and the TWC were finally formed.

Correspondence between the ENSO-like state and glacial-interglacial condition during the past 360 kyr

In the warming world, tropical Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) variation has received considerable attention because of its enormous influence on global climate change, particularly the El Niño-Southern Oscillation process. Here, we provide new high-resolution proxy records of the magnesium/calcium ratio and the oxygen isotope in foraminifera from a core on the Ontong-Java Plateau to reconstruct the SST and hydrological variation in the center of the Western Pacific Warm Pool (WPWP) over the last 360 000 years. In comparison with other Mg/Ca-derived SST and δ18O records, the results suggested that in a relatively stable condition, e.g., the last glacial maximum (LGM) and other glacial periods, the tropical Pacific would adopt a La Niña-like state, and the Walker and Hadley cycles would be synchronously enhanced. Conversely, El Niño-like conditions could have occurred in the tropical Pacific during fastchanging periods, e.g., the termination and rapidly cooling stages of interglacial periods. In the light of the sensitivity of the Eastern Pacific Cold Tongue (EPCT) and the inertia of the WPWP, we hypothesize an inter-restricted relationship between the WPWP and EPCT, which could control the zonal gradient variation of SST and affect climate change.

Paleoproductivity evolution in the West Philippine Sea during the last 700 ka

In order to reconstruct the paleoproductivity evolution history of the West Philippine Sea during the last 700 ka, the vertical gradient of Δδ13C in dissolved inorganic carbon (Δδ13C between those of foraminifera Pulleniatina obliquiloculata and Cibicidoides wuellerstorfi) and planktonic foraminiferal assemblages were analysed in piston Core MD06-3047 retrieved from the Benham Rise (east of the Luzon Island). Paleoproductivity evolution in the West Philippine Sea during the last 700 ka is closely related to glacial-interglacial cycles and precession-controlled insolation. Controlling factors of paleoproductivity could have been both thermocline fluctuations related with ENSO-like processes and eolian input associated with East Asian winter monsoon, and the former could have been the primary factor. A higher productivity and a shallower thermocline coeval with the occurrence of low CO2 concentrations in the EPICA Dome C ice core might indicate that biological export production in the low-latitude could act as a significant sink in the global carbon cycle, and modify atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Spectral analysis further reveals that the paleoproductivity is mainly controlled by thermocline fluctuations subjected to ENSO processes responding to processional variability of insolation. High coherences in eccentricity, obliquity and precession periods further revealing the close link between thermocline fluctuations, paleoproductivity and atmospheric CO2 levels.

THE EVOLUTION OF UPPER WATER IN THE CENTER OF WEST PACIFIC WARM POOL DURING THE LAST 360KYR: THE EVOLUTION OF UPPER WATER IN THE CENTER OF WEST PACIFIC WARM POOL DURING THE LAST 360KYR

The Core KX97322-4 was taken from the Ontong Java Plateau,western equatorial Pacific.Quantitative analysis of planktonic foraminifera,combined with oxygen isotope data and spectral analyses of each index,revealed the glacial-interglacial variations of the oxygen isotope of planktonic foraminifera and the vertical structure of the upper water in the center of the West Pacific Warm Pool(WPWP) during the last 360kyr.Our results indicate that,since MIS10,the oxygen isotopes of both the surface dwelling species G.ruber and subsurface dwelling species N.dutertreis showed obvious glacial-interglacial cycles.The surface and subsurface waters were influenced by the volume change of high latitude ice sheets in a large scale generally,and the subsurface water is even more sensitive.The variation in upper water structure also imitates the glacial-interglacial cycle.The thermocline(DOT) was getting deeper during MIS10 to MIS8,but abruptly became shallower in MIS8-MIS7/8,then deepened again after MIS7/8 and turned to stable fluctuation when entered the last glacial stage.The spectral analyses indicate that the joint effect of high latitude forcing and tropic-driving caused the variation in the upper water characters.Of course,ocean circulation has also impact on the variation in the upper water structures.

A quantitative reconstruction of the paleoenviornmental variations of the South Yellow Sea inner shelf based on benthic foraminiferal transfer functions

Transfer functions between the benthic foraminiferal fauna of seventy-one sediment surface-samples retrieved from the South Yellow Sea inner shelf and the environmental factors, including the summer bottom-water salinity (Ss), the summer bottom-water temperature (Ts) and the winter bottom-water temperature (Tw) have been developed utilizing weighted averaging partial least square regression (WA-PLS). Subsequently, the transfer functions have been applied to a late Holocene piston core SY01 from the South Yellow Sea inner shelf, established the variation curves of the Ss, Ts, and Tw during the last 3.9 cal. ka. The Ss and Ts showed a nearly synchronous trend to the published stalagmite δ18O curve from the Jiuxian Cave, meaning they could be used as reliable indicators for the summer monsoon. Similarly, the Tw could be used as an indicator for the winter monsoon for its synchronous change to the insensitive grain size variation of the core ZY-2 retrieved from the Central Yellow Sea mud area. These results suggest that transfer functions based on benthic foraminiferal fauna can be a potentially useful tool in palaeoceanographic and palaeoenvironmental research along the Chinese seaboard.

Deepwater carbonate ion concentrations in the western tropical Pacific since 250 ka: Evidence for oceanic carbon storage and global climate influence

We present new “size-normalized weight” (SNW)-Δ[CO32−] core-top calibrations for three planktonic foraminiferal species and assess their reliability as a paleo-alkalinity proxy. SNWs of Globigerina sacculifer and Neogloboquadrina dutertrei can be used to reconstruct past deep Pacific [CO32−], whereas SNWs of Pulleniatina obliquiloculata are controlled by additional environmental factors. Based on this methodological advance, we reconstruct SNW-based deepwater [CO32−] for core WP7 from the western tropical Pacific since 250 ka. Secular variation in the SNW proxy documents little change in deep Pacific [CO32−] between the Last Glacial Maximum and the Holocene. Further back in time, deepwater [CO32−] shows long-term increases from marine isotope stage (MIS) 5e to MIS 3 and from early MIS 7 to late MIS 6, consistent with the “coral reef hypothesis” that the deep Pacific Ocean carbonate system responded to declining shelf carbonate production during these two intervals. During deglaciations, we have evidence of [CO32−] peaks coincident with Terminations 2 and 3, which suggests that a breakdown of oceanic vertical stratification drove a net transfer of CO2 from the ocean to the atmosphere, causing spikes in carbonate preservation (i.e., the “deglacial ventilation hypothesis”). During MIS 4, a transient decline in SNW-based [CO32−], along with other reported [CO32−] and/or dissolution records, implies that increased deep-ocean carbon storage resulted in a global carbonate dissolution event. These findings provide new insights into the role of the deep Pacific in the global carbon cycle during the late Quaternary.