Martin Kölling

Influence of the water content on X‐ray fluorescence core‐scanning measurements in soft marine sediments

The X-ray fluorescence (XRF) core scanner provides bulk-sediment chemistry data measured nondestructively at the split core sediment surface. Although this method is widely accepted, there is little known about the effects of physical properties such as density and water content on XRF core scanner data. Comparison of XRF scanner measurements from the sediment surface and dry powder samples of sediment core GeoB7920 indicates strongly reduced element intensities for the lighter elements Al and Si. We relate the lower element intensities of the measurements taken at the sediment surface to the amount of water in the sample volume analyzed by the XRF core scanner. The heavier elements K, Ca, Ti, and Fe remain relatively unaffected by the variation of any physical property within sediment core GeoB7920. Additionally, we successfully use the elemental intensity of Cl as a proxy for the seawater content in the sample volume analyzed by the XRF core scanner. This enables the establishment of a correction function for the elements Al and Si that corrects for the radiation absorption of the water content in sediment core GeoB7920 off Cape Blanc, NW Africa.

Holocene African droughts relate to eastern equatorial Atlantic cooling

Here we present evidence that the Holocene African monsoon system (AMS) varied in response to the eastern equatorial Atlantic sea-surface temperature (SST). Several short-term episodes of decreased moisture availability as a result of low eastern equatorial Atlantic SST are suggested by planktonic foraminiferal Mg/Ca ratios. These episodes promoted a weakening of the AMS and thus determined the timing and intensity of arid periods. Local sea-surface salinities also reveal regional patterns of precipitation in equatorial western Africa. The high eastern equatorial Atlantic SSTs occur in concert with seasonally increased insolation at low latitudes, suggesting a strong response of African monsoonal precipitation to oceanic conditions at low latitudes.

Pronounced interannual variability in tropical South Pacific temperatures during Heinrich Stadial 1

The early last glacial termination was characterized by intense North Atlantic cooling and weak overturning circulation. This interval between ~18,000 and 14,600 years ago, known as Heinrich Stadial 1, was accompanied by a disruption of global climate and has been suggested as a key factor for the termination. However, the response of interannual climate variability in the tropical Pacific (El Niño-Southern Oscillation) to Heinrich Stadial 1 is poorly understood. Here we use Sr/Ca in a fossil Tahiti coral to reconstruct tropical South Pacific sea surface temperature around 15,000 years ago at monthly resolution. Unlike today, interannual South Pacific sea surface temperature variability at typical El Niño-Southern Oscillation periods was pronounced at Tahiti. Our results indicate that the El Niño-Southern Oscillation was active during Heinrich Stadial 1, consistent with climate model simulations of enhanced El Niño-Southern Oscillation variability at that time. Furthermore, a greater El Niño-Southern Oscillation influence in the South Pacific during Heinrich Stadial 1 is suggested, resulting from a southward expansion or shift of El Niño-Southern Oscillation sea surface temperature anomalies.

A slump in the trench: Tracking the impact of the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake

We present differential bathymetry and sediment core data from the Japan Trench, sampled after the 2011 Tohoku-Oki (offshore Japan) earthquake to document that prominent bathymetric and structural changes along the trench axis relate to a large (∼27.7 km 2 ) slump in the trench. Transient geochemical signals in the slump deposit and analysis of diffusive re-equilibration of disturbed SO 4 2– profiles over time constrain the triggering of the slump to the 2011 earthquake. We propose a causal link between earthquake slip to the trench and rotational slumping above a subducting horst structure. We conclude that the earthquake-triggered slump is a leading agent for accretion of trench sediments into the forearc and hypothesize that forward growth of the prism and seaward advance of the deformation front by more than 2 km can occur, episodically, during a single-event, large mega-thrust earthquake.

Mg/Ca ratios of single planktonic foraminifer shells and the potential to reconstruct the thermal seasonality of the water column

Mg/Ca ratios of surface and subsurface dwelling foraminifera provide valuable information about the past temperature of the water column. Planktonic foraminifera calcify over a period of weeks to months. Therefore, the range of Mg/Ca temperatures obtained from single specimens potentially records seasonal temperature changes. We present solution-derived Mg/Ca ratios for single specimens of the planktonic foraminifera species Globigerinoides ruber (pink), Globigerinoides ruber (white), and Globorotalia inflata from a sediment trap off northwest Africa (20°45.6′N, 18°41.9′W). Cleaning of single specimens was achieved using a flow-through system in order to prevent sample loss. Mg/Ca ratios of surface dwelling G. ruber (pink) show strong seasonality linked to sea surface temperature. Mg/Ca ratios of G. ruber (white) do not show such seasonality. Subsurface dwelling G. inflata flux is largest during the main upwelling season, but Mg/Ca ratios reflect annual temperatures at intermediate water depths. The sediment trap time series suggests that changes in the range of Mg/Ca ratios exhibited by single specimens of G. ruber (pink) and G. inflata from the sedimentary record should provide information on the past temperature range under which these species calcified. Statistical analysis suggests detectable changes in the Mg/Ca range are ≥0.80 mmol/mol (G. ruber (pink)) and ≥0.34 mmol/mol (G. inflata). For G. ruber (pink), such changes would indicate changes in the seasonal sea surface temperature range >4°C or a shift in the main calcification and reproductive period. For G. inflata, such changes would indicate >1.7°C changes in the thermocline temperature or a change in the depth habitat.

Comparison of foraminiferal cleaning procedures for Mg/Ca paleothermometry on core material deposited under varying terrigenous‐input and bottom water conditions

A down-core comparison of two commonly applied foraminiferal cleaning procedures for Mg/Ca paleothermometry has been conducted using well-preserved Globigerinoides ruber white (250-300 mm) from core material deposited under varying terrigenous-input and bottom water conditions. This study demonstrates that in the majority of investigated core materials, both cleaning methods yield fairly comparable results of Mg/Ca ratios. However, Fe and Mn phases are effectively removed by the cleaning procedure containing a reductive step. In a core interval indicating gradual transition of terrigenous deposition and pore water conditions, the cleaning procedure without a reductive step results in anomalously higher Mg/Ca ratios accompanied by high Fe/Ca and Mn/Ca ratios, indicating the presence of high-Mg contaminants. Considering that the Mg/Ca deviation of the comparison study is the cumulative sum of (1) the difference in cleaning efficiency of the applied methods, (2) the cleaning-method-dependent partial dissolution of Mg, and (3) the heterogeneity of subsamples, we suggest that selective Mg loss from well-preserved Globigerinoides ruber shells caused by the reductive sample treatment is not substantial enough to significantly bias paleotemperature estimation. Thus, for core material deposited under varying sources and amounts of terrigenous material and bottom water conditions favorable for formation of authigenic mineral phases, the use of cleaning methods that do include a reductive step yields more effective cleaning results by successful removal of mineral phases that may contain high Mg.

Tropical Atlantic temperature seasonality at the end of the last interglacial

The end of the last interglacial period, ~118 kyr ago, was characterized by substantial ocean circulation and climate perturbations resulting from instabilities of polar ice sheets. These perturbations are crucial for a better understanding of future climate change. The seasonal temperature changes of the tropical ocean, however, which play an important role in seasonal climate extremes such as hurricanes, floods and droughts at the present day, are not well known for this period that led into the last glacial. Here we present a monthly resolved snapshot of reconstructed sea surface temperature in the tropical North Atlantic Ocean for 117.7±0.8 kyr ago, using coral Sr/Ca and δ18O records. We find that temperature seasonality was similar to today, which is consistent with the orbital insolation forcing. Our coral and climate model results suggest that temperature seasonality of the tropical surface ocean is controlled mainly by orbital insolation changes during interglacials.

Evidence for Mass Transport Deposits at the IODP JFAST-Site in the Japan Trench

Several studies indicate that the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake (Mw 9.0) off the Pacific coast of Japan has induced slip to the trench and triggered landslides in the Japan Trench. In order to better understand these processes, detailed mapping and shallow-coring landslides at the trench as well as Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) deep drilling to recover the plate boundary decollement (Japan Trench Fast Earthquake Drilling Project, JFAST) have been conducted. In this study we report sediment core data from the rapid response R/V SONNE cruise (SO219A) to the Japan Trench, evidencing a Mass Transport Deposit (MTD) in the uppermost section later drilled at this JFAST-site during IODP Expedition 343. A 8.7 m long gravity core (GeoB16423-1) recovered from ∼7,000 m water depth reveals a 8 m sequence of semi-consolidated mud clast breccias embedded in a distorted chaotic sediment matrix. The MTD is covered by a thin veneer of 50 cm hemipelagic, bioturbated diatomaceous mud. This stratigraphic boundary can be clearly distinguished by using physical properties data from Multi Sensor Core Logging and from fall-cone penetrometer shear strength measurements. The geochemical analysis of the pore-water shows undisturbed linear profiles measured from the seafloor downcore across the stratigraphic contact between overlying younger background-sediment and MTD below. This indicates that the investigated section has not been affected by a recent sediment destabilization in the course of the giant Tohoku-Oki earthquake event. Instead, we report an older landslide which occurred between 700 and 10,000 years ago, implying that submarine mass movements are dominant processes along the Japan Trench. However, they occur on local sites and not during each megathrust earthquake.

Last Interglacial Hydroclimate Seasonality Reconstructed From Tropical Atlantic Corals

The seasonality of hydroclimate during past periods of warmer than modern global temperatures is a critical component for understanding future climate change scenarios. Although only partially analogous to these scenarios, the last interglacial (LIG, Marine Isotope Stage 5e, ~127–117 ka) is a popular test bed. We present coral δ18O monthly resolved records from multiple Bonaire (southern Caribbean) fossil corals (Diploria strigosa) that date to between 130 and 118 ka. These records represent up to 37 years and cover a total of 105 years, offering insights into the seasonality and characteristics of LIG tropical Atlantic hydroclimate. Our coral δ18O records and available coral Sr/Ca-sea surface temperature (SST) records reveal new insights into the variable relationship between the seasonality of tropical Atlantic seawater δ18O (δ18Oseawater) and SST. Coral δ18O seasonality is found to covary with SST and insolation seasonality throughout the LIG, culminating in significantly higher than modern values at 124 and 126 ka. At 124 ka, we reconstruct a 2 month lead of the coral δ18O versus the Sr/Ca-SST annual cycle and increased δ18Oseawater seasonality. A fully coupled climate model simulates a concomitant increase of southern Caribbean Sea summer precipitation and depletion of summer δ18Oseawater. LIG hydroclimate at Bonaire differed from todays semiarid climate with a minor rainy season during winter. Cumulatively, our coral δ18O, δ18Oseawater, and model findings indicate a mid-LIG northward expansion of the South American Intertropical Convergence Zone into the southern Caribbean Sea, highlighting the importance of regional aspects within model and proxy reconstructions of LIG hydroclimate seasonality.

The influence of basaltic islands on the oceanic REE distribution: a case study from the tropical South Pacific

The Rare Earth Elements (REEs) have been widely used to investigate marine biogeochemical processes as well as the sources and mixing of water masses. However, there are still important uncertainties about the global aqueous REE cycle with respect to the contributions of highly reactive basaltic minerals originating from volcanic islands and the role of Submarine Groundwater Discharge (SGD). Here we present dissolved REE concentrations obtained from waters at the island-ocean interface (including SGD, river, lagoon and coastal waters) from the island of Tahiti and from three detailed open ocean profiles on the Manihiki Plateau (including neodymium (Nd) isotope compositions), which are located in ocean currents downstream of Tahiti. Tahitian fresh waters have highly variable REE concentrations that likely result from variable water–rock interaction and removal by secondary minerals. In contrast to studies on other islands, the SGD samples do not exhibit elevated REE concentrations but have distinctive REE distributions and Y/Ho ratios. The basaltic Tahitian rocks impart a REE pattern to the waters characterized by a middle REE enrichment, with a peak at europium similar to groundwaters and coastal waters of other volcanic islands in the Pacific. However, the basaltic island REE characteristics (with the exception of elevated Y/Ho ratios) are lost during transport to the Manihiki Plateau within surface waters that also exhibit highly radiogenic Nd isotope signatures. Our new data demonstrate that REE concentrations are enriched in Tahitian coastal water, but without multidimensional sampling, basaltic island Nd flux estimates range over orders of magnitude from relatively small to globally significant. Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) loses its characteristic Nd isotopic signature (-6 to-9) around the Manihiki Plateau as a consequence of mixing with South Equatorial Pacific Intermediate Water (SEqPIW), which shows more positive values (-1 to -2). However, an additional Nd input/exchange along the pathway of AAIW, eventually originating from the volcanic Society, Tuamotu and Tubuai Islands (including Tahiti), is indicated by an offset from the mixing array of AAIW and SEqPIW to more radiogenic Nd isotope compositions.