Caley, Thibaut; Giraudeau, Jacques; Malaize, Bruno; Rossignol, Linda; Pierre, Catherine (2012): Agulhas leakage as a key process in the modes of Quaternary climate changes. National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC, United States, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 109 (18), 6835-6839, georefid:2013-043175
Abstract:
Heat and salt transfer from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean (Agulhas leakage) has an important effect on the global thermohaline circulation and climate. The lack of long transfer record prevents elucidation of its role on climate changes throughout the Quaternary. Here, we present a 1,350-ka accumulation rate record of the planktic foraminiferal species Globorotalia menardii. We demonstrate that, according to previous assumptions, the presence and reseeding of this fauna in the subtropical southeast Atlantic was driven by interocean exchange south of Africa. The Agulhas transfer strengthened at glacial ice-volume maxima for every glacial-interglacial transition, with maximum reinforcements organized according to a 400-ka periodicity. The long-term dynamics of Agulhas leakage may have played a crucial role in regulating meridional overturning circulation and global climate changes during the Mid-Brunhes event and the Mid-Pleistocene transition, and could also play an important role in the near future.
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West: 15.1839 East: 15.1839 North: -31.2754 South: -31.2754
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Supplemental Information:
Supplemental information/data is available in the online version of this article; University Bordeaux 1/Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/Unite Mixte de Recherche 5805 Environnements et Paleoenvironnements Oceaniques et Continentaux Contrib. No. 1842
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