North Atlantic ecosystem sensitivity to Holocene shifts in Meridional Overturning Circulation

TitleNorth Atlantic ecosystem sensitivity to Holocene shifts in Meridional Overturning Circulation
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2016
AuthorsDouarin, M, Elliot, M, Noble, SR, Moreton, SG, Long, D, Sinclair, D, Henry, L-A, J. Roberts, M
JournalGeophysical Research Letters
Volume43
Issue1
Pagination291 - 298
Date Published01/2016
ISBN Number0094-8276
KeywordsAtlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, cold-water coral reef growth rate, Holocene, marine radiocarbon
Abstract

Abstract Rapid changes in North Atlantic climate over the last millennia were driven by coupled sea surface/atmospheric processes and rates of deep water formation. Holocene climate changes, however, remain poorly documented due to a lack of high-resolution paleoclimate records, and their impacts on marine ecosystems remain unknown. We present a 4500?year absolute-dated sea surface radiocarbon record from northeast Atlantic cold-water corals. In contrast to the current view that surface ocean changes occurred on millennial-scale cycles, our record shows more abrupt changes in surface circulation. Changes were centered at 3.4, 2.7, 1.7, and 1.2?kyr?B.P. and associated with atmospheric reorganization. Solar irradiance may have influenced these anomalies but changes in North Atlantic deep water convection are likely to have amplified these signals. Critically, we provide the first evidence that these perturbations in Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation led to the decline of cold-water coral ecosystems from 1.2 to?~?0.1 kyr B.P.

URLhttps://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2015GL065999
DOI10.1002/2015GL065999
Short TitleGeophys. Res. Lett.