Search

Terrestrial glacial records from the Patagonian Andes and New Zealand Alps document quasi-synchronous southern hemisphere-wide glacier advances during the late Quaternary. Although detailed, these records are inherently incomplete. Here, we provide a continuous marine record of Patagonian Ice Sheet (PIS) extent over a complete glacial/interglacial cycle back to the previous glacial (~140 ka). Sediment core MR16-09 PC03, located at 46° S and ~150 km offshore Chile, received high terrestrial sediment input when the PIS advanced westward. We use biomarkers, foraminiferal oxygen isotopes, and major element data for reconstructing terrestrial sediment and freshwater input related to PIS variations. Our sediment record documents four major intervals of general PIS advance, during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 6 (135 – 140 ka), late MIS 5 (~85 – 95 ka), MIS 4 (~60 – 70 ka) and late MIS 3 to MIS 2 (~18 – 40 ka). These higher terrigenous input intervals occur during sea-level low stands when the western PIS covered most of the Chilean fjords which today retain glaciofluvial sediments. Superimposed, high amplitude phases of enhanced sediment supply reoccur at millennial time scales and reflect marine-based phases of the PIS with direct sediment discharge to the continental slope. We assign the late MIS 3 to MIS 2 phases and, by inference, also older advances to Antarctic stadials, consistent with the terrestrial record. Concomitantly, we observe enhanced meltwater release and conclude that the temperature-controlled PIS advances during southern hemisphere cold phases were likely reinforced by higher precipitation through enhanced westerly winds at the northwestern margin of the PIS.

The Drake Passage, as the narrowest passage around Antarctica, exerts significant influences on the physical, chemical, and biological interactions between the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean. Here, we identify terrigenous sediment sources and transport pathways in the Drake Passage region over the past 140 ka BP (thousand years before present), based on grain size, clay mineral assemblages, geochemistry and mass-specific magnetic susceptibility records. Terrigenous sediment supply in the Drake Passage is mainly derived from the southeast Pacific, southern South America and the Antarctic Peninsula. Our results provide robust evidence that the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) has served as the key driver for sediment dispersal in the Drake Passage. High glacial mass accumulation rates indicate enhanced detrital input, which was closely linked to a large expansion of ice sheets in southern South America and on the Antarctic Peninsula during the glacial maximum, as significantly advanced glaciers eroded more glaciogenic sediments from the continental hinterlands into the Drake Passage. Moreover, lower glacial sea levels exposed large continental shelves, which together with weakened ACC strength likely amplified the efficiency of sediment supply and deposition in the deep ocean. In contrast, significant glaciers' shrinkage during interglacials, together with higher sea-level conditions and storage of sediment in nearby fjords reduced terrigenous sediment inputs. Furthermore, a stronger ACC may have induced winnowing effects and further lowered the mass accumulation rates. Evolution of ice sheets, sea level changes and climate related ACC dynamic have thus exerted critical influences on the terrigenous sediment supply and deposition in the Drake Passage region over the last glacial-interglacial cycle.

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 ([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), 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.

Knowledge about the timing, amplitude and spatial gradients of Holocene environmental variability in the circum-Baltic region is key to understanding its responses to ongoing climate change. Based on a multi-dating and proxy approach, we reconstruct changes in productivity using total organic carbon (TOC) contents in sediments of Lake Kälksjön (KKJ) from west–central Sweden spanning the last 9612 (+255/-114) years. An exception is the period from 1878 CE until today, in which sedimentation was dominated by anthropogenic lake level lowering and land use. In-lake productivity was higher during periods of warmer winters with shortened ice cover and prolonged growing seasons. A multi-millennial increase in productivity throughout the last ∼ 9600 years is associated with progressively warmer winters in northwestern Europe, likely triggered by the coinciding increase in Northern Hemisphere winter insolation. Decadal to centennial periods of higher productivity in KKJ tend to correspond to warmer winters during a more positive North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) polarity, as reconstructed for the last 8000 years. In consequence, we assume our decadal to centennial productivity record from KKJ sediments for the complete ∼ 9600 years to provide a qualitative record of NAO polarity. A shift towards higher productivity variability at ∼ 5450 cal a BP is hypothesized to reflect a reinforcement of NAO-like atmospheric circulation variability, possibly driven by more vigorous changes in North Atlantic deep-water formation.

In the Mesoamerican region, arid or hydrological variable conditions are commonly interpreted from 4 ka onwards. It is not well known how these changes modified the Mesoamerican monsoon system, which were the main atmospheric-oceanic forcings involved and their effect in the Pre-Classic Mesoamerican societies' history. Here, we study the possible link between paleoclimatic changes and decreased social development of societies in Mesoamerica during the Pre-Classic period (4.3 ka to 2.2 ka), which correspond to the Middle-Late Holocene transition. We also describe the principal oceanic-atmospheric mechanism related. We employed a partly laminated sediment sequence from La Alberca maar lake in the central Mexico highlands by means of environmental magnetism and comparing versus X-ray fluorescence (XRF), pollen, and δ18O analyses. Increased concentrations and preservation of ferrimagnetic minerals and enhanced detrital load as described by the XRF Ti counts reveal the occurrence of variable hydrological conditions between ~4.4 ka to 2.2 ka. These conditions coincide with the onset of high-frequency latitudinal variations of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and the rise of ENSO and Pacific decadal oscillation activity. We suggest that variable hydrological conditions affected the development of Mesoamerican agrarian societies stressing agricultural production during the Pre-Classic period.

Continuous paleosecular variations reconstructed from sedimentary archives have remarkably deepened our insights into the dynamics of the Earth's magnetic field as well as the chronological purpose. Nevertheless, to construct reliable sedimentary paleomagnetic records in diagenetic reducing sediments is challenging generally due to the pervasive magnetic mineral diagenesis. The relict magnetic minerals are residuals after diagenesis and probably able to record a depositional remanent magnetization, thus it is worthy to explore their paleomagnetic potentials. For this study, two Black Sea sediment cores covering the past 8 ka were subjected to mineralogical and paleo- and rock magnetic analyses. Paramagnetic pyrite framboids are pervasive in the studied sediments deposited under anoxic bottom water conditions in the Black Sea. In addition, relict magnetic minerals of ferrous hemoilmenite, Fe-Mn and Fe-Cr spinels, and magnetite inclusions are also present in the studied cores. Compared to the previous published paleomagnetic results from the same cores over the last glacial period (20–30 ka) which are dominated by detrital (titano-)magnetite particles, the studied relict magnetic mineral samples exhibit a similar behavior in recording the depositional remanent magnetization. Furthermore, the obtained paleosecular variations spanning the past 8 ka reproduce the high intensity patterns observed in the regional archeomagnetic and volcanic datasets. Thus, the successful reconstruction of paleomagnetic secular variations from the anoxic Black Sea sediments greatly extend the application of paleomagnetism in sediments deposited in water with a reducing sub-surface environments from where paleomagnetic data are generally sparse.

Changes in Southern Ocean export production have broad biogeochemical and climatic implications. Specifically, iron fertilization likely increased subantarctic nutrient utilization and enhanced the efficiency of the biological pump during glacials. However, past export production in the subantarctic Southeast Pacific is poorly documented, and its connection to Fe fertilization, potentially related to Patagonian Ice Sheet dynamics is unknown. We report on biological productivity changes over the past 400 ka, based on a combination of 230Thxs-normalized and stratigraphy-based mass accumulation rates of biogenic barium, organic carbon, biogenic opal, and calcium carbonate as indicators of paleo-export production in a sediment core upstream of the Drake Passage. In addition, we use fluxes of iron and lithogenic material as proxies for terrigenous matter, and thus potential micronutrient supply. Stratigraphy-based mass accumulation rates are strongly influenced by bottom-current dynamics, which result in variable sediment focussing or winnowing at our site. Carbonate is virtually absent in the core, except during peak interglacial intervals of the Holocene, and Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 5 and 11, likely caused by transient decreases in carbonate dissolution. All other proxies suggest that export production increased during most glacial periods, coinciding with high iron fluxes. Such augmented glacial iron fluxes at the core site were most likely derived from glaciogenic input from the Patagonian Ice Sheet promoting the growth of phytoplankton. Additionally, glacial export production peaks are also consistent with northward shifts of the Subantarctic and Polar Fronts, which positioned our site south of the Subantarctic Front and closer to silicic acid-rich waters of the Polar Frontal Zone, as well as a with a decrease in the diatom utilization of Si relative to nitrate under Fe-replete conditions. However, glacial export production near the Drake Passage was lower than in the Atlantic and Indian sectors of the Southern Ocean, which may relate to complete consumption of silicic acid in the study area. Our results underline the importance of micro-nutrient fertilization through lateral terrigenous input from South America rather than aeolian transport, and exemplify the role of frontal shifts and nutrient limitation for past productivity changes in the Pacific entrance to the Drake Passage.

International audience; Introduction 5 Sedimentology 11 Biostratigraphy 20 Paleomagnetism 22 Geochemistry 25 Physical properties 31 Downhole measurements 32 Stratigraphic correlation 34 References

Redox-sensitive trace metals are powerful tools for the reconstruction of modern and past redox conditions in aquatic ecosystems. The most prominent example is molybdenum (Mo), which behaves conservatively as soluble molybdate in the oxygenated ocean, but forms particle-reactive thiomolybdates at sufficiently high sulfide concentrations. Previous studies proposed that the redox behavior of tungsten (W), the geochemical twin of Mo, is also affected by sulfide, suggesting its potential as a promising new redox proxy. Here we present a comprehensive W dataset from the highly sulfidic Black Sea and the weakly sulfidic Landsort Deep (Baltic Sea), as the type localities of modern euxinic basins, that combines water column, pore water, and sediment records. A dataset from the Gotland Basin obtained following oxygenation of the formerly euxinic water column during the major Baltic inflow in 2014 is used as the hypoxic example. The even stronger adsorption of W than Mo on Mn and Fe oxides at pelagic redoxclines identified these particles as important carrier transferring W from the oxygenated surface ocean to euxinic bottom waters. This shuttling was most pronounced during the inflow event in the Gotland Basin causing substantial deposition of Mn oxides that were highly enriched in W. Compared to the oxygenated surface waters, dissolved Mo was severely depleted in the highly sulfidic water column of the Black Sea, whereas the bottom water levels of dissolved W were elevated. An additional W source derived from pore-water reflux, as indicated by the exceptionally high concentrations of W in highly sulfidic pore waters from the Landsort Deep sediments. In addition to the decoupling from Mn, the pore water W enrichments are compatible with the previously proposed greater solubility of thiotungsate species than of tungstate. Despite the absence of a substantial sedimentary accumulation of authigenic W in the sapropels of the Black Sea, the comparable patterns of S, Fe, and W in an Eemian record may suggest sorption of internally cycled (thio)tungstate onto pyrite. Unexpected W enrichments in modern and medieval sediments from the central Landsort Deep indicate a close relationship with Mn carbonate formation occurring during long-lasting bottom water hypoxia. In contrast to the highly variable Mo content, the near-background variation of W in the sapropels of euxinic basins questions the utility of W as a redox proxy in euxinic systems. However, given the strong affinity between W and the Mn/Fe cycle, this element may be a useful proxy in hypoxic systems, especially its isotopic signature.

In shallow lakes, increasing phosphorus (P) loading has often been accompanied by a shift from a clear-water, macrophyte-dominated state to a turbid state featuring phytoplankton dominance. The effect of a regime shift on P burial and P fractions in lake sediments, however, is poorly understood. We used sediment cores from a eutrophic hard-water lake (Lake Gollinsee, Germany) that had undergone a regime shift (in approximately 1917) to investigate the effect on the accumulation rate of P and on changes in P forms. The cores were dated using Hg contents and radioisotopes ( 210 Pb, 137 Cs, and 241 Am). A combination of total organic carbon to total nitrogen ratios (TOC:TN), δ 13 TOC values, X-ray fluorescence calcium (Ca) counts, and sediment colour clearly distinguished sediment layers that were deposited during periods of macrophyte or phytoplankton dominance. The accumulation rate of total P (TP) in the sediments was 1.8 times higher after the regime shift and was associated with changes in the distribution of P fractions. The proportions of loosely-(NH 4 Cl-extracted TP) and Ca-(HCl-extracted TP) bound P decreased significantly, whilst the proportions of biogenic P (NaOH-extracted NRP) and aluminium-bound P (NaOH-extracted SRP) increased significantly. A higher dry mass deposition rate, reduced burial of stable Ca-P complexes, and increased contents and proportions of the mobile iron-bound (BD-extracted TP) and biogenic P fractions in the near-surface sediment layers are assumed to have enhanced the internal cycling of P and hence to have helped to maintain a state of phytoplankton dominance.

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current is the world’s largest current system connecting all major ocean basins of the global ocean. Its flow, driven by strong westerly winds, is constricted to its narrowest extent in the Drake Passage, located between South America and the Antarctic Peninsula. Due to the remoteness of the area, harsh weather conditions and strong bottom currents, sediment recovery is difficult and data coverage is still inadequate. Here, we report on the composition of 51 surface sediments collected during the R/V Polarstern PS97 expedition (February–April 2016) across the western and central Drake Passage, from the Chilean/Argentinian continental margin to the South Shetland Islands and the Bransfield Strait (water depth: ∼100–4000 m). We studied microfossils (diatoms), bulk sediment composition and geochemical proxies (biogenic opal, organic carbon, calcium carbonate, carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes, sterols and photosynthetic pigments), and evaluated how they respond to, and reflect oceanic domains and polar to subpolar frontal systems in this region. Our multi-proxy approach shows a strong relationship between the composition of surface sediments and ocean productivity, terrigenous input, intensity of ocean currents, and ice proximity, clearly differentiating among 4 biogeographical zones. The Subantarctic Zone was characterized by warmer-water diatoms, high carbonate (>45%) and low organic carbon contents (avg. 0.26%), as well as low concentrations of pigments (avg. 1.75 μg/g) and sterols (avg. 0.90 μg/g). A general N-S transition from carbonate-rich to opal-rich sediment was observed at Drake Passage sites of the Polar Front and Permanently Open Ocean Zone. These sites were characterized by low organic carbon content (0.22%), high relative abundances of heavily silicified diatoms (≥60% Fragilariopsis kerguelensis), and abundant foraminifera at shallower stations. Approaching the Antarctic Peninsula in the Transitional Zone, an increase in the concentrations of pigments and sterols (avg. 2.57 μg/g and 1.44 μg/g, respectively) and a strong decrease in carbonate content was observed. The seasonal Sea-Ice Zone in the southern section of the study area, had the highest contents of biogenic opal (avg. 14.6%) and organic carbon (avg. 0.7%), low carbonate contents (avg. 2.4%), with the occurrence of sea-ice-related diatoms and sterols. In all zones, terrigenous input was detected, although carbon/nitrogen ratios and δ13Corg suggest a predominance of marine-derived organic matter; lower values of δ13Corg occurred south of the Polar Front. The new results presented here constitute a highly valuable reference dataset for the calibration of microfossil and geochemical proxies against observational data and provide a useful regional baseline for future paleo-research.

Salt-marsh sediments of the southeastern North Sea provide an archive to unravel the influences of coastal management and natural processes such as storm-tide deposition on salt-marsh development. We present a record of salt-marsh evolution during the past century from the Bay of Tumlau (northwestern Germany) based on fossil foraminiferal assemblages and sedimentological data. After diking the hinterland of the Bay of Tumlau in 1935 CE and commencing marsh management, the environment at the study site changed from a tidal flat to a salt marsh. Salt-marsh sediment accretion is influenced by recurrent dredging events, as indicated by layers rich in calcareous tidal-flat foraminifera, and redeposition of siliciclastic particles from the surrounding tidal flats during storm tides. The latter fostered the establishment of a typical salt-marsh foraminiferal fauna dominated by the agglutinating species Entzia macrescens. Storm-tide layers have a lighter sediment color and commonly a more negatively skewed grain-size distribution with variable sorting. The observed long-term coarsening of the salt-marsh sediment likely reflects the landward progression of the vertical erosional cliff and the depletion of fine-grained sediment particles in the tidal flats under the influence of sea-level rise. Supra-tidal conditions, resulting from natural protection measures and abandonment of dredging, are indicated by the occurrence of Balticammina pseudomacrescens around 2001 CE. This species is adapted to only occasional submergence during storm tides. The recent increase in elevation is accompanied by establishment of high-marsh vegetation and characterized by a present height of the marsh surface 50 cm above mean high water springs. During the past sixty years, average sediment accretion rates decreased from 18 to 11 mm yr−1 reflecting the maturing of the salt marsh. These rates clearly outpace the recent mean sea-level rise in the southern North Sea demonstrating that the regional salt marshes are still resilient to sea-level rise.

Isochrysidales species of the phylum Haptophyta are the exclusive producers of C37 to C42 long chain alkyl ketones, also called long chain alkenones (LCAs). While LCA distributions are known to vary with temperature and salinity, it is difficult to tease apart the direct effects of environmental parameters vs changes in the LCA-producing organisms. The Baltic Sea surface salinity gradient, which ranges from oligohaline (0.5–5 g/kg) to polyhaline (18–30 g/kg), represents a unique opportunity to study the relationships between salinity changes, species distribution and LCA biomarkers in a single ecosystem. LCA biomarkers revealed the presence of the three known Isochrysidales groups (Groups I, II and III) in Baltic Sea surface sediments, and the presence of Groups I and II were further confirmed with DNA sequencing. Group III Isochrysidales were present in the mixoeuhaline Skagerrak based on LCA signature alone. Groups I and II Isochrysidales were found for the first time in the Baltic Sea using a combination of LCAs and DNA biomarkers, solving an eighteen-year long mystery of Baltic Sea LCA-producing haptophyte identity. Group II Isochrysidales, which have a large salinity tolerance range, were spread over the Skagerrak and the complete Baltic Sea, but were characteristic for the central Baltic Sea. Oligohaline Group I Isochrysidales were representative for the northern Baltic Sea. However, evidence of Group I Isochrysidales in the central and southern Baltic Sea suggests a possible transport by surface currents since this group is typically confined to oligohaline conditions. Testing the recently developed ratio of isomeric C37 ketones (RIK37) against the Baltic Sea surface salinity gradient revealed a significant positive correlation. This may represent a salinity proxy reflecting the amount of Group I Isochrysidales relative to Group II Isochrysidales in oligohaline environments. The present study elucidates for the first time the identity and the spatial distribution of LCA producers thriving in a large and stable brackish environment.

Volcanic ash layers are important markers for the chronostratigraphy of paleoclimate and paleoenvironmental archives at the southern tip of South America. However, this requires that tephras are well-dated. We report geochemical data from the MA1 stalagmite formed in a non-karst cave near Mt. Burney volcano in southernmost Patagonia (~53°S). High-resolution LA-ICP-MS analyses, SEM imagery, and NanoSIMS enable to identify volcanogenic signals during the last 4.5 kyrs BP from sub-annual trace element variations and tephra particles in distinct laminae. The new 230Th/U-chronology of MA1 provides precise dating of tephra from Mt. Burney (MB) and Aguilera (A) at 4216 +93/−193 yrs BP (MB2), 2291 ± 33 yrs BP (MB3), 853 +41/−60 yrs BP (MB4) and 2978 +91/−104 yrs BP (A1). This unique high-resolution record of MA1 holds potential to date further eruptions from Southern Andean volcanoes for the tephrochronology in this critical region, and potentially also large-volume explosive volcanism off South America.

The Black Sea experienced pronounced millennial-scale changes in temperature and rainfall during the last glacial coinciding with Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles. However, little is known regarding the amount and sources of freshwater reaching this inland basin. Here, we present detailed ostracod δ18O data from the glacial Black Sea showing subdued Dansgaard-Oeschger cyclicity and four prominent longer-term saw-tooth shaped Bond-like cycles. We propose that the δ18Oostracods signature primarily reflects changes in the atmospheric circulation in response to the waxing and waning Eurasian Ice Sheet. The millennial-scale ice sheet variations likely resulted not only in latitudinal migrations of atmospheric frontal systems but also in shifts of dominant moisture sources for the Black Sea. Heavier isotopic precipitation arrived from the North Atlantic-Mediterranean realm during the warmer interstadials and lighter isotopic precipitation from the Eurasian continental interior during the colder stadials. The subdued Dansgaard-Oeschger variability likely reflects an integrated precipitation signal additionally affected by the long mixing times of the large Black Sea volume up to 1,500 years as suggested from hydrologic-isotope-balance modelling. Moisture sources to the Black Sea changed in response to atmospheric frontal displacements driven by Eurasian Ice Sheet dynamics during the last glacial period, according to analyses of ostracod oxygen and strontium isotope data from Black Sea sediments.

Our understanding of glacial isostatic rebound across Patagonia is highly limited, despite its importance to constrain past ice volume estimates and better comprehend relative sea-level variations. With this in mind, our research objective is to reconstruct the magnitude and rate of Late Glacial to Holocene glacial isostatic adjustment near the center of the former Patagonian Ice Sheet. We focus on Larenas Bay (48°S; 1.26 km2), which is connected to Baker Channel through a shallow (ca. 7.4 m) and narrow (ca. 150 m across) inlet, and hence has the potential to record periods of basin isolation and marine ingression. The paleoenvironmental evolution of the bay was investigated through a sedimentological analysis of a 9.2 m long, radiocarbon-dated, sediment core covering the last 16.8 cal. kyr BP. Salinity indicators, including diatom paleoecology, alkenone concentrations and CaCO3 content, were used to reconstruct the bay’s connectivity to the fjord. Results indicate that Larenas Bay was a marine environment before 16.5 cal. kyr BP and after 9.1 cal. kyr BP, but that it was disconnected from Baker Channel in-between. We infer that glacial isostatic adjustment outpaced global sea-level rise between 16.5 – 9.1 cal. kyr BP. During the Late Glacial - Holocene transition, the center of the former Patagonian Ice Sheet rose ca. 96 m, at an average rate of 1.30 cm/year. During the remainder of the Holocene, glacial isostatic adjustment continued (ca. 19.5 m), but at a slower average pace of 0.21 cm/year. Comparisons between multi-centennial variations in the salinity indicators and existing records of global sea-level rise suggest that the glacial isostatic adjustment rate fluctuated during these time intervals, in agreement with local glacier dynamics. More specifically, most of the glacial isostatic adjustment registered between 16.5 – 9.1 cal. kyr BP seems to have occurred before meltwater pulse 1A (14.5 – 14.0 kyr BP). Likewise, it appears that the highest Holocene glacial isostatic rebound rates occurred during the last 1.4 kyr, most likely in response to glacier recession from Neoglacial maxima. This implies a relatively rapid response of the local solid earth to ice unloading, which agrees with independent modelling studies investigating contemporary uplift. We conclude that the center of the former Patagonian Ice Sheet experienced a glacial isostatic adjustment of ca. 115 m over the last 16.5 kyr, and that >80% occurred during the Late Glacial and early Holocene.

The marine-terrestrial Baltic ecosystem is sensitive to a range of environmental forcing and thresholds. Multi-archive investigations of its evolution require a precise synchronization of the considered archives. Here, we apply globally common cosmogenic radionuclide production rate variations to synchronize 10Be records from brackish Western Gotland Basin (Baltic Sea) and terrestrial lake Tiefer See (NE Germany) sediments to the atmospheric 14C time-scale and investigate phase-relationships in proxy responses in the southern Baltic realm associated with the onset of a centennial Mid-Holocene climate oscillation ∼5800 a BP. Based on paired molybdenum and titanium records, we identify a 98 ± 81-year delay in Western Gotland Basin ventilation, compared to the terrestrial response at the onset of the recorded Mid-Holocene climate oscillation. Most plausible mechanism for this delay is strengthened stratification in response to enhanced freshwater input during the first decades of the oscillation.

Northern Hemispheric high-latitude climate variations during the last glacial are expected to propagate globally in a complex way. Investigating the evolution of these variations requires a precise synchronization of the considered environmental archives. Aligning the globally common production rate variations of the cosmogenic radionuclide (10)Be in different archives provides a tool for such synchronizations. Here, we present a (10)Be record at

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) plays a crucial role in global ocean circulation by fostering deep-water upwelling and formation of new water masses. On geological time-scales, ACC variations are poorly constrained beyond the last glacial. Here, we reconstruct changes in ACC strength in the central Drake Passage over the past 140,000 years, based on grain-size and geochemical characteristics. We found significant glacial-interglacial changes of ACC flow speed, with reduced ACC intensity during glacials and a more vigorous circulation in interglacials. Superimposed on these orbital-scale changes are high-amplitude millennial-scale fluctuations, with ACC strength maxima correlating with diatom-based Antarctic winter sea-ice minima, particularly during full glacial conditions. We hypothesize that the ACC is closely linked to Southern Hemisphere millennial-scale climate oscillations, amplified through Antarctic sea ice extent changes. These strong ACC variations regulated Pacific-Atlantic water exchange via the “cold water route” and affected the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation and marine carbon storage.

A full vector paleomagnetic record, comprising directional data and relative paleointensity (rPI), was derived from 16 sediment cores recovered from the southeastern Black Sea. The obtained data were used to create a stack covering the time window between 68.9 and 14.5 ka. Age models are based on radiocarbon dating and correlations of warming/cooling cycles monitored by high‐resolution X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) elementary ratios as well as by ice‐rafted debris (IRD) in Black Sea sediments to the sequence of ‘Dansgaard‐Oeschger’ (D‐O) events defined from the Greenland ice core oxygen isotope stratigraphy. The reconstructed prominent lows in paleointensity at about 64.5 ka, 41.2 ka and 34.5 ka are coeval with the Norwegian–Greenland Sea, the Laschamps, and the Mono Lake excursions, respectively. For a further analysis, the stacked Black Sea paleomagnetic record was converted into one component being parallel to the direction expected from a geocentric axial dipole (GAD) and two components perpendicular to it (EW, inclined NS), representing definitely only non‐GAD components of the geomagnetic field. Discussions of the field configurations at the Black Sea site are focused on the three excursional events. The Norwegian‐Greenland Sea excursion was dominated by a decaying axial dipole and persisting weak non‐dipole field, with directional variations still within the range of normal secular variations. The Laschamps excursion comprises two full polarity transitions and a short stable interval of reversed polarity in between. The Mono Lake excursion was mostly dominated by a non‐dipole field, though with a less pronounced weakening of the axial dipole component.

Understanding hemisphere-wide millennial-scale temperature variability during past glacials in response to ice sheet dynamics and orbital forcing is one of the key targets for Quaternary climate research. While an inland propagation of abrupt temperature changes into Eurasia from the North Atlantic realm during the last glacial (Weichselian) receives increasingly broad support, much less is known regarding the penultimate glacial (Saalian) temperature variability, especially from a continental interior perspective. Here, we present a TEX86-derived lake surface temperature (LST) record from the former Black Sea ���Lake��� covering nearly the entire Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 6. While orbital-scale LST cooling likely relates to meltwater discharge from the retreating Eurasian Ice Sheet during insolation maxima, millennial-scale LST variability suggests interstadial warming in phase with Greenland and northern Mediterranean Sea temperature records during the first half of MIS 6. Although summer insolation reached an interglacial-like level during this period, we propose that the reduced extent of the Eurasian Ice Sheet associated with northward shifted atmospheric fronts was ultimately responsible for the inland propagation of Dansgaard-Oeschger-like temperature variability. During the second half of MIS 6, temperature patterns across the North Atlantic-Eurasian corridor were more variable and less comparable with each other, likely because of the larger continental ice sheet weakening northern hemisphere atmospheric teleconnections. Temperature records across the North Atlantic-Eurasian realm suggest a weaker atmospheric teleconnection during MIS 6 compared to MIS 3, likely related to a stronger imprint of the Eurasian Ice Sheet on the continental and regional climate.

Paleomagnetic records reconstructed from globally distributed marine sediments have greatly improved our understanding of long-term paleosecular variations and geomagnetic excursions. Nevertheless, questions regarding to the development of the geomagnetic field anomaly in the Southern Atlantic Ocean and the asymmetric geomagnetic field between Northern and Southern Hemispheres are not yet satisfactorily resolved. Paleomagnetic data, particularly from the Southern Hemisphere, is needed to better define the global geomagnetic field configurations spanning paleosecular variations and excursions. In this study, three sediment cores (PS97-085, PS97-84, PS97-079) recovered from the Drake Passage, Southern Ocean were subjected to detailed rock magnetic and paleomagnetic investigations. Preliminary age models were obtained by correlating their magnetic susceptibility to the ẟ18O master record from Dome C, Antarctica. In addition, rock magnetic records of the studied PS97 cores were further correlated to that of core PS67/197-1 with AMS 14C age constraints. The results from PS97 cores are thus continuously covering the past about 110 ka. Rock magnetic results indicate titanomagnetite is the dominant magnetic carrier in the studied PS97 cores. Relative paleointensities (RPI) derived from these PS97 cores are comparable with the regional relative paleointensity records and the South Atlantic paleointensity stack (SAPIS). Additionally, anomalous inclinations at about 41 ka and 35 ka, observed in core PS97-085, are coeval with the Laschamps and the Mono Lake excursions, respectively. This study provides new paleomagnetic records from the Southern Ocean, though further age constrains are needed to consolidate the paleomagnetic interpretations. The up to now obtained paleomagnetic records, together with previous studies from the Southern Ocean, are aiming to clarify the asymmetric pattern of non-dipole geomagnetic field between Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) is the largest current system in the world, linking the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Ocean basins. However, the variability of the ACC, which plays a fundamental role on global ocean circulation and climate variability, is still poorly constrained. This information is crucial for understanding the role of the ACC on global ocean circulation in response to global warming. Here, we reconstruct changes in the ACC over the past 155,000 years based on sediment grain size variations recorded in a highly-resolved marine sedimentary record from the central Drake Passage near the Polar Front. Our results show significant changes in the ACC during the last glacial cycle and a remarkable boundary between the glacial and interglacial periods. Substantial decreases (~33% to ~47%) in the ACC flow speed from interglacial to glacial period, which corroborates and extends results of previous studies along the subantarctic northern limit of the ACC into the central Drake Passage. This strong variation of ACC likely plays a significant role in regulating Pacific-Atlantic water mass exchange via the “cold water route” and could significantly affect the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. Superimposed on these glacial-interglacial changes, we found strong millennial-scale variations in ACC current speed, increasing in amplitude close to full glacial conditions. We hypothesise that the central ACC increases its sensitivity to Southern Hemisphere millennial-scale climates oscillations, likely associated with westerlies’ wind stress and Antarctic sea ice extent once glacial conditions fully formed.

Available sea surface temperature (SST) records from the subantarctic SE Pacific reveal large amplitude changes at orbital time-scales. High sedimentation rates along the southern Chilean margin provided higher resolution records back to ~70 ka showing millennial-scale SST variations paralleling temperatures reconstructed in Antarctic ice-cores.Here we present high-resolution millennial-scale SST and subsurface temperature records based on core MR16-09 PC03 covering a complete glacial/interglacial cycle back to Marine Isotope Stage 6, including a high-resolution record of the Eemian. Located on the Chilean margin at the bifurcation of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current into the Peru-Chile Current to the North and the Cape Horn Current to the South, core MR16-09 PC03 is in an ideal position to study the continent-ocean interactions, including changes in water masses, ice sheet formation, precipitation and vegetation.We used alkenones and GDGTs to determine SST (UK’37) and subsurface temperatures (TEXH86; 0 - 200 m), and integrated these results with XRF core scanner and planktic δ18O data (G. bulloides). During the Eemian, SSTs and subsurface temperatures were ~2° C and ~4° C, higher than during the Holocene, respectively. The high Eemian temperatures at our site are roughly consistent with the few available subantarctic SST records. The large temperature difference in the subsurface water masses between the Eemian and the Holocene could be explained by a deeper thermocline during the Eemian. During the last glacial period, the strongly fluctuating temperatures averaged ~8° C at the surface and ~6° C in the subsurface. The relative amount of C37:4 alkenone (%C37:4) show a drastic increase during the glacial period, especially in Marine Isotope Stage 3 in concentration. High %C37:4 values suggest increased freshwater supply, which could be related to fluctuations of the Patagonian Ice sheet and/ or precipitation on the adjacent land. The sedimentation rate and other terrigenous proxies, e.g. Titanium, BIT, Iron and Alkanes, confirm such increased and highly variable terrestrial inputs.

Salt marshes are of substantial importance for the adaptation of coastal regions to present-day and predicted future climate changes, and accompanied sea-level fluctuations. This gives the motivation to investigate salt-marsh archives from the southern North Sea region, which provide an exceptional archive to understand the response of coastal systems to climate variability of the recent past. For this study, well-stratified sediment sequences from two different salt-marsh systems were analysed by scanning XRF spectroscopy. The study sites are affected by both natural processes and anthropogenic interventions on different time scales. To address the complex interplay between storm surges, human-induced coastal management, and coupled internally forced atmosphere-ocean mechanisms during the last century, this study focuses on the ln(Zr/Rb) ratio as proxy for the relative particle-size distribution, and the Br/Corg ratio as an indicator for the marine versus terrestrial organic matter input to the sediment. Additional information about local changes in the sedimentary organic matter quality is provided by the alteration of ln(Br/Cl) ratios. The ln(Zr/Rb) records reveal periodic fluctuations at inter-annual, inter-decadal to multi-decadal time scales, suggesting a close link of sediment accretion to the atmospheric-ocean climate oscillation over the North Atlantic and Europe, which is accompanied by variations in the wind field, precipitation and river runoff. By contrast, the Br/Corg ratios exhibit a long-term increase starting from the mid-twentieth century towards recent times, resembling the observed increasing trend in North Sea storminess. Abrupt drops in the ln(Br/Cl) records coincide with relatively coarser sand layers, indicating impacts by regional storm surges during winter, while intervals of comparable higher ln(Br/Cl) values represent times of generally calm weather conditions of periods with less frequent storm surges. Our results imply that past regional to super-regional climate changes have been transferred into the sedimentary salt-marsh archives of the southern North Sea region.

Over the last 12 years, from magnetostratigraphic investigation of 16 sediment cores from the Southeastern Black Sea, a high-resolution paleo-secular variation record spanning from 64 to 14 ka could be compiled. Due to glacial erosion in the catchment sedimentation rates are in the range of 25 to 50 cm/kyr. Obtained relative paleointensity data reflect a highly dynamic geomagnetic field during that time. By comparison to absolute paleointensity data it could be estimated that the field intensity varied between about 3 µT and 60 µT (present day field intensity 48 µT). The lowest value is associated with the Laschamps polarity excursion centred at 41.0 ka. Its N-R and R-N transitions lasted just 200 and 270 years, respectively, with a 440 year long stable reversed phase (intensity max. 12 µT, VGP latitudes higher than 65°S) in between. The second deepest intensity minimum at 64.5 ka with about 8 µT is associated with fast directional changes but still in the range of normal secular variation (VGP latitudes above 45 °N). This is likely the mid-latitude expression of the postulated Norwegian-Greenland Sea excursion, as derived from Arctic marine sediments. In contrast to this, the Mono Lake excursion at 34.5 ka was characterized by intermediate field intensities of 20 µT, but clearly non-dipolar directional variations, indicating a multi-polar field configuration during the excursion. Another moderate field minimum of 25 µT at 18.5 ka is coeval with the postulated Hilina Pali excursion. But, despite high sedimentation rates (50 cm/kyr), only normal secular variation amplitudes were recorded in Black Sea sediments with VGP latitudes higher than 60°N. Ongoing re-sedimentation experiments with Black Sea mud indicate a very rapid lock-in of the paleomagnetic signal and a fairly linear relationship between field strength (1.8 to 110 µT) and acquired magnetization. Thus it can be concluded that data from Black Sea sediments reflect true geomagnetic field behaviour.

Manganese (Mn) oxides preferentially adsorb isotopically light tungsten (W). The global deposition of Mn oxides in (hyp)oxic marine settings represents the most plausible reason for an open ocean stable W isotope composition ( δ 186 / 184 W = +0.543 ± 0.046‰) that is distinctly heavier than the main input source of marine W, the upper continental crust ( δ 186 / 184 W of +0.080 ± 0.053‰). If so, the seawater stable W isotope composition might be intimately linked to the areal extent of (hyp)oxic conditions, whereby earliest increases in the seawater δ 186 / 184 W might indicate earliest increases in marine oxygen concentrations in Earth history. However, stable W isotope data for sediments that might preserve the variability in the seawater δ 186 / 184 W are rare. We present the first stable W isotope data for a sedimentary record from the Landsort Deep, Baltic Sea, covering the last ∼1,700 years. Within this basin, distinct vertical stratification causes bottom water hypoxia or even euxinia that alternated with fully oxic conditions. Sediments deposited during long-lasting fully oxic periods such as the Little Ice Age are dominated by detrital W and Mn components and show crust-like δ 186 / 184 W values between -0.008 and +0.112‰. In contrast, during periods of pronounced bottom water hypoxia (e.g. modern warm period), sediments are authigenically enriched in Mn and W with δ 186 / 184 W values up to +0.226‰. Smooth depth trends in δ 186 / 184 W during hypoxic periods reflect temporal changes in the inflow intensity of O2 bearing Baltic seawater. Elevated inflow rates increase the sedimentary δ 186 / 184 W mainly because a slight O2 contribution fosters Mn oxide shuttling near the sediment-seawater interface and the preferential scavenging of isotopically light W. Consequently, the δ 186 / 184 W of the bottom water and subsequently deposited Mn oxides shift towards higher values. Thus, the variation in sedimentary δ 186 / 184 W values is related to the extent of Mn oxide formation that in turn depends on changing marine redox conditions. This emphasises the potential of stable W isotopes as a new tracer for early Earth redox reconstructions.

A comprehensive magnetostratigraphic investigation on sixteen sediment cores from the southeastern Black Sea yielded a very detailed high-quality paleosecular variation (PSV) record spanning from 20 to 15 ka. The age models are based on radiocarbon dating, stratigraphic correlation, and tephrochronology. Further age constraints were obtained by correlating four meltwater events, described from the western Black Sea, ranging in age from about 17 to 15 ka, with maxima in K/Ti ratios, obtained from X-ray fluorescence (XRF) scanning, and minima in S-ratios, reflecting increased hematite content, in the studied cores. Since the sedimentation rates in the investigated time window are up to 50 cm ka−1, the obtained PSVs records enabled a stacking using 50-yr bins. A directional anomaly at 18.5 ka, associated with pronounced swings in inclination and declination, as well as a low in relative paleointensity (rPI), is probably contemporaneous with the Hilina Pali excursion, originally reported from Hawaiian lava flows. However, virtual geomagnetic poles (VGPs) calculated from Black Sea sediments are not located at latitudes lower than 60°N, which denotes normal, though pronounced secular variations. During the postulated Hilina Pali excursion, the VGPs calculated from Black Sea data migrated clockwise only along the coasts of the Arctic Ocean from NE Canada (20.0 ka), via Alaska (18.6 ka) and NE Siberia (18.0 ka) to Svalbard (17.0 ka), then looping clockwise through the Eastern Arctic Ocean.

The sediments of the Landsort Deep and Gotland Basin in the central Baltic Sea are strongly enriched in Mn carbonate. However, conceptual models attempting to explain the intense Mn carbonate precipitation in both basins are in part conflicting. In the Gotland Basin model, deposited Mn oxides are converted to Mn carbonate after the oxygenation of euxinic bottom waters enriched in dissolved Mn by major Baltic inflows (Huckriede and Meischner, 1996). By contrast, according to the Landsort Deep model, Mn carbonate precipitation occurs independent of oxygenation events below a euxinic water column (Lepland and Stevens, 1998; Lenz et al., 2015). In this study, we investigated Mn solid-phase signatures in recent/sub-recent well-dated sediments from the Landsort Deep and compared them to long-term observations to identify the hydrographic conditions favoring Mn carbonate formation. The comparisons of water column O2 and sulfide time series with sedimentary Mn carbonate enrichments identified long-lasting bottom water oxygenation as an important environmental factor in the enhancement of Mn carbonate precipitation (up to 32 wt% Mn) in the Landsort Deep. Thus, by preventing the escape of dissolved Mn from still reducing sediments into the open water column, these conditions allow the accumulation of large amounts of Mn-oxide particles at the sediment/water interface, with their subsequent conversion to Mn carbonate. The euxinic conditions that have prevailed almost continuously in the Landsort Deep since roughly AD 2000 do not favor Mn enrichment (maximum 0.9 wt% Mn), highlighting the importance of the recurring oxygenation of bottom water, most likely via medium-intensity inflows. The Mn abundances in seven sediment cores from water depths of 190–437 m together with Mn balance calculations indicated that the Mn inventory in the water column in response to porewater Mn reflux and detrital Mn input is sufficient for Mn carbonate enrichment only in the deepest part of the basin.

The Black Sea repeatedly experienced major hydrographic changes during glacial-interglacial transitions, with alternating limnic and brackish stages. While the redox conditions during the present Holocene brackish period (since ~ 9,000 yr BP) have been intensively studied, the redox evolution during the last interglacial, the Eemian (~ 128,000-120,000 yr BP), remains largely unexplored. With its at least 3 °C warmer climate and an up to 10 m higher global sea level, the Eemian could open a window into the future development of the Black Sea. This study provides a detailed comparison of the Black Sea redox evolution during Eemian and Holocene sapropel formation. We show that the redox conditions and associated geochemical processes in the Black Sea water column can strongly deviate from the Holocene when sea level and climate conditions are different. Mo/Al and Re/Mo as well as Mo and Fe isotope proxies record a comparatively uniform rise of the Eemian redoxcline culminating in pronounced euxinia. This scenario strongly contrasts with weaker euxinic conditions during the Holocene Unit II sapropel (~ 8,000-2,500 yr BP). Higher Mo/TOC ratios during the Eemian and Mo inventory considerations suggest a higher Eemian Mo availability, possibly due to an improved connection to the Mediterranean Sea. We conclude that higher temperatures, productivity, sea level-associated salinity changes, and corresponding higher sulphide levels were ultimately responsible for enhanced trace metal enrichment during the Eemian Black Sea sapropel stage.

Present-day circulation patterns in the southeastern Pacific Ocean are driven by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, directing subantarctic surface water into the Patagonian fjords since at least the early Holocene. In this way, bottom current patterns in the area are regulated by the regional climate, although the complex bathymetry of the fjords has a significant impact as well. To understand the potential interplay of climate, seafloor topography and circulation patterns, we study the sedimentary infill of Aysen Fjord (~45°S) and reveal the first active sediment drifts in the region. These allow constraining the present-day circulation patterns in northern Patagonia and show an incoming (southward) as well as returning (northward) flow direction. While the general sedimentary evolution of the fjord (and thus also the sediment drifts) is climate-driven (i.e., it reflects variability in southern westerly wind strength), the onset of drift formation at ~3.7 ka does not seem to have originated from an abrupt change in regional climate. Instead, we propose that a megathrust earthquake described in paleoseismic records in the area could have resulted in subsidence of one (or more) of the many bathymetric highs in the Patagonian fjords, thus contributing to enhanced spilling of subantarctic water into the fjord. This study underscores the importance of multidisciplinary research to understand past and present bottom current circulation patterns and disentangle different possible feedback mechanisms.

The deep basins of the Baltic Sea experienced dramatic climate- and eutrophication-induced redox changes between oxic and euxinic water column conditions. Irregularly appearing Major Baltic Inflows (MBI) carrying North Sea waters to the Baltic Sea are partly able to oxygenate euxinic bottom waters within several weeks. After an absence of ~10 years, an exceptional strong inflow event in December 2014 reached the Gotland Basin in early March 2015 providing the opportunity of detailed studies on the impact of fast redox shifts on elemental cycles. Here we report on P and trace metal (Co, Mo, U, V and W) dynamics in the water column, pore water, and sediment of the central Gotland Basin over a 4.5 year-long observation period. These time series record the entire redox development including the primary MBI-related oxygenation, the transitional development to anoxia before a second inflow pulse, and the final re-establishment of euxinia. Samples obtained in August 2012 represent the previous euxinic stagnation period not affected by MBI's since nearly a decade. Concentration measurements and a budget calculation suggest only a limited impact of the MBI on the water column P inventory and the corresponding eutrophication level of the Gotland Basin. This is due to insufficient Fe availability preventing efficient trapping of phosphate during water column oxygenation. In addition, the fast recovery of reducing conditions allowed only a short-term storage of deposited Mn–Fe–P mineral phases in the surface sediment. Due to pronounced scavenging by Mn oxides, substantial water column depletion occurred intermittently for V and W, but again, re-establishing reducing conditions favored Mn oxide dissolution and the release especially of W back into the water column. Mo and U were less affected by Mn and Fe shuttling and Mo even showed an increasing water column inventory due to replenishment by intruding North Sea waters. In contrast, the water column inventory of Co remained on an approx. 50% level about 4.5 years after the inflow suggesting a significant sedimentary burial of Co within the course of the inflow event. Although sedimentary Mn carbonate layers, which were commonly formed in concert with the frequent inflows between ~1960 and 1980, were missing or only weakly developed after the single inflow events in 1994, 2003, and 2014, dated short cores from the study area reveal clear Co and less pronounced V enrichments during the latter inflows. Because Mo, U and W are synchronously depleted compared with their normal sapropel levels, the combination of these trace metals and Co may help to identify past MBIs not reflected by Mn carbonate presence.

Pockmarks are variably sized crater-like structures that occur in young continental margin sediments. They are formed by gas eruptions and/or long-term release of fluid or gas. So far no pockmarks were known from the Pacific coast of South America between 51°S and 55°S. This article documents an extensive and previously unknown pockmark field in the Seno Otway (Otway Sound, 52°S) with multibeam bathymetry and parametric echosounding as well as sediment drill cores. Up to 31 pockmarks per square kilometer occur in water depths of 50 to >100 m in late glacial and Holocene sediments. They are up to 150 m wide and 10 m deep. Below and near the pockmarks, echosounder profiles image acoustic blanking as well as gas chimneys often crosscutting the 20 to >30 m thick glacial sediments above the acoustic basement, in particular along fault zones. Upward-migrating gas is trapped within the sediment strata, forming dome-like features. Two 5 m long piston cores from inside and outside a typical pockmark give no evidence for gas storage within the uppermost sediments. The inside core recovered poorly sorted glacial sediment, indicating reworking and re-deposition after several explosive events. The outside core documents an undisturbed stratigraphic sequence since ~15 ka. Many buried paleo-pockmarks occur directly below a prominent seismic reflector marking the mega-outflow event of the Seno Otway at 14.3 ka, lowering the proglacial lake level by about 80 m. This decompression would have led to frequent eruptions of gas trapped in reservoirs below the glacial sediments. However, the sediment fill of pockmarks formed after this event suggests recurrent events throughout the Holocene until today. Most pockmarks occur above folded hydrocarbon-bearing Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene rocks near the western margin of the Magallanes Basin, constraining them as likely source rocks for thermogenic gas. This study was funded by Grant Ki-456/11 of the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG). We thank Willi Weinrebe (Geomar, Kiel) for his assistance in setting up the portable multi beam equipment, and Marcelo Arevalo for his encouragement during various cruises aboard the RV Gran Campo II since 2002, Dr. Carlos Ríos from the University of Magallanes for a multiple logistic support, and Francisco Ríos for assessing a preliminary version of the manuscript. Also acknowledged are very constructive suggestions from the journal editors and an anonymous reviewer. Peerreview

This study presents selected results of a sediment geochemical mapping program of German territorial waters in the south-western Baltic Sea. The field work was conducted mainly during the early 2000s. Due to the strong variability of sediment types in the study area, it was decided to separate and analyse the fine fraction (

Summer cyanobacterial blooms represent a threat for the Baltic Sea ecosystem, causing deoxygenation of the bottom water and the spread of the so-called dead zones. The time history of the Baltic Sea cyanobacterial blooms is known from in situ and satellite observations since the early 1980s, but still not well understood. By comparing both weekly-resolved trap sediments and a well-dated sediment core from the Eastern Gotland Basin with monitoring and satellite cyanobacterial data of the last ca. 35 years, it is shown here that 6- and 7-methylheptadecane lipids (expressed as 6+7Me-C17:0) are robust semi-quantitative biomarkers for diazotrophic cyanobacteria, and likely mainly for Nodularia spumigena. Using this organic proxy, it was thus possible to reconstruct the history of cyanobacterial blooms beyond the observational period with a resolution of 2–4 years since 1860. Cyanobacteria were constantly present, but in relatively low abundance until 1920, when they started to alternate between periods with high and low abundance. Interestingly, there seems to be no significant increase in cyanobacterial abundance in the 1950s, when eutrophication and deoxygenation of the Baltic Sea increased considerably. Decadal to multi-decadal fluctuations are likely rather related to variability in the Baltic Sea surface temperature and, ultimately, to the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation. A 7000 years long 6+7Me-C17:0 record from the Bothnian Sea also suggests a relationship with the mean summer temperature in the Baltic Sea region, but at a multi-centennial to multi-millennial timescale. The intensity of the cyanobacterial blooms in the Baltic Sea is thus likely mainly related to natural processes such as temperature variability, at least at a multi-decadal to multi-millennial timescale.

Significance The southern westerly wind belt interacts with the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and strongly impacts the Southern Ocean carbon budget, and Antarctic ice-sheet dynamics across glacial–interglacial cycles. We investigated precipitation-driven sediment input changes to the Pacific off Chile over the past one million years, revealing strong precession (19/23-ka) cycles. Our model simulations indicate that the observed cycles are linked to meridional shifts in water vapor transport from the tropical Pacific toward Chile, ultimately forced by variations of the subtropical jet. The wintertime strengthening of the jet is unique to the South Pacific realm and affects winter-controlled atmosphere–ocean processes at mid- and high southern latitudes, with implications for the global overturning circulation and the oceanic storage of atmospheric CO2., The southern westerly wind belt (SWW) interacts with the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and strongly impacts the Southern Ocean carbon budget, and Antarctic ice-sheet dynamics across glacial–interglacial cycles. We investigated precipitation-driven sediment input changes to the Southeast Pacific off the southern margin of the Atacama Desert over the past one million years, revealing strong precession (19/23-ka) cycles. Our simulations with 2 ocean–atmosphere general circulation models suggest that observed cyclic rainfall changes are linked to meridional shifts in water vapor transport from the tropical Pacific toward the southern Atacama Desert. These changes reflect a precessional modulation of the split in the austral winter South Pacific jet stream. For precession maxima, we infer significantly enhanced rainfall in the southern Atacama Desert due to a stronger South Pacific split jet with enhanced subtropical/subpolar jets, and a weaker midlatitude jet. Conversely, we derive dry conditions in northern Chile related to reduced subtropical/subpolar jets and an enhanced midlatitude jet for precession minima. The presence of precessional cycles in the Pacific SWW, and lack thereof in other basins, indicate that orbital-scale changes of the SWW were not zonally homogeneous across the Southern Hemisphere, in contrast to the hemispherewide shifts of the SWW suggested for glacial terminations. The strengthening of the jet is unique to the South Pacific realm and might have affected winter-controlled changes in the mixed layer depth, the formation of intermediate water, and the buildup of sea-ice around Antarctica, with implications for the global overturning circulation and the oceanic storage of atmospheric CO2.

The Saalian was one of the largest glaciations during the Quaternary with an ice sheet extending considerably wider into the Eurasian continent than during other glacials. Orbital variations caused the ice sheet to switch between growing and shrinking. The partial retreat of the ice sheet and meltwater discharge resulted in global sea-level rise and increased lake levels of inland seas with broader environmental implications. During Marine Isotope Stage 6 (MIS 6), meltwater entered the formerly enclosed Black Sea at least twice as documented in a δ18O record from Anatolian speleothems. Here we present a sedimentary record from the Black Sea “Lake” covering MIS 6 and provide evidence for three meltwater periods coinciding with insolation maxima (BSWP-6-1: 180-167 ka BP, BSWP-6-2: 160-145 ka BP, BSWP-II: 133-130 ka BP). While δ18Oostracods and Sr/Caostracods point to pronounced meltwater supply and decreasing salinity, 87Sr/86Srostracods shed light on meltwater sources and pathways. During all three periods, meltwater drained most likely via the Dnieper and Volga into the Black and Caspian Seas and connected both basins. Relatively low 87Sr/86Srostracods values during the oldest meltwater period suggest melting solely of the eastern Eurasian Ice Sheet. In contrast, during the younger meltwater periods, exceptional high 87Sr/86Srostracods values point towards additional meltwater from the western Eurasian Ice Sheet. A surplus from melting glaciers in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains that finally entered the Caspian Sea via the Amu Darya and Sry Darya probably amplified the input of high radiogenic Sr-isotope water. We also show that higher temperatures and productivity suggest Dansgaard-Oeschger-like climate variability during the first half of MIS 6.

The Littorina Sea stage (past c. 7000 years) development of the northern, and its interactions with the central Baltic Sea have been influenced by spatially different but in the north very strong glacio-isostatic uplift. Here we investigate the impact of the isostatic readjustment on the northern Baltic Sea environment and on the water exchange with the central Baltic Sea using geochemical and microfossil records from well-dated sediment cores of the Bothnian Sea/Bay that are compared to sedimentary records of the Gotland Basin and Landsort Deep. Benthic foraminifera and manganese carbonate layers in the sediments from northern Baltic Sea sub-basins imply oxic marine intrusions from c. 7.0 cal. ka BP. Related water-column stratification together with enhanced primary productivity caused oxygen-depleted bottom waters and deposition of organic-rich laminated sediments during the Holocene Thermal Maximum. Comparable sedimentary/geochemical records in early Littorina Sea sediments of e.g. the eastern Gotland Basin therefore imply a low impact of isostatic uplift on the northern Baltic Sea environment. A climate-controlled decline in hypoxia induced a gradual deposition of rather homogenous sediments in the central and northern Baltic Sea during the mid-Littorina Sea stage. Progressive isostatic uplift caused a diverging environmental development in both basins during the mid- to late Littorina Sea stage. The Aland sill shoaled markedly allowing only strong inflows to enter the northern Baltic Sea as late as 2.3 cal. ka BP. The restricted deep-water exchange with the central Baltic Sea probably resulted in a pronounced freshening and oxic bottom waters. This, together with an uplift-related sediment re-deposition induced accumulation of rather homogenous sediments throughout the remaining Littorina Sea stage. By contrast, a climate-controlled depositional environment in the central Baltic Sea during this time caused the formation of homogeneous sediments during cold phases and laminated sediments during warm phases.

The Baltic Sea is a shallow, semi-enclosed and intra-continental shelf sea characterized by anoxic bottom waters in the deepest basins, allowing for the preservation of sedimentary organic matter. In the present study, the most abundant, naturally-occurring lipids in surface sediments from the entire Baltic Sea and the Skagerrak area were identified and their potential sources were assigned. Together with long-chain n -alkanes derived from land plant leaf waxes, diploptene and branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) are of allochthonous origin, while isoprenoid GDGTs, hydroxylated isoprenoid GDGTs (OH-GDGTs), n -C 25:1 , n -C 27:1 and n -C 29:1 alkenes are autochthonous lipids. The isoprenoid and OH-GDGTs are probably derived from Thaumarchaeota and the long-chain n -alkenes from phototrophic organisms. Significant correlations were found between indexes based on isoprenoid and OH-GDGTs and Baltic Sea surface and bottom temperatures. The calibrations obtained for surface temperature have statistically similar slopes, but different intercepts than calibrations established for the Nordic Seas. The branched and isoprenoid tetraether index can be used to estimate the percentage of soil (terrestrial) organic matter in the sediments of the Baltic Sea. High values of the P aq’ ratio (defined here as the ratio of odd numbered n -C 23 and n -C 25 over n -C 23 to n -C 29 alkanes) in the northern Baltic Sea originate from the presence of both Sphagnum mosses in the drainage basin and submerged macrophytes, such as Potamogeton sp. and Myriophyllum sp., in the freshwater to brackish water of the coastal areas. The P aq’ ratio may thus reflect fluctuations in the regional expansion of freshwater to brackish coastal environments in the Baltic Sea.

Acoustic profiling methods are commonly used in the geosciences to obtain knowledge about the sedimentary structures of marine deposits. However, their interpretation and the correlation of acoustic reflectors with sedimentological boundaries remain difficult. The gradient in acoustic impedance determines the intensity of acoustic reflectors, which are not necessarily sedimentary boundaries. Suitable geo-acoustic models that cover a wide range of sediment types have not yet been developed for the Baltic Sea. Based on comprehensive investigations of sediment cores from Mecklenburg Bay and the Arkona Basin, we developed geo-acoustic models that enable the transfer of laboratory p-wave velocity measurements to in situ conditions while considering changes in pressure, salinity, temperature and the frequency dependence of the p-wave velocity (i.e. acoustic dispersion). This modelling allows the calculation of the wet bulk density and in situ p-wave velocity (from which the acoustic impedance is calculated) from core logging and selected sedimentological data, such as the water content, loss on ignition, and grain size. Precise plotting of core data into the acoustic profiles is now possible and represents a crucial step towards the interpretation of these profiles. Modelled p-wave velocities are used to convert two-way-travel-time to depth. The average sedimentological parameters for the different development phases of the Baltic Sea are calculated using geo-statistical methods and may allow for rough p-wave estimations if core logging data are not available.

C25 and C30 highly branched isoprenoid (HBI) alkenes are lipid biomarkers produced exclusively by certain diatoms and found in sediments worldwide. Here, for the first time, it is shown that the marine planktonic diatom Pseudosolenia calcar-avis (Schultze) (Sundstrom, B.G., 1986. The Marine Diatom Genus Rhizosolenia (A New Approach to the Taxonomy) (Ph.D. thesis). Lund University, Lund), isolated from near surface waters in Mecklenburg Bay (southwestern Baltic Sea) biosynthesizes one C25:2 and two C25:3 HBI alkenes previously reported in some benthic diatoms. The presence of the same C25 HBI alkenes in surface sediments from Mecklenburg Bay and the Arkona Sea, as well as their co-occurrence with remnant frustules of P. calcar-avis in a sediment core from the northern Baltic Sea, indicates that these lipids are very likely specific biomarkers for this diatom in this region at least. Further, since P. calcar-avis has a tolerance for low salinities (8–10), we also suggest that the occurrence of some of the HBIs produced by this diatom might represent a useful proxy for measuring past changes in inflowing water from the North Sea. The same C25 HBIs, previously found in sediments from the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea, may also be produced by P. calcar-avis in such settings.

The Black Sea is the world’s largest anoxic basin and a model system for studying processes across redox gradients. In between the oxic surface and the deeper sulfidic waters there is an unusually broad layer of 10–40 m, where neither oxygen nor sulfide are detectable. In this suboxic zone, dissolved phosphate profiles display a pronounced minimum at the upper and a maximum at the lower boundary, with a peak of particulate phosphorus in between, which was suggested to be caused by the sorption of phosphate on sinking particles of metal oxides. Here we show that bacterial polyphosphate inclusions within large magnetotactic bacteria related to the genus Magnetococcus contribute substantially to the observed phosphorus peak, as they contain 26–34% phosphorus compared to only 1–5% in metal-rich particles. Furthermore, we found increased gene expression for polyphosphate kinases by several groups of bacteria including Magnetococcaceae at the phosphate maximum, indicating active bacterial polyphosphate degradation. We propose that large magnetotactic bacteria shuttle up and down within the suboxic zone, scavenging phosphate at the upper and releasing it at the lower boundary. In contrast to a passive transport via metal oxides, this bacterial transport can quantitatively explain the observed phosphate profiles. We are grateful for the competent technical assistance of Ronny Baaske, Christian Burmeister, Christin Laudan and Christian Meeske. We are greatly indebted to Cindy Lee and Bo Barker Jørgensen for providing extremely helpful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript. Horst D. Schulz and René Friedland are acknowledged for stimulating discussions on the modeling approach. We thank the captain and the crew of the R/V “Maria S. Merian” for the excellent support on board and the DFG (MSM33) and BMBF (01DK12043) for financing the cruise. The particle analysis was funded by the BMBF (03F0663A). S.B. was funded by a BONUS BLUEPRINT project (03F0679A awarded to KJ; http://blueprint- project.org), supported by BONUS (Art 185), funded jointly by the EU and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). T. S. was funded by the German research foundation (DFG) (awarded to K.J., JU 367/16-1). Metagenome sequencing was done at the Swedish National Genomics Infrastructure (NGI) at SciLifeLab (Sweden). We are grateful for the competent technical assistance of Ronny Baaske, Christian Burmeister, Christin Laudan and Christian Meeske. We are greatly indebted to Cindy Lee and Bo Barker Jørgensen for providing extremely helpful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript. Horst D. Schulz and René Friedland are acknowledged for stimulating discussions on the modeling approach. We thank the captain and the crew of the R/V “Maria S. Merian” for the excellent support on board and the DFG (MSM33) and BMBF (01DK12043) for financing the cruise. The particle analysis was funded by the BMBF (03F0663A). S.B. was funded by a BONUS BLUEPRINT project (03F0679A awarded to KJ; http://blueprint- project.org), supported by BONUS (Art 185), funded jointly by the EU and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). T. S. was funded by the German research foundation (DFG) (awarded to K.J., JU 367/16-1). Metagenome sequencing was done at the Swedish National Genomics Infrastructure (NGI) at SciLifeLab (Sweden).

The anthropogenically forced expansion of coastal hypoxia is a major environmental problem affecting coastal ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles throughout the world. The Baltic Sea is a semi-enclosed shelf sea whose central deep basins have been highly prone to deoxygenation during its Holocene history, as shown previously by numerous paleoenvironmental studies. However, long-term data on past fluctuations in the intensity of hypoxia in the coastal zone of the Baltic Sea are largely lacking, despite the significant role of these areas in retaining nutrients derived from the catchment. Here we present a 1500-year multiproxy record of near-bottom water redox changes from the coastal zone of the northern Baltic Sea, encompassing the climatic phases of the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA), the Little Ice Age (LIA), and the Modern Warm Period (MoWP). Our reconstruction shows that although multicentennial climate variability has modulated depositional conditions and delivery of organic matter (OM) to the basin the modern aggravation of coastal hypoxia is unprecedented, and besides gradual changes in the basin configuration, it must have been forced by excess human-induced nutrient loading. The progressive deoxygenation since the beginning of 1900s was originally triggered by the combined effects of gradual shoaling of the basin and warming climate, which amplified sediment focusing and increased the vulnerability to hypoxia. Importantly, the anthropogenic eutrophication of coastal waters in our study area began decades earlier than previously thought, leading to a marked aggravation of hypoxia in the 1950s through fueling primary productivity, while we find no evidence of anthropogenic forcing during the MCA. These results have implications for the assessment of reference conditions for coastal water quality. Furthermore, this study highlights the need for combined use of sedimentological, ichnological, and geochemical proxies in order to robustly reconstruct subtle redox shifts especially in dynamic, non-euxinic coastal settings with strong seasonal contrasts in the bottom water quality.