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Oceanic anoxic events (OAEs) document major perturbations of the global carbon cycle with repercussions for the Earth's climate and ocean circulation that are relevant to understanding future climate trends. Here, we compare the onset and development of Cretaceous OAE1a and OAE2 in two drill cores with unusually high sedimentation rates from the Vocontian Basin (southern France) and Tarfaya Basin (southern Morocco). OAE1a and OAE2 exhibit remarkable similarities in the evolution of their carbon isotope (δ13C) records, with long-lasting negative excursions preceding the onset of the main positive excursions, supporting the view that both OAEs were triggered by massive emissions of volcanic CO2 into the atmosphere. However, there are substantial differences, notably in the durations of individual phases within the δ13C positive excursions of both OAEs. Based on analysis of cyclic sediment variations, we estimate the duration of individual phases within OAE1a and OAE2. We identify (1) a precursor phase (negative excursion) lasting ∼430 kyr for OAE1a and ∼130 kyr for OAE2, (2) an onset phase of ∼390 and ∼70 kyr, (3) a peak phase of ∼600 and ∼90 kyr, (4) a plateau phase of ∼1340 and ∼200 kyr, and (5) a recovery phase of ∼380 and ∼440 kyr. The total duration of the positive δ13C excursion is estimated at 2700 kyr for OAE1a and 790 kyr for OAE2, and that of the main carbon accumulation phase is estimated at 980 and 180 kyr. The long-lasting peak, plateau and recovery phases imply fundamental changes in global nutrient cycles either (1) by submarine basalt–seawater interactions, (2) through excess nutrient inputs to the oceans by increasing continental weathering and river discharge, or (3) through nutrient recycling from the marine sediment reservoir. We investigated the role of phosphorus in the development of carbon accumulation by analysing phosphorus speciation across OAE2 and the mid-Cenomanian Event (MCE) in the Tarfaya Basin. The ratios of organic carbon and total nitrogen to reactive phosphorus (Corg∕Preact and Ntotal∕Preact) prior to OAE2 and the MCE hover close to or below the Redfield ratio characteristic of marine organic matter. Decreases in reactive phosphorus resulting in Corg∕Preact and Ntotal∕Preact above the Redfield ratio during the later phase of OAE2 and the MCE indicate leakage from the sedimentary column into the water column under the influence of intensified and expanded oxygen minimum zones. These results suggest that a positive feedback loop, rooted in the benthic phosphorus cycle, contributed to increased marine productivity and carbon burial over an extended period of time during OAEs.

In 2009 two wells were drilled with 100% core recovery at Roquefort-La Bedoule (Bouches-du-Rhone, SE France), the historical Bedoulian stratotype. Here we present holostratigraphic results based on a detailed study of the cored sediments. Our work confirms that the La Bedoule area offers one of the best records for the period spanning the late Bedoulian, the anoxic event OAE1a and the Bedoulian/Gargasian (lower-upper Aptian substages) transition. New data provide a refined succession of micropaleontogical events already well correlated with ammonites from previous fieldwork and, thus, improve the cross-calibration of bioevents with high-resolution isotope stratigraphy. Methods of the quantitative micropalaeontology applied on benthic foraminifera such as tritaxias help testing their probable orbitally triggered cyclicity, which might be used to precise estimates of duration of events such as OAE1a, the Dufrenoya furcata ammonite Zone, the Globigerinelloides ferreolensis planktonic foraminiferal zone and the C7 isotopic stage. The lithologic, biotic and possibly isotopic changes seen at the level of and around bed 170 (top of “Niveau Blanc” sensu auctorum ) are strong arguments to use this key-level as the boundary between the two Aptian substages (or stages in an alternative classification) and to support the proposal of La Bedoule as a potential locality for the GSSP of the Gargasian Substage (or of historical Aptian sensu stricto , in the alternative classification).

New drill cores from the Lower Aptian historical stratotype at Roquefort-La Bedoule (SE France) provide continuous high-resolution geochemical and isotope records which closely track the onset of OAE 1a in a subtropical intra-shelf basin (South Provencal Basin). The drilling operation recovered a total of 180 m of undisturbed sediments in three holes. The lowermost 67 m correspond to the Bedoulian (core LB1) and are here analyzed in high-resolution using geochemical proxies (stable carbon isotopes, stable oxygen isotopes, and carbonate content) and foraminiferal biostratigraphy. Pervasive bioturbation through core LB1 suggests mostly oxygenated bottom water conditions with transient dysoxic episodes, as shown by higher pyrite and glauconite concentrations within the marlstones. Unprecedented resolution over the negative δ13C excursion preceding OAE 1a (segment C3) reveals a characteristic double trough extending over ∼5.5 m in core LB1. This long-lasting negative excursion was possibly linked to multiple pulses of enhanced CO2 release to the atmosphere. Estimated sedimentation rates of 1.6–2 cm/kyr indicate that the negative δ13C excursion lasted >200 kyr, while the main positive carbon isotope shift (segment C4) had a duration of >300 kyr. Fluctuations in δ18O suggest transient episodes of climate warming and cooling at the northern margin of the Tethys or even on a more global scale prior to the onset of OAE 1a.

Sediments deposited on deep-sea fans are an excellent geological archive to reconstruct past changes in fluvial discharge. Here we present a reconstruction of changes in the regime of the Nile River during the Holocene obtained using bulk elemental composition, grain-size analyses and radiogenic strontium (Sr) and neodymium (Nd) isotopes from a sediment core collected on the Nile deep-sea fan. This 6-m long core was retrieved at View the MathML source water-depth and is characterized by the presence of a 5-m thick section of finely laminated sediments, which were deposited between 9.5 and 7.3 ka BP and correspond to the African Humid Period (AHP). The data show distinct changes in eolian dust inputs as well as variations in discharge of the Blue Nile and White Nile. Sedimentation was mainly controlled by changes in fluvial discharge during the Holocene, which was predominantly forced by low-latitude summer insolation and by the location of the eastern African Rain Belt. The changes in relative contribution from the Blue Nile and White Nile followed changes in low-latitude spring/autumn insolation, which highlights the role of changes in seasonality of the precipitation on the Nile River regime. The relative intensity of the Blue Nile discharge was enhanced during the early and late Holocene at times of higher spring insolation (with massive erosion and runoff during the AHP at times of high summer insolation), while it was reduced between 8 and 4 ka at times of high autumn insolation. The gradual insolation-paced changes in fluvial regime were interrupted by a short-term arid event at 8.5–7.3 ka BP (also associated with rejuvenation of bottom-water ventilation above the Nile fan), which was likely related to northern hemisphere cooling events. Another arid event at 4.5–3.7 ka BP occurred as the apex of a gradually drier phase in NE Africa and marks the end of the AHP.