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Paleoclimate Reconstruction from Marine and Lake Sediments

Completed
By St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center March 7, 2018

Instrumental measurements of climate variables (e.g., precipitation, temperature, ocean circulation, etc.) are only available over the past century or less. In order to quantify the rate and magnitude of natural climate variability going back in time beyond the 20th century, scientists rely on paleoclimate reconstructions. 

vials containing total lipid extracts
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Scientists are working on a calibration study to determine how the hydrogen isotopes of lipids from the lake respond to precipitation in Florida. Lake Tulane, located in Highlands County, is and is an ideal location for paleoclimate reconstruction due to high accumulation rates and anoxic conditions at the sediment-water interface.  (Public domain.)

Sediment cores collected from high-accumulation rate basins in the deep Gulf of Mexico, along with lake sediment cores from lakes in the tropics and sub-tropics, are used to develop highly-resolved records of past climate variability over the Holocene (the last 10,000 years). Analysis of microfossils, trace metal geochemistry, stable isotope geochemistry and biomarkers is performed at sub-millennial to decadal resolution to generate records of climate variability. 

 

Paleoclimate from Lake Sediments

The hydrogen isotopic composition (δ2H) of lipids from leaf waxes and algal lipids can be used as a proxy for hydroclimatic changes in the past. One of the projects that scientists at the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center are working on is the reconstruction on precipitation variability in central Florida over the past 2000 years. 

 

Paleoceanography from Gulf of Mexico Sediments

Scientists at the USGS SPCMC have been focused on generating high-resolution (decadal to multi-decadal) records of sea surface temperature and salinity variability from sediment cores collected throughout the northern and western Gulf of Mexico. The primary proxy used is the magnesium to calcium ratio (Mg/Ca) paried with the oxygen isotopic composition (δ18O) of the planktic foraminifer, Globigerinoides ruber.

 

Holocene paleoceanographic reconstructions from the Gulf of Mexico:

Pigmy Basin

Fisk Basin

Garrison Basin     

 

 

Globigerinoides ruber
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
SEM image of a Globigerinoides ruber specimen from the Gulf of Mexico.
multicores
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Multicores collected from the northern Gulf of Mexico. These cores contain roughly 1 meter of sediment from the seafloor, and represent the past ~2000 years of deposition. USGS scientists slice these cores in 5 mm increments, and analyze the chemical composition of microfossils (e.g., foraminifera) and molecular fossils (e.g., alkenones, GDGTs, leaf waxes, etc.), to generate paleoclimate records over the past 2 millennia.

 

Understanding Climate Forcing

The larger goal of this project is to use paleoceanographic reconstructions from the Gulf of Mexico and surrounding region to better understand what mechanisms are forcing climate variability on decadal to centennial time-scales. These reconstructions are also used to assess how phenomena like El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), etc., behave in the pre-anthropogenic era. 

map showing observed sea-surface salinity and rainfall
Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. View Media Details
Long-term correlations between observed sea-surface salinity and rainfall. Correlation map between northern Gulf of Mexico sea-surface salinity (SSS; dashed red box) and global oceanic SSS (ORA-S4 data set; red-blue scale), as well as continental precipitation (GPCC data set; brown-green scale) with locations of proxy records used in the study. Proxy locations are marked with circles (sedimentary records), triangles (speleothems), dashed boxes (tree-ring compilations), stars (circulation proxies), and squares (additional proxies) with color fill indicating sign (fresh – blue; dry/wet–brown/green; purple–weakened poleward transport) during the Little Ice Age (1450–1850 C. E.). Figure from: Thirumalai and others, 2018.

Below are other science projects associated with this project.

link
Multicores onboard the research vessel Pelican

Climate and Environmental Change in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean

This project documents paleoceanographic, climatic, and environmental changes in the Gulf of Mexico and adjacent land areas over the last 10,000 years. The paleoenvironmental data is used to determine rates of change in the past, and to better understand both the natural and anthropogenic factors that contribute to climate variability on inter-annual to millennial timescales.
By
Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

Climate and Environmental Change in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean

This project documents paleoceanographic, climatic, and environmental changes in the Gulf of Mexico and adjacent land areas over the last 10,000 years. The paleoenvironmental data is used to determine rates of change in the past, and to better understand both the natural and anthropogenic factors that contribute to climate variability on inter-annual to millennial timescales.
Learn More
link
Photo of planktic foraminifers from the Gulf of Mexico sediment trap seen through the microscope

Paleoceanographic Proxy Calibration

A sediment trap time series in the northern Gulf of Mexico is used to better assess the control of environmental variables (e.g., temperature and salinity) on the flux of both microfossils and molecular fossils to the sediments. The information gained from sediment trap studies is used to develop better proxy-based estimates of past oceanographic conditions from analyses of microfossils and...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization
link

Paleoceanographic Proxy Calibration

A sediment trap time series in the northern Gulf of Mexico is used to better assess the control of environmental variables (e.g., temperature and salinity) on the flux of both microfossils and molecular fossils to the sediments. The information gained from sediment trap studies is used to develop better proxy-based estimates of past oceanographic conditions from analyses of microfossils and...
Learn More

Below are publications associated with this project.

Pronounced centennial-scale Atlantic Ocean climate variability correlated with Western Hemisphere hydroclimate

Surface-ocean circulation in the northern Atlantic Ocean influences Northern Hemisphere climate. Century-scale circulation variability in the Atlantic Ocean, however, is poorly constrained due to insufficiently-resolved paleoceanographic records. Here we present a replicated reconstruction of sea-surface temperature and salinity from a site sensitive to North Atlantic circulation in the Gulf of Me
Authors
Kaustubh Thirumalai, Terrence M. Quinn, Yuko Okumura, Julie N. Richey, Judson W. Partin, Richard Z. Poore, Eduardo Moreno-Chamarro
By
Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Regionally coherent Little Ice Age cooling in the Atlantic Warm Pool

[1] We present 2 new decadal-resolution foraminiferal Mg/Ca-SST records covering the past 6–8 centuries from the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM). These records provide evidence for a Little Ice Age (LIA) cooling of 2°C, consistent with a published Mg/Ca record from Pigmy Basin. Comparison of these 3 records with existing SST proxy records from the GOM-Caribbean region show that the magnitude of LIA
Authors
J.N. Richey, R.Z. Poore, B.P. Flower, T. M. Quinn, D.J. Hollander
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

1400 yr multiproxy record of climate variability from the northern Gulf of Mexico

A continuous decadal-scale resolution record of climate variability over the past 1400 yr in the northern Gulf of Mexico was constructed from a box core recovered in the Pigmy Basin, northern Gulf of Mexico. Proxies include paired analyses of Mg/Ca and δ18O in the white variety of the planktic foraminifer Globigerinoides ruber and relative abundance variations of G. sacculifer in the foraminifer a
Authors
J.N. Richey, R.Z. Poore, B.P. Flower, T. M. Quinn
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program

Instrumental measurements of climate variables (e.g., precipitation, temperature, ocean circulation, etc.) are only available over the past century or less. In order to quantify the rate and magnitude of natural climate variability going back in time beyond the 20th century, scientists rely on paleoclimate reconstructions. 

vials containing total lipid extracts
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Scientists are working on a calibration study to determine how the hydrogen isotopes of lipids from the lake respond to precipitation in Florida. Lake Tulane, located in Highlands County, is and is an ideal location for paleoclimate reconstruction due to high accumulation rates and anoxic conditions at the sediment-water interface.  (Public domain.)

Sediment cores collected from high-accumulation rate basins in the deep Gulf of Mexico, along with lake sediment cores from lakes in the tropics and sub-tropics, are used to develop highly-resolved records of past climate variability over the Holocene (the last 10,000 years). Analysis of microfossils, trace metal geochemistry, stable isotope geochemistry and biomarkers is performed at sub-millennial to decadal resolution to generate records of climate variability. 

 

Paleoclimate from Lake Sediments

The hydrogen isotopic composition (δ2H) of lipids from leaf waxes and algal lipids can be used as a proxy for hydroclimatic changes in the past. One of the projects that scientists at the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center are working on is the reconstruction on precipitation variability in central Florida over the past 2000 years. 

 

Paleoceanography from Gulf of Mexico Sediments

Scientists at the USGS SPCMC have been focused on generating high-resolution (decadal to multi-decadal) records of sea surface temperature and salinity variability from sediment cores collected throughout the northern and western Gulf of Mexico. The primary proxy used is the magnesium to calcium ratio (Mg/Ca) paried with the oxygen isotopic composition (δ18O) of the planktic foraminifer, Globigerinoides ruber.

 

Holocene paleoceanographic reconstructions from the Gulf of Mexico:

Pigmy Basin

Fisk Basin

Garrison Basin     

 

 

Globigerinoides ruber
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
SEM image of a Globigerinoides ruber specimen from the Gulf of Mexico.
multicores
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Multicores collected from the northern Gulf of Mexico. These cores contain roughly 1 meter of sediment from the seafloor, and represent the past ~2000 years of deposition. USGS scientists slice these cores in 5 mm increments, and analyze the chemical composition of microfossils (e.g., foraminifera) and molecular fossils (e.g., alkenones, GDGTs, leaf waxes, etc.), to generate paleoclimate records over the past 2 millennia.

 

Understanding Climate Forcing

The larger goal of this project is to use paleoceanographic reconstructions from the Gulf of Mexico and surrounding region to better understand what mechanisms are forcing climate variability on decadal to centennial time-scales. These reconstructions are also used to assess how phenomena like El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), etc., behave in the pre-anthropogenic era. 

map showing observed sea-surface salinity and rainfall
Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. View Media Details
Long-term correlations between observed sea-surface salinity and rainfall. Correlation map between northern Gulf of Mexico sea-surface salinity (SSS; dashed red box) and global oceanic SSS (ORA-S4 data set; red-blue scale), as well as continental precipitation (GPCC data set; brown-green scale) with locations of proxy records used in the study. Proxy locations are marked with circles (sedimentary records), triangles (speleothems), dashed boxes (tree-ring compilations), stars (circulation proxies), and squares (additional proxies) with color fill indicating sign (fresh – blue; dry/wet–brown/green; purple–weakened poleward transport) during the Little Ice Age (1450–1850 C. E.). Figure from: Thirumalai and others, 2018.

Below are other science projects associated with this project.

link
Multicores onboard the research vessel Pelican

Climate and Environmental Change in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean

This project documents paleoceanographic, climatic, and environmental changes in the Gulf of Mexico and adjacent land areas over the last 10,000 years. The paleoenvironmental data is used to determine rates of change in the past, and to better understand both the natural and anthropogenic factors that contribute to climate variability on inter-annual to millennial timescales.
By
Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

Climate and Environmental Change in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean

This project documents paleoceanographic, climatic, and environmental changes in the Gulf of Mexico and adjacent land areas over the last 10,000 years. The paleoenvironmental data is used to determine rates of change in the past, and to better understand both the natural and anthropogenic factors that contribute to climate variability on inter-annual to millennial timescales.
Learn More
link
Photo of planktic foraminifers from the Gulf of Mexico sediment trap seen through the microscope

Paleoceanographic Proxy Calibration

A sediment trap time series in the northern Gulf of Mexico is used to better assess the control of environmental variables (e.g., temperature and salinity) on the flux of both microfossils and molecular fossils to the sediments. The information gained from sediment trap studies is used to develop better proxy-based estimates of past oceanographic conditions from analyses of microfossils and...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization
link

Paleoceanographic Proxy Calibration

A sediment trap time series in the northern Gulf of Mexico is used to better assess the control of environmental variables (e.g., temperature and salinity) on the flux of both microfossils and molecular fossils to the sediments. The information gained from sediment trap studies is used to develop better proxy-based estimates of past oceanographic conditions from analyses of microfossils and...
Learn More

Below are publications associated with this project.

Pronounced centennial-scale Atlantic Ocean climate variability correlated with Western Hemisphere hydroclimate

Surface-ocean circulation in the northern Atlantic Ocean influences Northern Hemisphere climate. Century-scale circulation variability in the Atlantic Ocean, however, is poorly constrained due to insufficiently-resolved paleoceanographic records. Here we present a replicated reconstruction of sea-surface temperature and salinity from a site sensitive to North Atlantic circulation in the Gulf of Me
Authors
Kaustubh Thirumalai, Terrence M. Quinn, Yuko Okumura, Julie N. Richey, Judson W. Partin, Richard Z. Poore, Eduardo Moreno-Chamarro
By
Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Regionally coherent Little Ice Age cooling in the Atlantic Warm Pool

[1] We present 2 new decadal-resolution foraminiferal Mg/Ca-SST records covering the past 6–8 centuries from the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM). These records provide evidence for a Little Ice Age (LIA) cooling of 2°C, consistent with a published Mg/Ca record from Pigmy Basin. Comparison of these 3 records with existing SST proxy records from the GOM-Caribbean region show that the magnitude of LIA
Authors
J.N. Richey, R.Z. Poore, B.P. Flower, T. M. Quinn, D.J. Hollander
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

1400 yr multiproxy record of climate variability from the northern Gulf of Mexico

A continuous decadal-scale resolution record of climate variability over the past 1400 yr in the northern Gulf of Mexico was constructed from a box core recovered in the Pigmy Basin, northern Gulf of Mexico. Proxies include paired analyses of Mg/Ca and δ18O in the white variety of the planktic foraminifer Globigerinoides ruber and relative abundance variations of G. sacculifer in the foraminifer a
Authors
J.N. Richey, R.Z. Poore, B.P. Flower, T. M. Quinn
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program
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