scholarly journals A new age model for the Pliocene of the southern North Sea basin: a multi-proxy climate reconstruction

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 523-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Dearing Crampton-Flood ◽  
Lars J. Noorbergen ◽  
Damian Smits ◽  
R. Christine Boschman ◽  
Timme H. Donders ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Climate Reconstruction ◽  
Climate Modelling ◽  
Late Pliocene ◽  
Southern North Sea ◽  
The North ◽  
Lipid Biomarker ◽  
Age Model ◽  
The North Atlantic

Abstract. The mid-Piacenzian Warm Period (mPWP; 3264–3025 ka) represents the most recent interval in Earth's history where atmospheric CO2 levels were similar to today. The reconstruction of sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and climate modelling studies has shown that global temperatures were 2–4 ∘C warmer than present. However, detailed reconstructions of marginal seas and/or coastal zones, linking the coastal and continental climate evolution, are lacking. This is in part due to the absence of precise age models for coastal sedimentary successions, as they are generally formed by dynamic depositional systems with varying sediment and freshwater inputs. Here, we present a multi-proxy record of Pliocene climate change in the coastal southern North Sea basin (SNSB) based on the sedimentary record from borehole Hank, the Netherlands. The marginal marine setting of the Hank borehole during the late Pliocene provides an excellent opportunity to correlate marine and terrestrial signals due to continental sediment input mainly derived from the proto-Rhine–Meuse River. We improve the existing low-resolution palynology-based age model for the Hank borehole using stable oxygen and carbon isotope (δ18O and δ13C) measurements of the endobenthic foraminifera species Cassidulina laevigata, integrated with biochrono- and seismostratigraphy. Identification of hiatuses and freshwater effects in the record allows us to isolate glacial–interglacial climate signals in order to tune the endobenthic oxygen stable isotope record to a global benthic δ18O stack. This results in a tuned age framework for the SNSB for the late Pliocene (∼3190–2770 ka). Our multi-proxy climate reconstruction for the interval which covers part of the mPWP (∼3190–3000 ka) shows a strong agreement between lipid biomarker and palynology-based terrestrial temperature proxies, which suggest a stable climate, 1–2 ∘C warmer than present. In the marine realm, however, biomarker-based SSTs show a large range of variation (10 ∘C). Nevertheless, the fluctuation is comparable to other SST records from the North Atlantic and Nordic Seas, suggesting that a common factor, possibly ocean circulation, exerted a strong influence over SSTs in the North Atlantic and the North Sea at this time.

scholarly journals A new age model for the Pliocene of the Southern North Sea Basin: evidence for asynchronous shifts of marine and terrestrial climate

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Dearing Crampton-Flood ◽  
Lars J. Noorbergen ◽  
Damian Smits ◽  
R. Christine Boschman ◽  
Timme H. Donders ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Coastal Zones ◽  
Late Pliocene ◽  
Southern North Sea ◽  
The North ◽  
Lipid Biomarker ◽  
Marine Realm ◽  
Age Model ◽  
The North Atlantic

Abstract. The mid-Pliocene Warm Period (mPWP, 3254–3025 ka) represents the most recent interval in Earth's history where atmospheric CO2 levels were similar to today. The reconstruction of sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and modeling studies have shown that global temperatures were 2–4 °C warmer than present. However, detailed reconstructions of marginal seas and/or coastal zones that enable linking climate evolution in the marine realm to that on the continents are lacking. This is in part due to the absence of precise age models for coastal zones, as they are generally dynamic systems with varying sediment and fresh water inputs. Here, we present a multi-proxy record of Pliocene climate change in the coastal Southern North Sea Basin (SNSB) based on the sedimentary record from borehole Hank, the Netherlands. The marginal marine setting of the Hank borehole during the late Pliocene provides an excellent opportunity to correlate marine and terrestrial signals, due to continental sediment input mainly from the proto-Rhine-Meuse river. We improve the existing low-resolution palynology-based age model for the Hank borehole using oxygen stable isotope measurements (δ18O) of the endobenthic foraminifera species Cassidulina laevigata, integrated with biochrono- and seismostratigraphy. Identification of hiatuses and freshwater effects in the record allows us to accurately isolate glacial-interglacial climate signals that can be linked to a reference global benthic δ18O stack. In tandem with the biostratigraphic age control this results in an age framework for the SNSB for the Late Pliocene (~ 3200–2800 ka). Our multi-proxy reconstruction for the mPWP shows a strong agreement between lipid biomarker and palynology-based terrestrial temperature proxies, which suggest a stable climate, 1–2 °C warmer than present. In the marine realm, however, biomarker-based SSTs show a large range of variation (10 °C). Nevertheless, the fluctuation is comparable to other SST records from the North Atlantic and Nordic Seas, suggesting that a common factor, most likely variations in the North Atlantic Current, exerted a strong influence over SSTs in the North Atlantic at this time.

New acritarchs from the late Cenozoic of the southern North Sea Basin and the North Atlantic realm

Palynology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koen Verhoeven ◽  
Stephen Louwye ◽  
Manuel Paez-Reyes ◽  
Kenneth Neil Mertens ◽  
Dries Vercauteren
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Late Cenozoic ◽  
Southern North Sea ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic

scholarly journals A new species of rorqual whale (Cetacea, Mysticeti, Balaenopteridae) from the Late Miocene of the Southern North Sea Basin and the role of the North Atlantic in the paleobiogeography of Archaebalaenoptera

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e8315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelangelo Bisconti ◽  
Dirk K. Munsterman ◽  
René H.B. Fraaije ◽  
Mark E.J. Bosselaers ◽  
Klaas Post
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
North Sea ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Late Miocene ◽  
North Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Center Of Origin ◽  
Southern North Sea ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic

Background The rich fossil record of rorqual and humpback whales (Cetacea, Mysticeti, Balaenopteridae) is mainly characterized by monotypic genera since genera including more than one species are extremely rare. The discovery of new species belonging to known genera would be of great importance in order to better understand ancestor-descendant relationships and paleobiogeographic patterns in this diverse group. Recent discoveries in the southern North Sea Basin yielded a number of reasonably well preserved fossil balaenopterids from the Late Miocene; this sample includes a balaenopterid skull from Liessel, The Netherlands, which shares key characters with Archaebalaenoptera castriarquati from the Pliocene of Mediterranean. This skull is permanently held by Oertijdmuseum, Boxtel, The Netherlands, with the number MAB002286 and is investigated here. Methods A detailed comparative anatomical analysis of the skull MAB002286 is performed in order to understand its relationships. The age of the skull is determined by dinocyst analysis of the associated sediment. A paleobiogeographic analysis is performed to understand paleobiogeographic patterns within the balaenopterid clade the new skull belongs to. Results Our work resulted in the description of Archaebalaenoptera liesselensis new species. The geological age of the holotype skull is between 8.1 and 7.5 Ma. The phylogenetic relationships of this species reveals that it is monophyletic with Archaebalaenoptera castriarquati from the Italian Pliocene. Moreover, in combination with a more basal species of Archaebalaenoptera from the late Miocene of Peru, our paleobiogeographic analysis suggests that the North Atlantic ocean played a major role as a center of origin of a number of balaenopterid clades including Protororqualus, Archaebalaenoptera and more advanced balaenopterid taxa. From a North Atlantic center of origin, two dispersal events are inferred that led to the origins of Archaebalaenoptera species in the South Pacific and Mediterranean. The distribution of Archaebalaenoptera was antitropical in the late Miocene. The role played by the Mediterranean salinity crisis is also investigated and discussed.

scholarly journals A late surviving Pliocene seal from high latitudes of the North Atlantic realm: the latest monachine seal on the southern margin of the North Sea

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonard Dewaele ◽  
Olivier Lambert ◽  
Stephen Louwye
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Literature Study ◽  
Late Pliocene ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Monk Seals

Background The family of true seals, the Phocidae, is subdivided into two subfamilies: the southern Monachinae, and the northern Phocinae, following the subfamilies’ current distribution: extant Monachinae are largely restricted to the (sub-)Antarctic and the eastern Pacific, with historical distributions of the monk seals of the genus Monachus in the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and around Hawaii; and Phocinae to the northern temperate and Arctic zones. However, the fossil record shows that Monachinae were common in the North Atlantic realm during the late Miocene and early Pliocene. Until now, only one late Pliocene record is known from the Mediterranean, Pliophoca etrusca from Tuscany, Italy, but none from farther north in the North Atlantic. Methods We present the description of one partial phocid humerus collected in the early 20th century from the Antwerp area (Belgium), with an assessment of its stratigraphic origin using data from the literature. Results The studied humerus was recovered during construction works at the former Lefèvre dock in the Antwerp harbour (currently part of the America dock). Combining the information associated to the specimen with data from the literature and from local boreholes, the upper Pliocene Lillo Formation is ascertained as the lithological unit from which the specimen originates. Morphologically, among other features the shape of the deltopectoral crest and the poor development of the supinator crest indicates a monachine attribution for this specimen. The development of the deltopectoral crest is closer to the condition in extant Monachinae than in extinct Monachinae. Discussion The presented specimen most likely represents a monachine seal and a literature study clearly shows that it came from the latest early to late Pliocene Lillo Formation. This would be the first known monachine specimen from the latest early to late Pliocene of the North Sea, and more broadly from the northern part of the North Atlantic realm. This humerus differs from the humerus of P. etrusca and suggests a higher diversity of Monachinae in the latest early to late Pliocene than previously assumed.

scholarly journals Climate-Driven Change in the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans Can Greatly Reduce the Circulation of the North Sea

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (21) ◽  
pp. 11,827-11,836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Holt ◽  
Jeff Polton ◽  
John Huthnance ◽  
Sarah Wakelin ◽  
Enda O'Dea ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
The North Atlantic

scholarly journals A southern North Sea Miocene dinoflagellate cyst zonation

2004 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 267-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.K. Munsterman ◽  
H. Brinkhuis
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
North Sea ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
The South ◽  
Dinoflagellate Cyst ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Southern North Sea ◽  
Age Model

AbstractAn integrated stratigraphical analysis emphasizing organic-walled dinoflagellate cyst (dinocyst) distribution has been carried out on multiple boreholes penetrating the Miocene in the subsurface of the Netherlands (southern North Sea Basin). The bulk of the investigated successions is attributed to the Breda Formation, a regional lithostatigraphical unit most complete in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands. In concert with a first regional integrated bio (chrono) sequence-stratigraphical framework, fourteen informal dinocyst zones for the southern North Sea Miocene (SNSM), and three subzones are proposed for the Breda Formation. By also integrating (chrono)stratigraphic information from Mediterranean and North Atlantic dinocyst studies a first ever detailed age-model is here proposed for the Miocene in the subsurface of the Netherlands.

scholarly journals The carbon budget of the North Sea

2005 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Thomas ◽  
Y. Bozec ◽  
H. J. W. de Baar ◽  
K. Elkalay ◽  
M. Frankignoulle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Continental Shelf ◽  
North Sea ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Carbon Budget ◽  
North Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
The North Atlantic

Abstract. A carbon budget has been established for the North Sea, a shelf sea on the NW European continental shelf. The carbon exchange fluxes with the North Atlantic Ocean dominate the gross carbon budget. The net carbon budget – more relevant to the issue of the contribution of the coastal ocean to the marine carbon cycle – is dominated by the carbon inputs from rivers, the Baltic Sea and the atmosphere. The North Sea acts as a sink for organic carbon and thus can be characterised as a heterotrophic system. The dominant carbon sink is the final export to the North Atlantic Ocean. More than 90% of the CO2 taken up from the atmosphere is exported to the North Atlantic Ocean making the North Sea a highly efficient continental shelf pump for carbon.

On the role of atmospheric feedbacks in sustaining the anomalous warmth of the MIS-11 interglacial

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Crow ◽  
Matthias Prange ◽  
Michael Schulz
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Greenland Ice Sheet ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Interglacial Period ◽  
Climate Modelling ◽  
Ice Dynamics ◽  
The North ◽  
Atmospheric Feedbacks ◽  
The North Atlantic

<p>Historical estimates of the melt rate and extent of the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) are poorly constrained, due both to incomplete understanding of relevant ice dynamics and the magnitude of forcing acting upon the ice sheet (e.g., Alley et al. 2010). Previous assessments of the Marine Isotope Stage 11 (MIS-11) interglacial period have determined it was likely one of the warmest and longest interglacial periods of the past 800 kyr, leading to melt of at least half the present-day volume of the Greenland ice sheet (Robinson et al. 2017). An enhanced Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) is commonly cited as sustaining the anomalous warmth across the North Atlantic and Greenland (e.g., Rachmayani et al. 2017), but little is known about potential atmospheric contributions. Paleorecords from this period are sparse, and detailed climate modelling studies of this period have been heretofore very limited. The climatic conditions over Greenland and the North Atlantic region, and how they may have contributed to the melt of the GrIS during MIS-11, are therefore not well understood. By utilizing climate simulations with the Community Earth System Model (CESM), our study indicates that changes in atmospheric eddy behavior, including eddy fluxes of heat and precipitation, made significant contributions to the negative mass balance conditions over the GrIS during the MIS-11 interglacial. Thus, accounting for the effects of atmospheric feedbacks in a warmer-than-present climate is a necessary component for future analyses attempting to better constrain the extent and rate of melt of the GrIS.</p>

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