Work

A Marine Barite Perspective of the Late Miocene Biogenic Bloom in the Equatorial Indian Ocean and Equatorial Western Atlantic Ocean

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: The marine biological pump is crucial for removing excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to the ocean interior and seafloor sediments. The Late Miocene Biogenic Bloom (LMBB), marked by notable increases in biogenic components in marine sediments, provides insights into the response of the biological pump to climate change. However, understanding the timing, distribution, and cause of the LMBB remains limited. We use marine barite, a refractory mineral precipitating from the water column associated with carbon export, and other proxies to reconstruct productivity in the equatorial Indian Ocean and equatorial western Atlantic between 12 and 5 Ma. Multi‐proxy records reveal the onset of the LMBB in the equatorial Indian Ocean at ∼9 Ma, primarily driven by more vigorous upwelling during global cooling. We suggest that the steepened meridional temperature gradient and the Antarctic ice sheet expansion have strengthened ocean overturning, facilitating nutrient supply and biogenic bloom in upwelling regions.

Source: Geophysical Research Letters

DOI: 10.1029/2024gl111748

Authors: Xinying Wu, Yue Hu, Jingbo Nan, Weiqi Yao

Institutions: Southern University of Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology

Language: English

Topic: Geology and Paleoclimatology Research

Subfield: Atmospheric Science

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Life below water, Climate action

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,900