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231Pa/230Th evidence for a weakened but persistent Atlantic meridional overturning circulation during Heinrich Stadial 1

Author

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  • Louisa I. Bradtmiller

    (Macalester College
    Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

  • Jerry F. McManus

    (Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University
    Columbia University)

  • Laura F. Robinson

    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
    Present address: School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Queen’s Road, Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK)

Abstract

The strength of Atlantic meridional overturning circulation is believed to affect the climate over glacial-interglacial and millennial timescales. The marine sedimentary 231Pa/230Th ratio is a promising paleocirculation proxy, but local particle effects may bias individual reconstructions. Here we present new Atlantic sedimentary 231Pa/230Th data from the Holocene, the last glacial maximum and Heinrich Stadial 1, a period of abrupt cooling ca. 17,500 years ago. We combine our results with published data from these intervals to create a spatially distributed sedimentary 231Pa/230Th database. The data reveal a net 231Pa deficit during each period, consistent with persistent 231Pa export. In highly resolved cores, Heinrich 231Pa/230Th ratios exceed glacial ratios at nearly all depths, indicating a significant reduction, although not cessation, of overturning during Heinrich Stadial 1. These results support the inference that weakened overturning was a driver of Heinrich cooling, while suggesting that abrupt climate oscillations do not necessarily require a complete shutdown of overturning.

Suggested Citation

  • Louisa I. Bradtmiller & Jerry F. McManus & Laura F. Robinson, 2014. "231Pa/230Th evidence for a weakened but persistent Atlantic meridional overturning circulation during Heinrich Stadial 1," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 5(1), pages 1-8, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:5:y:2014:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms6817
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms6817
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    Cited by:

    1. Heather M. Stoll & Isabel Cacho & Edward Gasson & Jakub Sliwinski & Oliver Kost & Ana Moreno & Miguel Iglesias & Judit Torner & Carlos Perez-Mejias & Negar Haghipour & Hai Cheng & R. Lawrence Edwards, 2022. "Rapid northern hemisphere ice sheet melting during the penultimate deglaciation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-16, December.

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