TY - JOUR
T1 - Evolution of the Late Miocene Mediterranean-Atlantic gateways and their impact on regional and global environmental change
AU - Flecker, Rachel
AU - Krijgsman, Wout
AU - Capella, Walter
AU - de Castro Martins, Cesar
AU - Dmitrieva, Evelina
AU - Mayser, Jan Peter
AU - Marzocchi, Alice
AU - Modestu, Sevasti
AU - Lozano, Diana Ochoa
AU - Simon, Dirk
AU - Tulbure, Maria
AU - van den Berg, Bas
AU - van der Schee, Marlies
AU - de Lange, Gert
AU - Ellam, Rob
AU - Govers, Rob
AU - Gutjahr, Marcus
AU - Hilgen, Frits
AU - Kouwenhoven, Tanja
AU - Lofi, Johanna
AU - Meijer, Paul
AU - Sierro, Francisco J.
AU - Bachiri, Naima
AU - Barhoun, Nadia
AU - Chakor Alami, Abdelwahid
AU - Chacon, Beatriz
AU - Flores, Jose A.
AU - Gregory, John
AU - Howard, James
AU - Lunt, Dan
AU - Ochoa, Maria
AU - Pancost, Rich
AU - Vincent, Stephen
AU - Yousfi, Mohamed Zakaria
PY - 2015/11
Y1 - 2015/11
N2 - Marine gateways play a critical role in the exchange of water, heat, salt and nutrients between oceans and seas. As a result, changes in gateway geometry can significantly alter both the pattern of global ocean circulation and associated heat transport and climate, as well as having a profound impact on local environmental conditions. Mediterranean-Atlantic marine corridors that pre-date the modern Gibraltar Strait, closed during the Late Miocene and are now exposed on land in northern Morocco and southern Spain. The restriction and closure of these Miocene connections resulted in extreme salinity fluctuations in the Mediterranean, leading to the precipitation of thick evaporites. This event is known as the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC). The evolution and closure of the Mediterranean-Atlantic gateways are a critical control on the MSC, but at present the location, geometry and age of these gateways is still highly controversial, as is the impact of changing Mediterranean outflow on Northern Hemisphere circulation. Here, we present a comprehensive overview of the evolution of the Late Miocene gateways and the nature of Mediterranean-Atlantic exchange as deduced from published studies focussed both on the sediments preserved within the fossil corridors and inferences that can be derived from data in the adjacent basins. We also consider the possible impact of evolving exchange on both the Mediterranean and global climate and highlight the main enduring challenges for reconstructing past Mediterranean-Atlantic exchange. 01/01/2050
AB - Marine gateways play a critical role in the exchange of water, heat, salt and nutrients between oceans and seas. As a result, changes in gateway geometry can significantly alter both the pattern of global ocean circulation and associated heat transport and climate, as well as having a profound impact on local environmental conditions. Mediterranean-Atlantic marine corridors that pre-date the modern Gibraltar Strait, closed during the Late Miocene and are now exposed on land in northern Morocco and southern Spain. The restriction and closure of these Miocene connections resulted in extreme salinity fluctuations in the Mediterranean, leading to the precipitation of thick evaporites. This event is known as the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC). The evolution and closure of the Mediterranean-Atlantic gateways are a critical control on the MSC, but at present the location, geometry and age of these gateways is still highly controversial, as is the impact of changing Mediterranean outflow on Northern Hemisphere circulation. Here, we present a comprehensive overview of the evolution of the Late Miocene gateways and the nature of Mediterranean-Atlantic exchange as deduced from published studies focussed both on the sediments preserved within the fossil corridors and inferences that can be derived from data in the adjacent basins. We also consider the possible impact of evolving exchange on both the Mediterranean and global climate and highlight the main enduring challenges for reconstructing past Mediterranean-Atlantic exchange. 01/01/2050
KW - Marine gateways
KW - Mediterranean
KW - Atlantic
KW - Climate
KW - Messinian Salinity Crisis
U2 - 10.1016/j.earscirev.2015.08.007
DO - 10.1016/j.earscirev.2015.08.007
M3 - Article
SN - 0012-8252
VL - 150
SP - 365
EP - 392
JO - Earth-Science Reviews
JF - Earth-Science Reviews
M1 - 2154
ER -