Reconciling Southern Ocean fronts equatorward migration with minor Antarctic ice volume change during Miocene cooling

Suning Hou; Lennert B. Stap; Ryan Paul; Mei Nelissen; Frida S. Hoem; Martin Ziegler; Appy Sluijs; Francesca Sangiorgi; Peter K. Bijl

doi:10.1038/s41467-023-43106-4

Reconciling Southern Ocean fronts equatorward migration with minor Antarctic ice volume change during Miocene cooling

Suning Hou^*, Lennert B. Stap, Ryan Paul, Mei Nelissen, Frida S. Hoem, Martin Ziegler, Appy Sluijs, Francesca Sangiorgi, Peter K. Bijl

^*Corresponding author for this work

Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research - NIOZ

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Gradual climate cooling and CO₂ decline in the Miocene were recently shown not to be associated with major ice volume expansion, challenging a fundamental paradigm in the functioning of the Antarctic cryosphere. Here, we explore Miocene ice-ocean-climate interactions by presenting a multi-proxy reconstruction of subtropical front migration, bottom water temperature and global ice volume change, using dinoflagellate cyst biogeography, benthic foraminiferal clumped isotopes from offshore Tasmania. We report an equatorward frontal migration and strengthening, concurrent with surface and deep ocean cooling but absence of ice volume change in the mid–late-Miocene. To reconcile these counterintuitive findings, we argue based on new ice sheet modelling that the Antarctic ice sheet progressively lowered in height while expanding seawards, to maintain a stable volume. This can be achieved with rigorous intervention in model precipitation regimes on Antarctica and ice-induced ocean cooling and requires rethinking the interactions between ice, ocean and climate.

Original language	English
Article number	7230
Journal	Nature Communications
Volume	14
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-43106-4
Publication status	Published - 9 Nov 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s).

Funding

We thank Mariska Hoorweg, Natasja Welters, Giovanni Dammers, Desmond Eefting and Arnold van Dijk of the GeoLab for laboratory assistance. We thank IODP and scientists of ODP Leg 189, and technicians at KCC in Kochi, Japan for the help with sampling. We are grateful to Tobias Agterhuis, Ilja Kocken and Elena Domínguez Valdés for insightful discussion regarding clumped isotopes. This research is funded by ERC Starting Grant 802835 to Peter K. Bijl. We thank Mariska Hoorweg, Natasja Welters, Giovanni Dammers, Desmond Eefting and Arnold van Dijk of the GeoLab for laboratory assistance. We thank IODP and scientists of ODP Leg 189, and technicians at KCC in Kochi, Japan for the help with sampling. We are grateful to Tobias Agterhuis, Ilja Kocken and Elena Domínguez Valdés for insightful discussion regarding clumped isotopes. This research is funded by ERC Starting Grant 802835 to Peter K. Bijl.

Funders	Funder number
IODP
Mariska Hoorweg
Natasja Welters
Kobe College Corporation
European Research Council	802835

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10.1038/s41467-023-43106-4

s41467-023-43106-4Final published version, 4.28 MBLicence: CC BY

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abstract = "Gradual climate cooling and CO2 decline in the Miocene were recently shown not to be associated with major ice volume expansion, challenging a fundamental paradigm in the functioning of the Antarctic cryosphere. Here, we explore Miocene ice-ocean-climate interactions by presenting a multi-proxy reconstruction of subtropical front migration, bottom water temperature and global ice volume change, using dinoflagellate cyst biogeography, benthic foraminiferal clumped isotopes from offshore Tasmania. We report an equatorward frontal migration and strengthening, concurrent with surface and deep ocean cooling but absence of ice volume change in the mid–late-Miocene. To reconcile these counterintuitive findings, we argue based on new ice sheet modelling that the Antarctic ice sheet progressively lowered in height while expanding seawards, to maintain a stable volume. This can be achieved with rigorous intervention in model precipitation regimes on Antarctica and ice-induced ocean cooling and requires rethinking the interactions between ice, ocean and climate.",

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AU - Ziegler, Martin

AU - Sluijs, Appy

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Reconciling Southern Ocean fronts equatorward migration with minor Antarctic ice volume change during Miocene cooling

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

UN SDGs

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