Multi-proxy Calibration along the NW Iberian margin: Improving paleoceanographic reconstructions (CALIBERIA)

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The climate of the Common Era off the Iberian Peninsula

Publication . Abrantes, Fatima; Rodrigues, Teresa; Rufino, Marta; Salgueiro, Emilia; Oliveira, Dulce; Gomes, Sandra; Oliveira, Paulo; Costa, Ana; Mil-Homens, Mario; Drago, Teresa; Naughton, Filipa

The Mediterranean region is a climate hot spot, sensitive not only to global warming but also to water availability. In this work we document major temperature and precipitation changes in the Iberian Peninsula and margin during the last 2000 years and propose an interplay of the North Atlantic internal variability with the three atmospheric circulation modes (ACMs), (North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), east atlantic (EA) and Scandinavia (SCAND)) to explain the detected climate variability. We present reconstructions of sea surface temperature (SST derived from alkenones) and on-land precipitation (estimated from higher plant n-alkanes and pollen data) in sedimentary sequences recovered along the Iberian Margin between the south of Portugal (Algarve) and the northwest of Spain (Galiza) (36 to 42 degrees N). A clear long-term cooling trend, from 0 CE to the beginning of the 20th century, emerges in all SST records and is considered to be a reflection of the decrease in the Northern Hemisphere summer insolation that began after the Holocene optimum. Multi-decadal/centennial SST variability follows other records from Spain, Europe and the Northern Hemisphere. Warm SSTs throughout the first 1300 years encompass the Roman period (RP), the Dark Ages (DA) and the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA). A cooling initiated at 1300 CE leads to 4 centuries of colder SSTs contemporary with the Little Ice Age (LIA), while a climate warming at 1800 CE marks the beginning of the modern/Industrial Era. Novel results include two distinct phases in the MCA: an early period (900-1100 years) characterized by intense precipitation/flooding and warm winters but a cooler spring-fall season attributed to the interplay of internal oceanic variability with a positive phase in the three modes of atmospheric circulation (NAO, EA and SCAND). The late MCA is marked by cooler and relatively drier winters and a warmer spring-fall season consistent with a shift to a negative mode of the SCAND. The Industrial Era reveals a clear difference between the NW Iberia and the Algarve records. While off NW Iberia variability is low, the Algarve shows large-amplitude decadal variability with an inverse relationship between SST and river input. Such conditions suggest a shift in the EA mode, from negative between 1900 and 1970 CE to positive after 1970, while NAO and SCAND remain in a positive phase. The particularly noticeable rise in SST at the Algarve site by the mid-20th century (+/- 1970), provides evidence for a regional response to the ongoing climate warming. The reported findings have implications for decadal-scale predictions of future climate change in the Iberian Peninsula.

2017-12Journal article

Open Access

Particle fluxes in the NW Iberian coastal upwelling system: Hydrodynamical and biological control

Publication . Zuniga, D.; Villacieros-Robineau, N.; Salgueiro, Emilia; Alonso-Perez, F.; Roson, G.; Abrantes, Fatima; Castro, C. G.

To better understand sources and transport of particulate material in the NW Iberian coastal upwelling system, a mooring line dotted with an automated PPS 4/3 sediment trap was deployed off Cape Silleiro at the base of the photic zone. The samples were collected from November 2008 through June 2012 over sampling periods of 4-12 days.Our study represents the first automated sediment trap database for the NW Iberian margin. The magnitude and composition of the settling material showed strong seasonal variability with the highest fluxes during the poleward and winter mixing periods (averages of 12.9 +/- 9.6 g m(-2) d(-1) and 5.6 +/- 5.6 g m(-2) d(-1) respectively), and comparatively lower fluxes (3.6 +/- 4.1 gm(-2) d(-1)) for the upwelling season. Intensive deposition events registered during poleward and winter mixing periods were dominated by the lithogenic fraction (80 +/- 3%). They were associated to high energy wave-driven re suspension processes, due to the occurrence of south-westerly storms, and intense riverine inputs of terrestrial material from Minho and Douro rivers.On the other hand, during the spring- summer upwelling season, the share of biogenic compounds (organic matter, calcium carbonate (CaCO3), biogenic silica (bSiO2)) to downward fluxes was higher, reflecting an increase in pelagic sedimentation due to the seasonal intensification of primary production and negligible river inputs and wave-driven resuspended material. Otherwise, the large variations of biogenic settling particles were mainly modulated by upwelling intensity, which by means of upwelling filaments ultimately controlled the offshore transport of the organic carbon fixed by primary producers towards the adjacent ocean. Based on the average downward flux of organic carbon (212 mg C m(-2) d(-1)) and considering an average primary production of 1013 mg C m(-2) d(-1) from literature, we estimated that about 21% of the fixed carbon is vertically exported during the upwelling season. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

2016-07Journal article

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delta O-18 and Mg/Ca thermometry in planktonic foraminifera: a multiproxy approach toward tracing oastal upwelling dynamics

Publication . Salgueiro, Emilia; H L Voelker, Antje; Martin, P. A.; Rodrigues, Teresa; Zuniga, D.; Frojan, M.; de la Granda, F.; Villacieros-Robineau, N.; Alonso-Perez, F.; Alberto, A.; Rebotim, A.; Gonzalez-Alvarez, R.; Castro, C. G.; Abrantes, Fatima

Planktonic foraminifera delta O-18 and Mg/Ca ratios are widely considered as a powerful proxy to reconstruct past seawater-column temperature. Due to the complex interpretation of planktonic foraminifera delta O-18 data in regard to past seawater temperatures, temperature determination based on the foraminifera shell Mg/Ca ratio is believed to be more accurate. Scarce Mg/Ca calibration data exists for coastal upwelling regions, resulting in incoherent results of past seawater reconstructions. The current study along the NW Iberia coastal upwelling system intends to define the best Mg/Ca temperature equation for the most representative species of this region (Neogloboquadrina incompta, Globigerina bulloides, and Globorotalia inflata). Seawater temperature from delta O-18 and Mg/Ca of these three planktonic foraminifera species was compared with the surface sediments alkenone derived SST and with the in situ temperatures measured at the depths where these foraminifera species currently live and calcify. The equations that better reflect each species calcification depth were selected as our regional equations for delta O-18 and Mg/Ca temperature reconstructions. The delta O-18-estimated temperatures for surface sediment specimens were comparable with in situ seawater-column temperature measurements, whereas the Mg/Ca derived temperatures seem to underestimate in situ values, in special for G. bulloides from samples affected by stronger coastal upwelling. The G. bulloides delta O-18 and Mg/Ca estimated temperatures from samples located offshore, further from coastal upwelling influence, are comparable to surface sediment alkenone derived temperatures. Our study shows that in upwelling areas, regional calibration of planktonic foraminifera Mg/Ca temperature equations is necessary for reliable interpretations of high-resolution past temperature variability in these important environments.

2020-02Journal article

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Spatial and temporal variability in coccolithophore abundance and distribution in the NW Iberian coastal upwelling system

Publication . Ausin, Blanca; Zuniga, Diana; Flores, Jose A.; Cavaleiro, Catarina; Frojan, Maria; Villacieros-Robineau, Nicolas; Alonso-Perez, Fernando; Arbones, Belen; Santos, Celia; de la Granda, Francisco; Castro, Carmen G.; Abrantes, Fatima; Eglinton, Timothy I.; Salgueiro, Emilia

A systematic investigation of the spatial and temporal variability in coccolithophore abundance and distribution through the water column of the NW Iberian coastal up-welling system was performed. From July 2011 to June 2012, monthly sampling at various water depths was conducted at two parallel stations located at 42 degrees N. Total coccosphere abundance was higher at the outer-shelf station, where warmer, nutrient-depleted waters favoured coccolithophore rather than phytoplanktonic diatom blooms, which are known to dominate the inner-shelf location. In seasonal terms, higher coccosphere and coccolith abundances were registered at both stations during upwelling seasons, coinciding with high irradiance levels. This was typically in conjunction with stratified, nutrient-poor conditions (i.e. relaxing upwelling conditions). However, it also occurred during some upwelling events of colder, nutrient-rich subsurface waters onto the continental shelf. Minimum abundances were generally found during downwelling periods, with unexpectedly high coccolith abundance registered in subsurface waters at the inner-shelf station. This finding can only be explained if strong storms during these downwelling periods favoured resuspension processes, thus remobilizing deposited coccoliths from surface sediments, and hence hampering the identification of autochthonous coccolithophore community structure. At both locations, the major coccolithophore assemblages were dominated by Emiliania huxleyi, small Gephyrocapsa group, Gephyrocapsa oceanica, Florisphaera profunda, Syracosphaera spp., Coronosphaera mediterranea, and Calcidiscus leptoporus. Ecological preferences of the different taxa were assessed by exploring the relationships between environmental conditions and temporal and vertical variability in coccosphere abundance. These findings provide relevant information for the use of fossil coccolith assemblages in marine sediment records, in order to infer past environmental conditions, of particular importance for Paleoceanography. Both E. huxleyi and the small Gephyrocapsa group are proposed as proxies for the upwelling regime with a distinct affinity for different stages of the upwelling event: E. huxleyi was associated with warmer, nutrient-poor and more stable water column (i.e. upwelling relaxation stage) while the small Gephyrocapsa group was linked to colder waters and higher nutrient availability (i.e. early stages of the upwelling event), similarly to G. oceanica. Conversely, F. profunda is suggested as a proxy for the downwelling regime and low-productivity conditions. The assemblage composed by Syracosphaera pulchra, Coronosphaera mediterranea, and Rhabdosphaera clavigera may be a useful indicator of the presence of subtropical waters conveyed northward by the Iberian Poleward Current. Finally, C. leptoporus is proposed as an indicator of warmer, saltier, and oligotrophic waters during the downwelling/winter regime.

2018-01Journal article

Open Access