Depth fluctuations of mediterranean outflow water along its northward propagation during the late pleistocene

Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW) critically influences the Atlantic Meridional OverturningCirculation, yet its northward transport dynamics along the Iberian Margin remain unclear. Using terrigenousgrain‐size sortable silt and benthic foraminiferal carbon isotopes from two depth‐strategic sites (U1389:644 m vs. U1588: 1,339 m), we constrain MOW's northward depth fluctuations over the last 250 kyr. Resultsshow that MOW progressively deepened from ∼100 to 60 ka, then stabilized—synchronized with theprevalence of millennial‐scale climate variability. During interglacials, MOW directly influenced U1588,while deepened below this site during glacials. Flow speed gradients between Sites U1389 and U1588 showpronounced precession cycles. At precession maxima—Northern Hemisphere summer insolation minima—when flow intensified, MOW underwent enhanced mixing and dilution during northward transport. Thisresults from increased density contrasts between MOW and ambient waters, indicating deeper MOWpenetration. We demonstrate precessional forcing on both the strength and depth of MOW's northward propagation.

Palavras-chave

End-member modeling Iberian margin IODP expedition 397 Mediterranean outflow water Precession Sortable silt

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/28611

Editora

Wiley

DOI

10.1029/2025gl116967

Coleções

CCM2-Artigos (em revistas ou actas indexadas)

Licença CC

cclicense-by-nc

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