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Tropical North Atlantic Sea Surface Temperature Reconstruction for the Last 800 Years Using Mg/Ca Ratios in Planktic Foraminifera

Abahazi, Matthew A.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1239392022

Abstract Details

2009, Master of Science, University of Akron, Geology.
Global warming is an important scientific and cultural problem for our time. As such, determining the historical sea surface temperatures is critical to our understanding of past, present and future climate change. In order to assess the patterns of prior climate change and establish reliable records upon which future predictions of climate change can be based, it is necessary to measure and calibrate climate change proxies. The samples used for this study come from a 56.5 cm box core retrieved in 1990 from 450 m depth in the Cariaco basin. Consecutive 1mm-thick samples were taken and processed for the planktic foraminifera species Globigerina bulloides for Mg/Ca analyses to estimate sea-surface temperature (SSTs) during the winter/spring upwelling season. The Mg/Ca values were obtained using an ICP-AES and later used in comparison with historical instrumental records to derive an equation to reconstruct sea-surface temperatures during the last 800 years. The record derived from this core indicates a high amount of variability in sea-surface temperatures over this 800 year interval. The Medieval Warm Period had considerable temperature variability that was previously not well-documented. Average sea-surface temperatures over this time period are 26.2°C with slight cooling toward the end of the period. The Little Ice Age is marked by the coldest temperatures of the Late Holocene record, averaging approximately 25.6°C. The coldest period within the LIA is coincident with the Maunder Minimum in the core record. Modern temperatures as recorded by instrumental records and from the proxies recovered from the core is increasing at rates greater than they have in the past 800 years represented in this sediment-core record. This study is one of the first of its kind to present a high-resolution, sea surface temperature record for the tropics. The proxy equation can be used in the region to further delineate climate variability in the Late Holocene.
Lindgren Chyi, PhD (Advisor)
108 p.
Geochemistry; Geology
Globigerina bulloides; Ciriaco Basin; Foraminifera; temperature calibration; climate change

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Abahazi, M. A. (2009). Tropical North Atlantic Sea Surface Temperature Reconstruction for the Last 800 Years Using Mg/Ca Ratios in Planktic Foraminifera [Master's thesis, University of Akron]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1239392022

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Abahazi, Matthew. Tropical North Atlantic Sea Surface Temperature Reconstruction for the Last 800 Years Using Mg/Ca Ratios in Planktic Foraminifera. 2009. University of Akron, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1239392022.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Abahazi, Matthew. "Tropical North Atlantic Sea Surface Temperature Reconstruction for the Last 800 Years Using Mg/Ca Ratios in Planktic Foraminifera." Master's thesis, University of Akron, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1239392022

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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© 2009, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Akron and OhioLINK.