Orbital and Atmospheric Forcing of Western Antarctic Peninsula Climate in the Holocene: The TEXsub86/sub Paleotemperature Record of Palmer Deep

Amelia E. Shevenell, A. E. Ingalls, E. W. Domack

Research output: Other contribution

Abstract

A detailed TEX 86 sea surface temperature record is presented from a well-dated hemipelagic sedimentary sequence drilled in Palmer Deep, on the western Antarctic Peninsula continental margin (ODP Hole 1098B; 1010 m). To test the regional utility of the TEX 86 proxy, surface sediment samples with paired CTD casts were acquired and results show the promise of TEX 86 in this region. Down core TEX 86 -derived temperatures at Site 1098 range between 0 and 6°C during the Holocene (0-12 ky). A long-term Holocene cooling of ~3°C is suggested and is punctuated by millennial scale temperature variability. The TEX 86 temperature record from Palmer Deep is consistent with temperature trends recorded in west Antarctic ice cores and southeast Pacific marine sediments. This observation is consistent with hypotheses that favor atmospheric (via the Southern Hemisphere westerly winds), not thermohaline, control over the hydrography of Palmer Deep.

Original languageAmerican English
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2007
Externally publishedYes

Disciplines

  • Life Sciences

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