Investigating North Atlantic Deep-Water Ventilation Changes: Preliminary Results from IODP Expedition 397 Hole U1586A

Although valuable information of North Atlantic circulation paleo-reconstructions by the measurement of oxygen isotopes of benthic and planktonic foraminifera exists, it is still not well-understood how deep-water currents changed over the last ~800,000 years. Moreover, recent studies have shown that some species of microfossils can adapt to low oxygen concentrations, which consequently can impact the reliability of the paleo-reconstructions that are based on these fossils. Marine sediments off the Portuguese Margin have been shown to play a pivotal role in paleoclimate research, and studies have suggested that climate shifts at Mediterranean latitudes are interconnected to changes in deep-water circulation patterns. Changes in bottom-water oxygenation (ventilation) can provide information about changes in deep-water circulation patterns, which can be measured by the enrichment versus depletion of redox-sensitive trace metals. Here we provide the results of a low-resolution geochemical analysis of redox-sensitive trace metals (for example, molybdenum (Mo), vanadium (V), and uranium (U)) to investigate deep-water ventilation changes in the North Atlantic over the last ~800,000 years at Hole U1586A drilled during IODP Expedition 397. Sediment samples underwent a multi-acid digestion technique and were analyzed via an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) for redox-sensitive trace metals. Additionally, sequential iron (Fe) extractions were carried out to differentiate between labile versus mineral Fe phases. Preliminary results suggest minor changes in deep-water ventilation that correspond to glacial-interglacial cycles since the mid-Pleistocene. Future work will involve high-resolution geochemical analyses to better understand the interconnection of deep-water circulation and climate change.