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Reproducible climate reconstructions of the Common Era (1 CE to present) are key to placing industrial-era warming into the context of natural climatic variability. Here we present a community-sourced database of temperature-sensitive proxy records from the PAGES2k initiative. The database gathers 692 records from 648 locations, including all continental regions and major ocean basins. The records are from trees, ice, sediment, corals, speleothems, documentary evidence, and other archives. They range in length from 50 to 2000 years, with a median of 547 years, while temporal resolution ranges from biweekly to centennial. Nearly half of the proxy time series are significantly correlated with HadCRUT4.2 surface temperature over the period 1850-2014. Global temperature composites show a remarkable degree of coherence between high- and low-resolution archives, with broadly similar patterns across archive types, terrestrial versus marine locations, and screening criteria. The database is suited to investigations of global and regional temperature variability over the Common Era, and is shared in the Linked Paleo Data (LiPD) format, including serializations in Matlab, R and Python.

Reproducible climate reconstructions of the Common Era (1 CE to present) are key to placing industrial-era warming into the context of natural climatic variability. Here we present a community-sourced database of temperature-sensitive proxy records from the PAGES2k initiative. The database gathers 692 records from 648 locations, including all continental regions and major ocean basins. The records are from trees, ice, sediment, corals, speleothems, documentary evidence, and other archives. They range in length from 50 to 2000 years, with a median of 547 years, while temporal resolution ranges from biweekly to centennial. Nearly half of the proxy time series are significantly correlated with HadCRUT4.2 surface temperature over the period 1850-2014. Global temperature composites show a remarkable degree of coherence between high- and low-resolution archives, with broadly similar patterns across archive types, terrestrial versus marine locations, and screening criteria. The database is suited to investigations of global and regional temperature variability over the Common Era, and is shared in the Linked Paleo Data (LiPD) format, including serializations in Matlab, R and Python.

Delta and coastal regions play a key role in the global carbon cycle as the main repository of inputs of terrestrial organic matter, delivered by rivers to marine sediments. The Amur River system is one of the largest in Asia and supplies organic matter to the Sea of Okhotsk and the North Pacific Ocean. We measured lignin phenols (a proxy for terrestrial plant derived organic matter) and the branched and isoprenoidal tetraether (BIT) index (a proxy for riverborne soil organic matter), in soils and river bed sediments from the Amur River basin and surface sediments from the Sea of Okhotsk, to study the source, transport, and deposition of fluvial particulate organic matter to the ocean. Concentrations of lignin phenols are relatively high in sediments from the shallow continental shelf compared to that of the deep offshore basin. For the first time we report a spatial distribution of the BIT index which shows a similar pattern to that of lignin phenol concentrations, with relatively high values in the coastal sites. The highest values of both lignin concentrations and BIT values are observed in a site proximal to mouth of Amur River. These results indicate that terrestrial organic matter deposited in the Sea of Okhotsk mostly originates from soil organic matter supplied from Amur River. Spatial distributions of lignin phenols/TOC (LP/TOC) and the BIT index in the Sea of Okhotsk and comparison with S/V (a contribution index of angiosperm vs. gymnosperms) and C/V ratios (indicative of the relative contribution of non-woody tissue vs. woody tissue), between the Amur River basin and Okhotsk Sea samples, suggest that Amur River fluvial organic matter is supplied and deposited to the northwestern continental shelf. Furthermore, S/V values from our Amur River and Okhotsk Sea continental shelf sediment samples are consistent with the reported S/V ratio (0.32) of particulate organic matter in the North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW) layer (750 m depth). Hence, our study su

Delta and coastal regions play a key role in the global carbon cycle as the main repository of inputs of terrestrial organic matter, delivered by rivers to marine sediments. The Amur River system is one of the largest in Asia and supplies organic matter to the Sea of Okhotsk and the North Pacific Ocean. We measured lignin phenols (a proxy for terrestrial plant derived organic matter) and the branched and isoprenoidal tetraether (BIT) index (a proxy for riverborne soil organic matter), in soils and river bed sediments from the Amur River basin and surface sediments from the Sea of Okhotsk, to study the source, transport, and deposition of fluvial particulate organic matter to the ocean. Concentrations of lignin phenols are relatively high in sediments from the shallow continental shelf compared to that of the deep offshore basin. For the first time we report a spatial distribution of the BIT index which shows a similar pattern to that of lignin phenol concentrations, with relatively high values in the coastal sites. The highest values of both lignin concentrations and BIT values are observed in a site proximal to mouth of Amur River. These results indicate that terrestrial organic matter deposited in the Sea of Okhotsk mostly originates from soil organic matter supplied from Amur River. Spatial distributions of lignin phenols/TOC (LP/TOC) and the BIT index in the Sea of Okhotsk and comparison with S/V (a contribution index of angiosperm vs. gymnosperms) and C/V ratios (indicative of the relative contribution of non-woody tissue vs. woody tissue), between the Amur River basin and Okhotsk Sea samples, suggest that Amur River fluvial organic matter is supplied and deposited to the northwestern continental shelf. Furthermore, S/V values from our Amur River and Okhotsk Sea continental shelf sediment samples are consistent with the reported S/V ratio (0.32) of particulate organic matter in the North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW) layer (750 m depth). Hence, our study su

Microbial activity is a fundamental component of oceanic nutrient cycles. Photosynthetic microbes, collectively termed phytoplankton, are responsible for the vast majority of primary production in marine waters. The availability of nutrients in the upper ocean frequently limits the activity and abundance of these organisms. Experimental data have revealed two broad regimes of phytoplankton nutrient limitation in the modern upper ocean. Nitrogen availability tends to limit productivity throughout much of the surface low-latitude ocean, where the supply of nutrients from the subsurface is relatively slow. In contrast, iron often limits productivity where subsurface nutrient supply is enhanced, including within the main oceanic upwelling regions of the Southern Ocean and the eastern equatorial Pacific. Phosphorus, vitamins and micronutrients other than iron may also (co-)limit marine phytoplankton. The spatial patterns and importance of co-limitation, however, remain unclear. Variability in the stoichiometries of nutrient supply and biological demand are key determinants of oceanic nutrient limitation. Deciphering the mechanisms that underpin this variability, and the consequences for marine microbes, will be a challenge. But such knowledge will be crucial for accurately predicting the consequences of ongoing anthropogenic perturbations to oceanic nutrient biogeochemistry. © 2013 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

Microbial activity is a fundamental component of oceanic nutrient cycles. Photosynthetic microbes, collectively termed phytoplankton, are responsible for the vast majority of primary production in marine waters. The availability of nutrients in the upper ocean frequently limits the activity and abundance of these organisms. Experimental data have revealed two broad regimes of phytoplankton nutrient limitation in the modern upper ocean. Nitrogen availability tends to limit productivity throughout much of the surface low-latitude ocean, where the supply of nutrients from the subsurface is relatively slow. In contrast, iron often limits productivity where subsurface nutrient supply is enhanced, including within the main oceanic upwelling regions of the Southern Ocean and the eastern equatorial Pacific. Phosphorus, vitamins and micronutrients other than iron may also (co-)limit marine phytoplankton. The spatial patterns and importance of co-limitation, however, remain unclear. Variability in the stoichiometries of nutrient supply and biological demand are key determinants of oceanic nutrient limitation. Deciphering the mechanisms that underpin this variability, and the consequences for marine microbes, will be a challenge. But such knowledge will be crucial for accurately predicting the consequences of ongoing anthropogenic perturbations to oceanic nutrient biogeochemistry. © 2013 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

Microbial activity is a fundamental component of oceanic nutrient cycles. Photosynthetic microbes, collectively termed phytoplankton, are responsible for the vast majority of primary production in marine waters. The availability of nutrients in the upper ocean frequently limits the activity and abundance of these organisms. Experimental data have revealed two broad regimes of phytoplankton nutrient limitation in the modern upper ocean. Nitrogen availability tends to limit productivity throughout much of the surface low-latitude ocean, where the supply of nutrients from the subsurface is relatively slow. In contrast, iron often limits productivity where subsurface nutrient supply is enhanced, including within the main oceanic upwelling regions of the Southern Ocean and the eastern equatorial Pacific. Phosphorus, vitamins and micronutrients other than iron may also (co-)limit marine phytoplankton. The spatial patterns and importance of co-limitation, however, remain unclear. Variability in the stoichiometries of nutrient supply and biological demand are key determinants of oceanic nutrient limitation. Deciphering the mechanisms that underpin this variability, and the consequences for marine microbes, will be a challenge. But such knowledge will be crucial for accurately predicting the consequences of ongoing anthropogenic perturbations to oceanic nutrient biogeochemistry.

Microbial activity is a fundamental component of oceanic nutrient cycles. Photosynthetic microbes, collectively termed phytoplankton, are responsible for the vast majority of primary production in marine waters. The availability of nutrients in the upper ocean frequently limits the activity and abundance of these organisms. Experimental data have revealed two broad regimes of phytoplankton nutrient limitation in the modern upper ocean. Nitrogen availability tends to limit productivity throughout much of the surface low-latitude ocean, where the supply of nutrients from the subsurface is relatively slow. In contrast, iron often limits productivity where subsurface nutrient supply is enhanced, including within the main oceanic upwelling regions of the Southern Ocean and the eastern equatorial Pacific. Phosphorus, vitamins and micronutrients other than iron may also (co-)limit marine phytoplankton. The spatial patterns and importance of co-limitation, however, remain unclear. Variability in the stoichiometries of nutrient supply and biological demand are key determinants of oceanic nutrient limitation. Deciphering the mechanisms that underpin this variability, and the consequences for marine microbes, will be a challenge. But such knowledge will be crucial for accurately predicting the consequences of ongoing anthropogenic perturbations to oceanic nutrient biogeochemistry.

We estimated sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the western Okhotsk Sea during the last glacial maximum (LGM) and the last glacial termination from measurements of the alkenone unsaturation index (U-37(K')), the Tetra Ether indeX of tetraethers consisting of 86 carbon atoms (TEX86), and TEX86L in piston core sediments, which reveal the climate response of this region to different types of forcings. TEX86L is a modification of TEX86 proposed for high-latitude ocean regions. The TEX86L-derived temperatures were not different from the alkenone-derived temperatures from the same and nearby sediment samples. During the LGM, alkenone-derived temperatures in the Okhotsk Sea were relatively warm. These and similarly warm alkenone-derived temperatures found at many other sites in the western North Pacific may reflect a shift in the season of biomarker production from early summer and autumn to mid-summer during the LGM as a result of the expansion of the season of sea-ice cover. Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis of alkenone-derived temperatures at 14 sites from the North Pacific suggested substantial cooling between 20 and 14 cal kyr BP during the deglaciation at 11 of the sites (including 4 sites in the Okhotsk Sea). This dominant EOF mode suggests either an overall seasonal bias in alkenone-derived temperatures or potential shifts in the Haptophyseae production season. The second EOF mode of variability indicated a deglacial warming trend punctuated by millennial-scale cold events, associated with reorganizations of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. The SST pattern corresponding to this EOF mode is indicative of millennial-scale meridional shifts of the axis of the westerly jet, which may have affected heat transport across the Kuroshio. Reconstructed temperature changes, in particular in the Okhotsk Sea, provide insight into the conditions that modulated the ventilation history of intermediate waters in the North Pacific.

We estimated sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the western Okhotsk Sea during the last glacial maximum (LGM) and the last glacial termination from measurements of the alkenone unsaturation index (U-37(K')), the Tetra Ether indeX of tetraethers consisting of 86 carbon atoms (TEX86), and TEX86L in piston core sediments, which reveal the climate response of this region to different types of forcings. TEX86L is a modification of TEX86 proposed for high-latitude ocean regions. The TEX86L-derived temperatures were not different from the alkenone-derived temperatures from the same and nearby sediment samples. During the LGM, alkenone-derived temperatures in the Okhotsk Sea were relatively warm. These and similarly warm alkenone-derived temperatures found at many other sites in the western North Pacific may reflect a shift in the season of biomarker production from early summer and autumn to mid-summer during the LGM as a result of the expansion of the season of sea-ice cover. Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis of alkenone-derived temperatures at 14 sites from the North Pacific suggested substantial cooling between 20 and 14 cal kyr BP during the deglaciation at 11 of the sites (including 4 sites in the Okhotsk Sea). This dominant EOF mode suggests either an overall seasonal bias in alkenone-derived temperatures or potential shifts in the Haptophyseae production season. The second EOF mode of variability indicated a deglacial warming trend punctuated by millennial-scale cold events, associated with reorganizations of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. The SST pattern corresponding to this EOF mode is indicative of millennial-scale meridional shifts of the axis of the westerly jet, which may have affected heat transport across the Kuroshio. Reconstructed temperature changes, in particular in the Okhotsk Sea, provide insight into the conditions that modulated the ventilation history of intermediate waters in the North Pacific.

Higher resolution airborne and base-station magnetometers are now available, which, although giving more precise information, require compensation of the aircraft's magnetic field. The theory of and methodology for compensation was studied and compensation was achieved through a three-axis-coil system and permalloy chips. Data acquisition techniques for three methods of position fixing: photogrammetric, relative fix by doppler radar, and passive radiometric positioning, were developed. Developments in hardware and software for data inspection systems are reviewed; the present apparatus permits interactive inspection of magnetic tape data., Higher resolution airborne and base-station magnetometers are now available, which, although giving more precise information, require compensation of the aircraft's magnetic field. The theory of and methodology for compensation was studied and compensation was achieved through a three-axis-coil system and permalloy chips. Data acquisition techniques for three methods of position fixing: photogrammetric, relative fix by doppler radar, and passive radiometric positioning, were developed. Developments in hardware and software for data inspection systems are reviewed; the present apparatus permits interactive inspection of magnetic tape data.