1. Precession‐Driven Variations in the Indonesian Throughflow Thermocline and Its Implications on the Agulhas Leakage.
- Author
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Zhang, Peng, Xu, Jian, Holbourn, Ann, Kuhnt, Wolfgang, Pei, Renjie, Xiong, Zhifang, and Li, Tiegang
- Subjects
ATLANTIC meridional overturning circulation ,OCEAN temperature ,OCEAN circulation ,SEAWATER salinity ,OCEAN ,MERIDIONAL overturning circulation - Abstract
The Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) thermocline, as exclusive water source for the "warm water route" of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), provides waters that exit the Indian Ocean and join the AMOC upper limb via the Agulhas Leakage (AL). Hence, investigating long‐term variations in the ITF thermocline and its implications on the AL is important for understanding dynamics of the AMOC. Here, the thermohaline history of the ITF thermocline was reconstructed for the last ∼410 kyr based on δ18O and Mg/Ca of planktonic foraminifera from International Ocean Discovery Program Site U1483. By integrating the new and published records, we found that precession drives variation of the ITF thermocline through modulating the intensity of the Australian‐Indonesian winter monsoon, El Niño‐Southern Oscillation‐like states and formation of the North Pacific Tropical Water, in turn exerting a transoceanic influence on the amount of the AL and seawater temperature and salinity of the South Atlantic thermocline. Plain Language Summary: It is widely acknowledged that the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF), a key component of the global thermohaline circulation, plays an important role in the global climate and ocean circulation. However, in contrast to concentrating on the factors that shaped the ITF in the geological history, few studies considered the ITF as a factor to influence climate and ocean circulation, especially on long timescales. In this study, we utilized shell δ18O and Mg/Ca of a planktonic foraminiferal thermocline‐dwelling species from the Timor Sea, the main outflow passage of the ITF, to reconstruct the temperature and salinity changes of the ITF thermocline during the past ∼410 kyr. By integrating the new and published paleo‐oceanographic and ‐climatological records, we found that the ∼20‐kyr wobbles of the Earth's axis (precession) induced variations in the flow strength and seawater temperature and salinity of the ITF thermocline, and in turn regulated the amount of the Agulhas Leakage and seawater temperature and salinity of the South Atlantic thermocline. Our results underscore the essential role of the ITF in the connectivity among the oceans. Key Points: Precession drove variations in the ITF thermocline by modulating the intensity of the Australian‐Indonesian winter monsoon, ENSO‐like states and formation of the North Pacific Tropical WaterVariations in the ITF thermocline regulated the amount of AL and seawater temperature and salinity of South Atlantic thermocline [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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