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Volcanic trigger of ocean deoxygenation during Cordilleran ice sheet retreat.
- Source :
-
Nature [Nature] 2022 Nov; Vol. 611 (7934), pp. 74-80. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Nov 02. - Publication Year :
- 2022
-
Abstract
- North Pacific deoxygenation events during the last deglaciation were sustained over millennia by high export productivity, but the triggering mechanisms and their links to deglacial warming remain uncertain <superscript>1-3</superscript> . Here we find that initial deoxygenation in the North Pacific immediately after the Cordilleran ice sheet (CIS) retreat <superscript>4</superscript> was associated with increased volcanic ash in seafloor sediments. Timing of volcanic inputs relative to CIS retreat suggests that regional explosive volcanism was initiated by ice unloading <superscript>5,6</superscript> . We posit that iron fertilization by volcanic ash <superscript>7-9</superscript> during CIS retreat fuelled ocean productivity in this otherwise iron-limited region, and tipped the marine system towards sustained deoxygenation. We also identify older deoxygenation events linked to CIS retreat over the past approximately 50,000 years (ref. <superscript>4</superscript> ). Our findings suggest that the apparent coupling between the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere and solid-Earth systems occurs on relatively short timescales and can act as an important driver for ocean biogeochemical change.<br /> (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1476-4687
- Volume :
- 611
- Issue :
- 7934
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Nature
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 36323809
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05267-y