Abrupt conclusion of the late Miocene-early Pliocene biogenic bloom at 4.6-4.4 Ma

B. – Th. Karatsolis (), B. C. Lougheed, D. De Vleeschouwer and J. Henderiks
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B. – Th. Karatsolis: Uppsala University
B. C. Lougheed: Uppsala University
D. De Vleeschouwer: University of Bremen
J. Henderiks: Uppsala University

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract The late Miocene-early Pliocene biogenic bloom was an extended time interval characterised by elevated ocean export productivity at numerous locations. As primary productivity is nutrient-limited at low-to-mid latitudes, this bloom has been attributed to an increase or a redistribution of available nutrients, potentially involving ocean-gateway or monsoon-related mechanisms. While the exact causal feedbacks remain debated, there is even less consensus on what caused the end of the biogenic bloom. Here, we compile Mio-Pliocene paleoproductivity proxy data from all major ocean basins to evaluate the timing and pacing of this termination. This systematic analysis reveals an abrupt and sustained reduction in low-latitude ocean productivity at 4.6–4.4 Ma. The decline in productivity coincided with a prolonged period of low orbital eccentricity and a shift towards lower-amplitude obliquity, an astronomical configuration linked to reduced East Asian Monsoon intensity and decreased riverine nutrient supply.

Date: 2022
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-021-27784-6

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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27784-6

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