Evidence for ice-free summers in the late Miocene central Arctic Ocean

Ruediger Stein (), Kirsten Fahl, Michael Schreck, Gregor Knorr, Frank Niessen, Matthias Forwick, Catalina Gebhardt, Laura Jensen, Michael Kaminski, Achim Kopf, Jens Matthiessen, Wilfried Jokat and Gerrit Lohmann
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Ruediger Stein: Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Kirsten Fahl: Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Michael Schreck: Arctic Research Centre, Korea Polar Research Institute
Gregor Knorr: Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Frank Niessen: Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Matthias Forwick: Institute of Geology, University of Tromsø—The Arctic University of Norway
Catalina Gebhardt: Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Laura Jensen: Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Michael Kaminski: College of Petroleum Engineering & Geosciences, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals
Achim Kopf: University of Bremen
Jens Matthiessen: Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Wilfried Jokat: Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Gerrit Lohmann: Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract Although the permanently to seasonally ice-covered Arctic Ocean is a unique and sensitive component in the Earth’s climate system, the knowledge of its long-term climate history remains very limited due to the restricted number of pre-Quaternary sedimentary records. During Polarstern Expedition PS87/2014, we discovered multiple submarine landslides along Lomonosov Ridge. Removal of younger sediments from steep headwalls has led to exhumation of Miocene sediments close to the seafloor. Here we document the presence of IP25 as a proxy for spring sea-ice cover and alkenone-based summer sea-surface temperatures >4 °C that support a seasonal sea-ice cover with an ice-free summer season being predominant during the late Miocene in the central Arctic Ocean. A comparison of our proxy data with Miocene climate simulations seems to favour either relatively high late Miocene atmospheric CO2 concentrations and/or a weak sensitivity of the model to simulate the magnitude of high-latitude warming in a warmer than modern climate.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11148

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