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Published December 2, 2005 | public
Journal Article

Radiocarbon Variability in the Western North Atlantic During the Last Deglaciation

Abstract

We present a detailed history of glacial to Holocene radiocarbon in the deep western North Atlantic from deep-sea corals and paired benthic-planktonic foraminifera. The deglaciation is marked by switches between radiocarbon-enriched and -depleted waters, leading to large radiocarbon gradients in the water column. These changes played an important role in modulating atmospheric radiocarbon. The deep-ocean record supports the notion of a bipolar seesaw with increased Northern-source deep-water formation linked to Northern Hemisphere warming and the reverse. In contrast, the more frequent radiocarbon variations in the intermediate/deep ocean are associated with roughly synchronous changes at the poles.

Additional Information

© 2005 American Association for the Advancement of Science. Received for publication 13 May 2005; accepted 24 October 2005. Published online 3 November 2005. We acknowledge the Comer Foundation for Abrupt Climate Change, the Henry Luce Foundation, the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund, and NSF grant numbers OCE-0096373 and OCE-0095331. We also thank all members of the cruise AT7-35 to the New England Seamounts.

Additional details

Created:
August 19, 2023
Modified:
October 18, 2023