Land–sea coupling of early Pleistocene glacial cycles in the southern North Sea exhibit dominant Northern Hemisphere forcing

Abstract. We assess the disputed phase relations between forcing and climatic response in the early Pleistocene with a spliced Gelasian ( ∼2.6 –1.8 Ma) multi-proxy record from the southern North Sea basin. The cored sections couple climate evolution on both land and sea during the intensification of Northern Hemisphere glaciation (NHG) in NW Europe, providing the first well-constrained stratigraphic sequence of the classic terrestrial Praetiglian stage. Terrestrial signals were derived from the Eridanos paleoriver, a major fluvial system that contributed a large amount of freshwater to the northeast Atlantic. Due to its latitudinal position, the Eridanos catchment was likely affected by early Pleistocene NHG, leading to intermittent shutdown and reactivation of river flow and sediment transport. Here we apply organic geochemistry, palynology, carbonate isotope geochemistry, and seismostratigraphy to document both vegetation changes in the Eridanos catchment and regional surface water conditions and relate them to early Pleistocene glacial–interglacial cycles and relative sea level changes. Paleomagnetic and palynological data provide a solid integrated timeframe that ties the obliquity cycles, expressed in the borehole geophysical logs, to Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 103 to 92, independently confirmed by a local benthic oxygen isotope record. Marine and terrestrial palynological and organic geochemical records provide high-resolution reconstructions of relative terrestrial and sea surface temperature (TT and SST), vegetation, relative sea level, and coastal influence. During the prominent cold stages MIS 98 and 96, as well as 94, the record indicates increased non-arboreal vegetation, low SST and TT, and low relative sea level. During the warm stages MIS 99, 97, and 95 we infer increased stratification of the water column together with a higher percentage of arboreal vegetation, high SST, and relative sea level maxima. The early Pleistocene distinct warm–cold alterations are synchronous between land and sea, but lead the relative sea level change by 3000–8000 years. The record provides evidence for a dominantly Northern Hemisphere-driven cooling that leads the glacial buildup and varies on the obliquity timescale. Southward migration of Arctic surface water masses during glacials, indicated by cool-water dinoflagellate cyst assemblages, is furthermore relevant for the discussion on the relation between the intensity of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation and ice sheet growth.

[1]  G. Versteegh,et al.  Species-specific sensitivity of dinoflagellate cysts to aerobic degradation: A five-year natural exposure experiment , 2017 .

[2]  M. Head,et al.  Dinoflagellate cyst paleoecology during the Pliocene-Pleistocene climatic transition in the North Atlantic , 2017 .

[3]  P. c. Tzedakis,et al.  A simple rule to determine which insolation cycles lead to interglacials , 2017, Nature.

[4]  S. Luthi,et al.  Report on ICDP workshop CONOSC (COring the NOrth Sea Cenozoic) , 2016 .

[5]  J. Damsté,et al.  Spatial heterogeneity of sources of branched tetraethers in shelf systems : The geochemistry of tetraethers in the Berau River delta (Kalimantan, Indonesia) , 2016 .

[6]  M. Raymo,et al.  An early Pleistocene Mg/Ca‐δ18O record from the Gulf of Mexico: Evaluating ice sheet size and pacing in the 41‐kyr world , 2016 .

[7]  Stefan Schouten,et al.  The effect of improved chromatography on GDGT-based palaeoproxies , 2016 .

[8]  M. Head,et al.  Increased seasonality during the intensification of Northern Hemisphere glaciation at the Pliocene–Pleistocene boundary ∼2.6 Ma , 2015 .

[9]  L. Lourens,et al.  Stable isotope stratigraphy of the early Quaternary of borehole Noordwijk, southern North Sea , 2015 .

[10]  C. Moy,et al.  A laboratory experiment on the behaviour of soil-derived core and intact polar GDGTs in aquatic environments , 2015 .

[11]  A. Rosell‐Melé,et al.  The emergence of modern sea ice cover in the Arctic Ocean , 2014, Nature Communications.

[12]  R. McKay,et al.  Orbital forcing of the East Antarctic ice sheet during the Pliocene and Early Pleistocene , 2014 .

[13]  Stefan Schouten,et al.  Occurrence and abundance of 6-methyl branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers in soils : Implications for palaeoclimate reconstruction , 2014 .

[14]  C. Gaedicke,et al.  Late Cenozoic sedimentary evolution of the German North Sea – A seismic stratigraphic approach , 2014 .

[15]  D. Greenwood,et al.  Late Eocene to middle Miocene (33 to 13 million years ago) vegetation and climate development on the North American Atlantic Coastal Plain (IODP Expedition 313, Site M0027) , 2014 .

[16]  D. Persico,et al.  Characterising the middle Miocene Mi-events in the Eastern North Atlantic realm: a first high-resolution marine palynological record from the Porcupine Basin , 2014 .

[17]  G. Bruin,et al.  First Steps Toward Maturing the Shallow Gas Play - Results of an Integrated Exploration Workflow , 2014 .

[18]  E. Hopmans,et al.  In situ produced branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers in suspended particulate matter from the Yenisei River, Eastern Siberia , 2014 .

[19]  B. Naafs,et al.  Northern Hemisphere Glaciation during the Globally Warm Early Late Pliocene , 2013, PloS one.

[20]  R. Stein,et al.  Millennial-scale ice rafting events and Hudson Strait Heinrich(-like) Events during the late Pliocene and Pleistocene: a review , 2013 .

[21]  B. Boer,et al.  A continuous simulation of global ice volume over the past 1 million years with 3-D ice-sheet models , 2013, Climate Dynamics.

[22]  G. Ramstein,et al.  Mid-pliocene Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation not unlike modern , 2013 .

[23]  D. Pollard,et al.  Mending Milankovitch's theory: obliquity amplification by surface feedbacks , 2013 .

[24]  J. Brigham‐Grette,et al.  Pliocene Warmth, Polar Amplification, and Stepped Pleistocene Cooling Recorded in NE Arctic Russia , 2013, Science.

[25]  J. Matthiessen,et al.  Response of marine palynomorphs to Neogene climate cooling in the Iceland Sea (ODP Hole 907A) , 2013 .

[26]  A. Vernal,et al.  Atlas of modern dinoflagellate cyst distribution based on 2405 data points , 2013 .

[27]  M. Bonnet,et al.  Disentangling the origins of branched tetraether lipids and crenarchaeol in the lower Amazon River: Implications for GDGT‐based proxies , 2013 .

[28]  R. B. Jackson,et al.  Revised calibration of the MBT-CBT paleotemperature proxy , 2012 .

[29]  G. Haug,et al.  Strengthening of North American dust sources during the late Pliocene (2.7 Ma) , 2012 .

[30]  P. Huybers.  Combined obliquity and precession pacing of late Pleistocene deglaciations , 2011, Nature.

[31]  B. Hönisch,et al.  Atmospheric CO2 decline during the Pliocene intensification of Northern Hemisphere glaciations , 2011 .

[32]  S. Piasecki,et al.  Miocene climate evolution of northern Europe: A palynological investigation from Denmark , 2011 .

[33]  J. Matthiessen,et al.  Deciphering the palaeoecology of Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene dinoflagellate cysts , 2011 .

[34]  R. DeConto,et al.  Late Pliocene to Pleistocene sensitivity of the Greenland Ice Sheet in response to external forcing and internal feedbacks , 2011 .

[35]  K. Lawrence,et al.  North Atlantic climate evolution through the Plio-Pleistocene climate transitions , 2010 .

[36]  A. Ravelo.  Palaeoclimate: Warmth and glaciation , 2010 .

[37]  G. Haug,et al.  Late Pliocene changes in the North Atlantic Current , 2010 .

[38]  R. Schneider,et al.  Intensification of the Walker and Hadley atmospheric circulations during the Pliocene-Pleistocene climate transition , 2010 .

[39]  C. Brierley,et al.  Relative importance of meridional and zonal sea surface temperature gradients for the onset of the ice ages and Pliocene-Pleistocene climate evolution , 2010 .

[40]  A. Mackensen,et al.  Alkenone and boron based Pliocene pCO2 records , 2010 .

[41]  Stefan Schouten,et al.  Effects of long term oxic degradation on the U37K′, TEX86 and BIT organic proxies , 2009 .

[42]  K. Zonneveld,et al.  Environmental significance of dinoflagellate cysts from the proximal part of the Po-river discharge plume (off southern Italy, Eastern Mediterranean) , 2009 .

[43]  Ö. Gustafsson,et al.  Calibrating n-alkane Sphagnum proxies in sub-Arctic Scandinavia , 2009 .

[44]  Y. Rosenthal,et al.  Deep-Sea Temperature and Ice Volume Changes Across the Pliocene-Pleistocene Climate Transitions , 2009, Science.

[45]  D. Kristensen,et al.  Constraints on the application of the MBT/CBT palaeothermometer at high latitude environments (Svalbard, Norway). , 2009 .

[46]  R. Pancost,et al.  Strong climate coupling of terrestrial and marine environments in the Miocene of northwest Europe , 2009 .

[47]  P. Raia,et al.  Diversity and turnover of Plio-Pleistocene large mammal fauna from the Italian Peninsula , 2008 .

[48]  G. Kuhlmann,et al.  Pliocene paleoenvironment evolution as interpreted from 3D-seismic data in the southern North Sea, Dutch offshore sector , 2008 .

[49]  B. Dale,et al.  Dinoflagellate cysts in Upper Quaternary sediments from southwestern Norway and potential correlations with the oceanic record , 2008 .

[50]  A. Lotter,et al.  Late Neogene continental stages in NW Europe revisited , 2007 .

[51]  W. Westerhoff,et al.  Remarks on the palynology-based chronostratigraphical subdivision of Pliocene terrestrial deposits in NW-Europe , 2007 .

[52]  Stefan Schouten,et al.  Environmental controls on bacterial tetraether membrane lipid distribution in soils , 2007 .

[53]  E. Pendall,et al.  Paleohydrologic reconstruction based on n-alkane distributions in ombrotrophic peat , 2006 .

[54]  C. Langereis,et al.  Chronostratigraphy of Late Neogene sediments in the southern North Sea Basin and paleoenvironmental interpretations , 2006 .

[55]  D. Thompson,et al.  An improved method to determine the absolute abundance of glycerol dibiphytanyl glycerol tetraether lipids , 2006 .

[56]  Kerim H. Nisancioglu,et al.  Plio-Pleistocene Ice Volume, Antarctic Climate, and the Global δ18O Record , 2006, Science.

[57]  R. Samworth,et al.  Neogene overflow of Northern Component Water at the Greenland‐Scotland Ridge , 2006 .

[58]  R.J.W. van Leeuwen,et al.  Integrated chronostratigraphy of the Pliocene-Pleistocene interval and its relation to the regional stratigraphical stages in the southern North Sea region , 2006, Netherlands Journal of Geosciences - Geologie en Mijnbouw.

[59]  R. Verreussel,et al.  The Early Pleistocene Praetiglian and Ludhamian pollen stages in the North Sea Basin and their relationship to the marine isotope record , 2006 .

[60]  M. Mudelsee,et al.  Slow dynamics of the Northern Hemisphere glaciation , 2005 .

[61]  D. Garbe‐Schönberg,et al.  Final closure of Panama and the onset of northern hemisphere glaciation , 2005 .

[62]  H. Brinkhuis,et al.  Organic-walled dinoflagellate cysts as paleoenvironmental indicators in the Paleogene; a synopsis of concepts , 2005 .

[63]  M. Raymo,et al.  A Pliocene‐Pleistocene stack of 57 globally distributed benthic δ18O records , 2005 .

[64]  G. Haug,et al.  North Pacific seasonality and the glaciation of North America 2.7 million years ago , 2005, Nature.

[65]  R. Benner,et al.  What happens to terrestrial organic matter in the ocean , 2004 .

[66]  R. Pedersen,et al.  Provenance of Pliocene sediments and paleoenvironmental changes in the southern North Sea region using Samarium Neodymium (Sm/Nd) provenance ages and clay mineralogy , 2004 .

[67]  Stefan Schouten,et al.  A novel proxy for terrestrial organic matter in sediments based on branched and isoprenoid tetraether lipids , 2004 .

[68]  M. Wara,et al.  Regional climate shifts caused by gradual global cooling in the Pliocene epoch , 2004, Nature.

[69]  F. Sangiorgi,et al.  Reconstructing 150 years of eutrophication in the north-western Adriatic Sea (Italy) using dinoflagellate cysts, pollen and spores , 2004 .

[70]  R. A. Chadwick,et al.  Palynological and foraminiferal biostratigraphy of (Upper Pliocene) Nordland Group mudstones at Sleipner, northern North Sea , 2004 .

[71]  A. Lister.  The impact of Quaternary Ice Ages on mammalian evolution. , 2004, Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences.

[72]  G. Reichart,et al.  Late Quaternary Protoperidinium cysts as indicators of paleoproductivity in the northern Arabian Sea , 2003 .

[73]  R. Pancost,et al.  Response of an ombrotrophic bog to a regional climate event revealed by macrofossil, molecular and carbon isotopic data , 2003 .

[74]  J. Svenning,et al.  Deterministic Plio‐Pleistocene extinctions in the European cool‐temperate tree flora , 2003 .

[75]  A. V. van Duin,et al.  Crenarchaeol DOI 10.1194/jlr.M200148-JLR200 , 2002, Journal of Lipid Research.

[76]  R. Pancost,et al.  Biomarkers as proxies for plant inputs to peats: an example from a sub-boreal ombrotrophic bog , 2002 .

[77]  Gert Jan Weltje,et al.  The Late Cenozoic Eridanos delta system in the Southern North Sea Basin: a climate signal in sediment supply? , 2001 .

[78]  M. Huuse,et al.  Cenozoic evolution of the eastern Danish North Sea , 2001 .

[79]  Patrick W. Bogaart,et al.  Numerical modeling of the response of alluvial rivers to Quaternary climate change , 2000 .

[80]  R. Pancost,et al.  A comparative study of lipids in Sphagnum species , 2000 .

[81]  G. Haug,et al.  Onset of permanent stratification in the subarctic Pacific Ocean , 1999, Nature.

[82]  P. Mudie,et al.  Oceanic pollen transport and pollen:dinocyst ratios as markers of late Cenozoic sea level change and sediment transport , 1998 .

[83]  H. Haas,et al.  Recent sedimentation and organic carbon burial in a shelf sea: the North Sea , 1997 .

[84]  Olaf Michelsen,et al.  High-frequency sequence stratigraphy of Upper Cenozoic deposits in the central and southeastern North Sea areas , 1997 .

[85]  D. Dilcher,et al.  Oak leaves as biosensors of late Neogene and early Pleistocene paleoatmospheric CO2 concentrations , 1996 .

[86]  E. Jansen,et al.  Late Cenozoic history of the Scandinavian and Barents Sea ice sheets , 1996 .

[87]  G. Versteegh,et al.  Determination of (palaeo-)ecological preferences of dinoflagellates by applying Detrended and Canonical Correspondence analysis to Late Pliocene dinoflagellate cyst assemblages of the south Italian Singa section , 1994 .

[88]  P. Mudie,et al.  Late quaternary pollen transport processes, western North Atlantic: Data from box models, cross-margin and N-S transects , 1994 .

[89]  J. Jansonius.  Textbook of pollen analysis, IV edition , 1992 .

[90]  D. Martinson,et al.  Late Pliocene variation in northern hemisphere ice sheets and North Atlantic deep water circulation , 1989 .

[91]  H. Hooghiemstra.  Palynological records from northwest African marine sediments: A general outline of the interpretation of the pollen signal , 1988 .

[92]  Maureen E. Raymo,et al.  Matuyama 41,000-year cycles: North Atlantic Ocean and northern hemisphere ice sheets , 1986 .

[93]  N. Shackleton,et al.  Oxygen and Carbon Isotope Stratigraphy of Deep Sea Drilling Project Hole 552A: Plio-Pleistocene Glacial History , 1984 .

[94]  A. Whiteman,et al.  Geological atlas of western and central Europe , 1983 .

[95]  L. Keigwin.  Isotopic Paleoceanography of the Caribbean and East Pacific: Role of Panama Uplift in Late Neogene Time , 1982, Science.

[96]  N. Shackleton,et al.  Direct Marine-Continental Correlation: 150,000-Year Oxygen Isotope—Pollen Record from the North Pacific , 1979, Science.

[97]  J. D. Hays,et al.  Variations in the Earth's Orbit: Pacemaker of the Ice Ages , 1976, Science.

[98]  Geoffrey Eglinton,et al.  Leaf Epicuticular Waxes , 1967, Science.

[99]  E. E. Bray,et al.  Distribution of n-paraffins as a clue to recognition of source beds , 1961 .

[100]  P. Gibbard,et al.  Filling the North Sea Basin: Cenozoic sediment sources and river styles (André Dumont medallist lecture 2014) , 2016 .

[101]  Zhonghui Liu,et al.  High Earth-system climate sensitivity determined from Pliocene carbon dioxide concentrations , 2010 .

[102]  A. Vernal.  Marine palynology and its use for studying nearshore environments , 2009 .

[103]  A. Sluijs,et al.  From greenhouse to icehouse; organic-walled dinoflagellate cysts as paleoenvironmental indicators in the Paleogene , 2005 .

[104]  G. V. Laursen,et al.  Cenozoic Sequence Stratigraphy in the Eastern North Sea , 1999 .

[105]  Gerald H. Haug,et al.  Effect of the formation of the Isthmus of Panama on Atlantic Ocean thermohaline circulation , 1998, Nature.

[106]  M. Maslin,et al.  The contribution of orbital forcing to the progressive intensification of Northern Hemisphere glaciation , 1998 .

[107]  M. E. Rayrno.  THE INITIATION OF NORTHERN HEMISPHERE GLACIATION , 1994 .

[108]  H. Hooghiemstra,et al.  Late Pliocene-Pleistocene high resolution pollen sequence of Colombia: An overview of climatic change , 1994 .

[109]  B. Corliss,et al.  An analysis of recent deep-sea benthic foraminiferal morphotypes from the Norwegian and Greenland seas , 1992 .

[110]  W. H. Zagwijn.  The beginning of the Ice Age in Europe and its major subdivisions , 1992 .

[111]  G. Eglinton,et al.  The biogeochemistry of Ellesmere Lake, U.K.—I: source correlation of leaf wax inputs to the sedimentary lipid record , 1991 .

[112]  A. Mackensen,et al.  Cassidulina teretis Tappan and C. laevigata d'Orbigny; their modern and late Quaternary distribution in northern seas , 1988 .

[113]  J. Brooks,et al.  Selected organic matter source indicators in the Orinoco, Nile and Changjiang deltas , 1987 .

[114]  D. Whitehead.  CHAPTER 5 – Wind Pollination: Some Ecological and Evolutionary Perspectives , 1983 .

[115]  V. Caston.  Chapter 7 The Quaternary Sediments of the North Sea , 1979 .

[116]  P. A. Ziegler,et al.  Geological atlas of Western and Central Europe , 1969 .