Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Variability of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation during the last interglacial period

Abstract

Studies of natural climate variability are essential for evaluating its future evolution. Greenland ice cores suggest that the modern warm period (the Holocene) has been relatively stable for the past 9,000 years1,2. Much less is known about other warm interglacial periods, which comprise less than 10% of the climate record during the past 2.5 million years3,4,5,6,7. Here we present high-resolution ocean sediment records of surface and deep-water variables from the Bermuda Rise spanning the last interglacial period, about 118,000–127,000 years ago. In general, deep-water chemical changes are coincident with transitions in surface climate at this site. The records do not show any substantial fluctuations relative to the much higher variability observed during the preceding and subsequent cool climates. The relatively stable interglacial period begins and ends with abrupt changes in deep-water flow. We estimate, using 230Th measurements to constrain the chronology, that transitions occur in less than 400 years.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Bermuda Rise sediment grey scale compared with GRIP ice core δ18O.
Figure 2: Plots of MD95-2036 data against age and depth.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Grootes, P. M., Stuiver, M., White, J. W. C., Johnsen, S. & Jouzel, J. Comparison of oxygen isotope records from GISP2 and GRIP Greenland ice cores. Nature 366, 552–554 (1993).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. GRIP Climate instability during the last interglacial period recorded in the GRIP ice core. Nature 364, 203–207 (1993).

  3. Cortijo, E. et al. Eemian cooling in the Norwegian Sea and North Atlantic Ocean preceding continental ice growth. Nature 372, 446–449 (1994).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. McManus, J. F. et al. High-resolution climate records from the North Atlantic during the last interglacial. Nature 371, 326–329 (1994).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Maslin, M., Sarnthein, M. & Knaack, J.-J. Subtropical Eastern Atlantic climate during the Eemian. Naturwissenschaften 83, 122–126 (1996).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Thouveney, N. et al. Climate variations in Europe over the past 140 kyr deduced from rock magnetism. Nature 371, 503–506 (1994).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. Field, M. H., Huntley, B. & Muller, H. Eemian climate fluctuations observed in a European pollen record. Nature 371, 779–783 (1994).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Dansgaard, W. et al. Evidence of general instability of past climate from a 250-kyr ice-core record. Nature 364, 218–220 (1993).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Shackleton, N. J. The last interglacial in the marine and terrestrial records. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 174, 135–154 (1969).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. Alley, R. B. et al. Comparison of deep ice cores. Nature 373, 393–394 (1995).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Fuchs, A. & Leuenberger, M. C. δ18O of atmospheric oxygen measured on the GRIP ice core document stratigraphic disturbances in the lowest 10% of the core. Geophys. Res. Lett. 23, 1049–1052 (1996).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Keigwin, L. D., Curry, W. B., Lehman, S. J. & Johnsen, S. The role of the deep ocean in North Atlantic climate change between 70 and 130 kyr ago. Nature 371, 323–326 (1994).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  13. Oppo, D. W., Horowitz, M. & Lehman, S. Marine core evidence for a sharp decrease in deep water production during Termination II and a relatively stable MIS 5e (Eemian). Paleoceanography 12, 51–64 (1997).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  14. Boyle, E. A. & Keigwin, L. D. North Atlantic thermohaline circulation during the last 20,000 years linked to high latitude surface temperature. Nature 330, 35–40 (1987).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Shackleton, N. J. & Opdyke, N. D. Oxygen isotope and paleomagnetic stratigraphy of equatorial Pacific core V28-238: oxygen isotope temperatures and ice volumes on 106 yr scale. Quat. Res. 3, 39–55 (1973).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Schrag, D. P., Hampt, G. & Murry, D. W. Pore fluid constraints on the temperature and oxygen isotopic composition of the Glacial ocean. Science 272, 1930–1932 (1996).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Hester, K. & Boyle, E. A. Water chemistry control of cadmium in recent benthic foraminifera. Nature 298, 260–262 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Boyle, E. A. & Keigwin, L. D. Deep circulation of the North Atlantic over the last 200,000 years: geochemical evidence. Science 218, 784–787 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Keigwin, L. D., Jones, G. A., Lehman, S. J. & Boyle, E. A. Deglacial meltwater discharge, North Atlantic deep circulation, and abrupt climate change. J. Geophys. Res. 96, 16811–16826 (1991).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  20. Boyle, E. A. Characteristics of the deep ocean carbon system during the past 150,000 years: ΣCO2distributions, deep water flow patterns, and abrupt climate change. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 94, 8300–8307 (1997).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Balsam, W. L., Otto-Bliesner, B. L. & Deaton, B. C. Modern and last glacial maximum eolian sedimentation patterns in the Atlantic Ocean interpreted from sediment iron oxide content. Paleoceanography 10, 493–507 (1995).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  22. Hollister, C. D. & McCave, I. N. Sedimentation under deep-sea storms. Nature 309, 220–225 (1984).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  23. Bacon, M. P. & Rosholt, J. N. Accumulation rates of Th-230, Pa-321, and some transition metals on the Bermuda Rise. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 46, 651–666 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Bacon, M. P. Glacial to Interglacial changes in carbonate and clay sedimentation in the Atlantic Ocean estimated from 230Th measurements. Isotope Geosci. 2, 97–111 (1984).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Francois, R., Bacon, M. P. & Suman, D. O. 230Th profiling in deep-sea sediments; high-resolution records of changes in flux and dissolution of cabbonate in the equatorial Atlantic during the last 24,000 years. Paleoceanography 5, 761–781 (1990).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  26. Martinson, D. G. et al. Age dating and the orbital theory of the ice ages: development of high-resolution 0 to 300,000-year chronostratigraphy. Quat. Res. 27, 1–29 (1987).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Suman, D. O. & Bacon, M. P. Variations in Holocene sedimentation in the North American basin determined from 230Th measurements. Deep-Sea Res. 36, 869–878 (1989).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Laine, E. P. & Hollister, C. D. Geological effects of the Gulf Stream system on the northern Bermuda Rise. Mar. Geol. 39, 277–300 (1981).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  29. Belanger, P. E., Curry, W. B. & Matthews, R. K. Core-top evaluation of benthic foraminiferal isotopic ratios for paleo-oceanographic interpretations. Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. 33, 205–220 (1981).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Graham, D. W., Corliss, B. H., Bender, M. L. & Keigwin, L. D. Carbon and oxygen isotopic equilibria of recent deep-sea benthic foraminifera. Mar. Micropaleont. 6, 483–497 (1981).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  31. Bender, M. et al. Climate correlations between Greenland and Antarctica during the past 100,000 years. Nature 372, 663–666 (1994).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research would not have been possible without the extraordinary efforts of the entire IMAGES 101 crew during the summer of 1995 on board the Marion Dufresne. Specifically we thank Yvon Balut, Laurent Labeyrie, Jean-Louie Turon and Franck Bassinot for their efforts on our behalf. Wealso thank M. M. Rutgers van der Loeff for helpful comments. J.F.A. was supported by a NASA Global Change Fellowship and a grant from the Tokyo Electric and Power Company. NSF provided the funds to collect this core and NOAA funded our work on high-resolution climate records.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

Age Model and Fluxes / Benthic Chemistry. (XLS 62 kb)

Supplementary Information

Supplementary Information (PDF 300 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Adkins§, J., Boyle, E., Keigwin, L. et al. Variability of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation during the last interglacial period. Nature 390, 154–156 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/36540

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/36540

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing