Deepsea redox conditions in the Southern Ocean indicating vertical ventilation during the Middle-Late Pleistocene: A cause study from IODP Expedition 374 Hole U1524A

LIU Heng; GUO Jingteng; XIAO Wenshen; ZHAO Xiangyu; XIONG Zhifang; LI Tiegang

doi:10.16562/j.cnki.0256-1492.2025030701

Marine Geology & Quaternary Geology > 2025 > Corrected proof > DOI: 10.16562/j.cnki.0256-1492.2025030701

LIU Heng，GUO Jingteng，XIAO Wenshen，et al. Deepsea redox conditions in the Southern Ocean indicating vertical ventilation during the Middle-Late Pleistocene: A cause study from IODP Expedition 374 Hole U1524A [J]. Marine Geology & Quaternary Geology，xxxx，x(x)： x-xx. DOI: 10.16562/j.cnki.0256-1492.2025030701

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Deepsea redox conditions in the Southern Ocean indicating vertical ventilation during the Middle-Late Pleistocene: A cause study from IODP Expedition 374 Hole U1524A

LIU Heng^1,,
GUO Jingteng^{1, 2},
XIAO Wenshen³,
ZHAO Xiangyu^{4, 5},
XIONG Zhifang^{1, 2, ,},
LI Tiegang^{1, 2, ,}

1.
Key Laboratory of Marine Geology and Metallogeny, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao 266061, China
2.
Laboratory for Marine Geology, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao 266237, China
3.
State Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
4.
School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, China
5.
Key Laboratory of Polar Ecosystem and Climate Change, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Ministry of Education, shanghai 200030, China

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Received Date: March 06, 2025
Revised Date: April 02, 2025
Accepted Date: April 02, 2025
Available Online: May 05, 2025

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Abstract

Abstract

The redox conditions in the deep ocean are important parameters for diagnosing carbon storage/release in abyssal waters. After correcting the oxygen consumption by organic matter, deep-sea redox conditions are regulated mainly by deep-water ventilation. However, in most available studies, the decoupling between lateral and vertical ventilation was often ignored, but instead used this indicator to suggest the overall or lateral ventilation intensity, which may not be correct in sea areas with developed vertical ventilation (such as the Southern Ocean). To address this issue, we reconstructed the productivity (opal/Ti), redox conditions (Mn/Ti and Mo/Ti ratios), and lateral current strength (ln (Zr/Rb)) from International Ocean Discovery Program Hole U1524A in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, dated to the Middle-Late Pleistocene in a glacial-interglacial framework established through physical parameters. Results demonstrate distinct glacial patterns. The glacial periods were characterized by weaker oxidation (suboxic conditions), lower productivity, and stronger lateral currents compared to the interglacial periods that had stronger oxidation (oxic conditions), higher productivity, and weaker lateral current. Comparing these records with the record of the intensity of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), which represents the vertical upwelling of deep water of the Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW), the vertical ventilation was proposed to be the dominate process of deep-sea redox condition. The specific mechanism is that during the glacial periods, the westerlies moved northward, while the ACC weakened and sea ice expanded, which collectively suppressed CDW upwelling. The reduced vertical ventilation diminished deep-sea oxidation and carbon release to the atmosphere, and consequently decreased the atmospheric pCO₂. These findings demonstrate that the Southern Ocean deep-sea redox conditions in the Middle-Late Pleistocene reflected the vertical ventilation, underscoring the importance of distinguishing between vertical and lateral ventilation to properly interpret deep-sea redox signals.
- atmospheric pCO₂,
- productivity,
- glacial-interglacial,
- upwelling,
- bottom water,
- Ross Sea

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References (51)

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