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A seasonally ice-free Arctic Ocean during the Last Interglacial
Vermassen, F.; O'Regan, M.; de Boer, A.; Schenk, F.; Razmjooei, M.; West, G.; Cronin, T.M.; Jakobsson, M.; Coxall, H.K. (2023). A seasonally ice-free Arctic Ocean during the Last Interglacial. Nature Geoscience 16(8): 723-729. https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01227-x
In: Nature Geoscience. Nature Publishing Group: London. ISSN 1752-0894; e-ISSN 1752-0908
Related to:
(2023). Disappearance of Arctic sea ice during summers of the Last Interglacial. Nature Geoscience 16(8): 669-670. https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01228-w, more
Peer reviewed article  
Available in  Authors 
Keyword
    Marine/Coastal
Authors  Top 
  • Vermassen, F.
  • O'Regan, M.
  • de Boer, A.
  • Schenk, F.
  • Razmjooei, M.
  • West, G.
  • Cronin, T.M.
  • Jakobsson, M.
  • Coxall, H.K.
Abstract
    The extent and seasonality of Arctic sea ice during the Last Interglacial (129,000 to 115,000 years before present) is poorly known. Sediment-based reconstructions have suggested extensive ice cover in summer, while climate model outputs indicate year-round conditions in the Arctic Ocean ranging from ice free to fully ice covered. Here we use microfossil records from across the central Arctic Ocean to show that sea-ice extent was substantially reduced and summers were probably ice free. The evidence comes from high abundances of the subpolar planktic foraminifera Turborotalita quinqueloba in five newly analysed cores. The northern occurrence of this species is incompatible with perennial sea ice, which would be associated with a thick, low-salinity surface water. Instead, T. quinqueloba’s ecological preference implies largely ice-free surface waters with seasonally elevated levels of primary productivity. In the modern ocean, this species thrives in the Fram Strait–Barents Sea ‘Arctic–Atlantic gateway’ region, implying that the necessary Atlantic Ocean-sourced water masses shoaled towards the surface during the Last Interglacial. This process reflects the ongoing Atlantification of the Arctic Ocean, currently restricted to the Eurasian Basin. Our results establish the Last Interglacial as a prime analogue for studying a seasonally ice-free Arctic Ocean, expected to occur this century.
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