Article
 

Productivity and sedimentary delta N-15 variability for the last 17,000 years along the northern Gulf of Alaska continental slope

Public Deposited

Downloadable Content

Download PDF
https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/articles/df65v9365

Descriptions

Attribute NameValues
Creator
Abstract
  • Biogenic opal, organic carbon, organic matter stable isotope, and trace metal data from a well-dated, high-resolution jumbo piston core (EW0408–85JC; 59° 33.3′N, 144° 9.21′W, 682 m water depth) recovered from the northern Gulf of Alaska continental slope reveal changes in productivity and nutrient utilization over the last 17,000 years. Maximum values of opal concentration (~10%) occur during the deglacial Bølling-Allerød (B-A) interval and earliest Holocene (11.2 to 10.8 cal ka BP), moderate values (~6%) occur during the Younger Dryas (13.0 to 11.2 cal ka BP) and Holocene, and minimum values (~3.5%) occur during the Late Glacial Interval (LGI). When converted to opal mass accumulation rates, the highest values (~5000 g cm⁻² kyr⁻¹) occur during the LGI prior to 16.7 cal ka BP, which points to a strong influence by LGI glacimarine sedimentation regimes. Similar patterns are also observed in total organic carbon and cadmium paleoproductivity proxies. Mid-Holocene peaks in the terrestrial organic matter fraction at 5.5, 4.7, 3.5, and 1.2 cal ka BP indicate periods of enhanced delivery of glaciomarine sediments by the Alaska Coastal Current. The B-A and earliest Holocene intervals are laminated, and enrichments of redox-sensitive elements suggest dysoxic-to-anoxic conditions in the water column. The laminations are also associated with mildly enriched sedimentary δ¹⁵N ratios, indicating a link between productivity, nitrogen cycle dynamics, and sedimentary anoxia. After applying a correction for terrestrial δ¹⁵N contributions based on end-member mixing models of terrestrial and marine organic matter, the resulting B-A marine δ¹⁵N (6.3 ± 0.4 ‰) ratios are consistent with either mild denitrification, or increased nitrate utilization. These findings can be explained by increased micronutrient (Fe) availability during episodes of rapid rising sea level that released iron from the previously subaerial coastal plain; iron input from enhanced terrestrial runoff; and/or the intermittent presence of seasonal sea ice resulting from altered ocean/atmospheric circulation during the B-A in the Gulf of Alaska.
Resource Type
DOI
Date Available
Date Issued
Citation
  • Addison, J. A., B. P. Finney, W. E. Dean, M. H. Davies, A. C. Mix, J. S. Stoner, and J. M. Jaeger (2012), Productivity and sedimentary δ¹⁵N variability for the last 17,000 years along the northern Gulf of Alaska continental slope, Paleoceanography, 27, PA1206, doi:10.1029/2011PA002161.
Journal Title
Journal Volume
  • 27
Journal Issue/Number
  • PA1206
Rights Statement
Related Items
  • The published article can be found at AGU - American Geophysical Union.
Funding Statement (additional comments about funding)
  • This publication results in part from aUAF Center for Global Change Student Award to J.A.A. funded by theCooperative Institute for Arctic Research through cooperative agreementNA17RJ1224 with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.B.P.F. was supported through NSF grant OCE-0351075. W.E.D. was supported by the USGS Earth Surface Dynamics Program.
Publisher
Language
Replaces

Relationships

Parents:

This work has no parents.

Items

Thumbnail Title Date Uploaded Visibility Actions
file details DaviesMaureenCEOASProductivitySedimentaryVariability.pdf 2017-07-24 Public Download