A High-Resolution Labrador Sea Surface and Subsurface Water Foraminiferal δ18O Record and its Relation to Heinrich Events.

Abstract:

Heinrich events are characterized by episodic iceberg discharge events from the Laurentide ice sheet via the Hudson Strait Ice Stream (HSIS) and into the North Atlantic. Although their occurrence throughout late Pleistocene glaciations has been well documented in the oceanic sediment record, the triggering mechanism for Heinrich events is still poorly understood. Recent work (Marcott et al., 2011) has shown that subsurface ocean (~1200 m) warming in response to a shutdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) could lead to accelerated melting and destabilization of an ice shelf fronting the Laurentide Ice Sheet and subsequently trigger Heinrich events. However, evidence for this subsurface warming remains restricted to one core site. Here we use Labrador Sea cores HU2001043-008pc/twc and HU2006040-006pc from the Flemish Cap and Hamilton Spur, respectively, to assess spatial and depth coverage of this signal. We infer surface and subsurface temperature variability using δ¹⁸O in benthic and planktic foraminifera. We also develop a corresponding suite of other sediment core proxies in order to identify Heinrich layers, including X-Ray Fluorescence, Ca/Sr, and % dolomite/calcite data. This research will allow us to evaluate changes in the thermodynamic structure of the Labrador basin due to changes in the strength of the AMOC and their relation to Heinrich events. Results will be used to substantiate existing research and coupled ocean-atmospheric models that suggest a reduced AMOC and associated subsurface warming as the trigger for Heinrich events.