1,721,007 research outputs found
Coupled Southern Ocean cooling and Antarctic ice sheet expansion during the middle Miocene
Get PDFThe middle Miocene climate transition (~14 million years ago) was characterized by a dramatic increase in the volume of the Antarctic ice sheet. The driving mechanism of this transition remains under discussion, with hypotheses including circulation changes, declining carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and orbital forcing. Southern Ocean records of planktic foraminiferal Mg/Ca have previously been interpreted to indicate a cooling of 6–7 °C and a decrease in salinity that preceded Antarctic cryosphere expansion by up to ~300,000 years. This interpretation has led to the hypothesis that changes in meridional heat and vapour transport along with an early thermal isolation of Antarctica from extrapolar climates played a fundamental role in triggering ice growth. Here we revisit the middle Miocene Southern Ocean temperature evolution using clumped isotope and lipid biomarker temperature proxies. Our records indicate that the Southern Ocean cooling and the associated salinity decrease occurred in phase with the expansion of the Antarctic ice sheet. We demonstrate that the timing and magnitude of the Southern Ocean temperature change seen in previous reconstructions can be explained if we consider pH as an additional, non-thermal, control on foraminiferal Mg/Ca ratios. Therefore, our new dataset challenges the view of a thermal isolation of Antarctica preceding ice sheet expansion, and suggests a strong coupling between Southern Ocean conditions and Antarctic ice volume in times of declining atmospheric carbon dioxide
Radiogenic isotopes in the Mediterranean Sea: water mass exchange and precessional variability during the Messinian
Get PDFDuring the late Miocene, exchange between the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean changed dramatically, culminating in the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC). Understanding Mediterranean-Atlantic exchange at that time could answer the enigmatic question of how so much salt built up within the Mediterranean, while furthering the development of a framework for future studies attempting to understand how changes may have impacted global thermohaline circulation.
Due to their association with specific water masses at different scales, radiogenic Sr, Pb, and Nd isotope records were generated from various archives contained within marine deposits to endeavour to understand better late Miocene Mediterranean-Atlantic exchange. The archives used include foraminiferal calcite (Sr), fish teeth and bone (Nd), dispersed authigenic ferromanganese oxyhydroxides (Nd, Pb), and a ferromanganese crust (Pb). The primary focus is on sediments preserved at one end of the Betic corridor, a gateway that once connected the Mediterranean to the Atlantic through southern Spain, although other locations are investigated. The Betic gateway terminated within several marginal sub-basins before entering the Western Mediterranean; one of these is the Sorbas Basin, a well-studied location whose sediments have been astronomically tuned at high temporal resolution, providing the necessary age control for sub-precessional resolution records. Since the climatic history of the Mediterranean is strongly controlled by precessional changes in regional climate, the aim was to produce records at high (sub-precessional) temporal resolution, to be able to observe clearly any precessional cyclicity driven by regional climate which could be superimposed over longer trends. This goal was achieved for all records except the ferromanganese crust record.
The 87Sr/86Sr isotope record (Ch. 3) shows precessional frequency excursions away from the global seawater curve. As precessional frequency oscillations are unexpected for this setting, a numerical box model was used to determine the mechanisms causing the excursions. To enable parameterisation of model variables, regional Sr characteristics, data from general circulation model HadCM3L, and new benthic foraminiferal assemblage data are employed. The model results imply that the Sorbas Basin likely had a positive hydrologic budget in the late Miocene, very different to that of today. Moreover, the model indicates that the mechanism controlling the Sr isotope ratio of Sorbas Basin seawater was not restriction, but a lack of density-driven exchange with the Mediterranean. Beyond improving our understanding of how marginal Mediterranean sub-basins may evolve different isotope signatures, these results have implications for astronomical tuning and stratigraphy in the region, findings which are crucial considering the geological and climatic history of the late Miocene Mediterranean is based entirely on marginal deposits.
An improved estimate for the Nd isotope signature of late Miocene Mediterranean Outflow (MO) was determined by comparing Nd isotope signatures preserved in the deeper Alborán Sea at ODP Site 978 with literature data as well as the signature preserved in the Sorbas Basin (Ch. 4; -9.34 to -9.92 ± 0.37 εNd(t)). It was also inferred that it is unlikely that Nd isotopes can be used reliably to track changes in circulation within the shallow settings characteristic of the Mediterranean-Atlantic connections; this is significant in light of a recent publication documenting corridor closure using Nd isotopes. Both conclusions will prove useful for future studies attempting to understand changes in Mediterranean-Atlantic exchange.
Excursions to high values, with precessional frequency, are also observed in the radiogenic Pb isotope record for the Sorbas Basin (Ch. 5). Widening the scope to include locations further away from the gateways, records were produced for late Miocene sections on Sicily and Northern Italy, and similar precessional frequency cyclicity was observed in the Pb isotope records for these sites as well. Comparing these records to proxies for Saharan dust and available whole rock data indicates that, while further analysis is necessary to draw strong conclusions, enhanced dust production during insolation minima may be driving the observed signal. These records also have implications for astronomical tuning; peaks in Pb isotope records driven by Saharan dust may be easier to connect directly to the insolation cycle, providing improved astronomical tuning points.
Finally, a Pb isotope record derived using in-situ laser ablation performed on ferromanganese crust 3514-6 from the Lion Seamount, located west of Gibraltar within the MO plume, has provided evidence that plume depth shifted during the Pliocene. The record also suggests that Pb isotopes may not be a suitable proxy for changes in late Miocene Mediterranean-Atlantic exchange, since the Pb isotope signatures of regional water masses are too similar. To develop this record, the first published instance of laser ablation derived 230Thexcess measurements are combined with 10Be dating
Middle Miocene bottom water carbonate clumped isotope and Mg/Ca temperatures, ODP Site 122-761B, Indian Ocean
No full textThe middle Miocene is an important analogue for potential future warm climates. Unfortunately, relatively few independent deep ocean temperature records exist, though these are required for climate model validation and estimates of changes in ice volume. The few existing records suggest that bottom water temperatures were 5 – 8°C warmer than present. In order to improve confidence in proxy data, we generated a new bottom water temperature record using carbonate clumped isotopes (Δ47) and compared our results with Mg/Ca-based estimates for the deep Indian Ocean at ODP Site 761. Our Δ47 temperature record agrees well with previously published Mg/Ca temperatures for this site, predicting average deep-sea temperatures of 11.0 ± 1.7°C during the middle Miocene Climatic Optimum (MCO, 14.7 – 17 Ma), 8.1 ± 1.9°C after the middle Miocene Climate Transition (MCT, 13.0 – 14.7 Ma) and a cooling across the MCT of 3 ± 2°C (uncertainties 95% confidence level). The Mg/Ca record derived from the same samples indicates a very similar magnitude of cooling of ~ 2°C. Examining non-thermal factors that could bias either paleothermometer, changes in saturation state are the most likely cause for any remaining offsets, with the caveat that, over the majority of the record, the Mg/Ca temperatures are within the 95% confidence intervals of the Δ47 temperatures. Our new Δ47 temperature record implies a ~0.6 ‰ seawater δ18O change over the MCT, again in good agreement with Mg/Ca-derived estimates. As previously suggested, both paleothermometers imply a heavier than modern seawater δ18O composition after the MCT.
It consists of final calculated bottom water temperatures based on carbonate clumped isotope compositions (Δ47) and metal ion (Mg, Li, Ca) ratios. The raw and intermediate carbonate clumped isotope data used to produce the Δ47 temperatures is archived with the EarthChem database, linked under related datasets or at the url: https://doi.org/10.26022/IEDA/111523 . The raw element/metal concentration data are from Lear et al., 2010
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Stratigraphic and paleoceanographic alternations within a Mediterranean semi-enclosed, syn-rift basin during Marine Isotope Stage 5: The Gulf of Corinth, Greece
No full textThe Gulf of Corinth represents an ideal setting for studying the impact of sea level changes and regional climate on a semi-enclosed, syn-rift basin. Here we investigate the stratigraphic and paleoceanographic variability recorded in the sedimentary succession of the basin over the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5 period when global sea level and climatic conditions along the eastern Mediterranean exhibited pronounced fluctuations. We used sedimentological (granulometry, composition), micropaleontological (planktic and benthic foraminifera), and isotopic (stable δ
18O, δ
13C, and clumped isotope) proxies on core samples from site M0079A (IODP Expedition 381) combined with additional data from the expedition overview and records from the surrounding area. The sedimentary succession comprises an alternating pattern of a) bioturbated, biogenic-rich deposits associated with increased hemipelagic sedimentation with b) partly bedded, detrital-rich sediments attributed to intercalated sediment gravity flows within the hemipelagic background under low oxic sea-surface conditions, and c) aragonite-rich laminated deposits, indicating either transitional conditions between marine and isolated environment or a highly stratified seawater column and low oxygen seafloor conditions. We find that the Gulf of Corinth lay under marine conditions for nearly the entire MIS 5 period, while the Rion sill would have been possibly shallower, even 10 m, than the current depth. Nevertheless, water exchange was restricted during the MIS 5a – MIS 4 transition when the sea level fluctuated very close to the sill height. The hydrological conditions within the Gulf during most of the highstands MIS 5a, 5c, and 5e reflect higher oxygen levels and/or increased nutrient availability compared to the Holocene and present-day regime. The combined effects of Ionian Sea inflows and enhanced riverine runoff led to increased water column stratification and low oxygen, eutrophic seafloor conditions in the Gulf of Corinth during times of high precipitation in southern Europe and deposition of sapropels S3, S4, and S5 throughout the eastern Mediterranean. In contrast, during periods of widespread cold and arid conditions in the eastern Mediterranean, water column mixing was intense within the Gulf. Prevalent marine conditions are also proposed during the MIS 5b and 5d lowstands, yet associated with predominately bedded-detrital sediments in the Gulf. A complementary investigation in the adjoining Patras Gulf is suggested to fully comprehend the dynamics of climate and sea level changes in complex rift systems.</p
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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