ABSTRACT:

Pliocene Nordic Seas paleoceanography: surface circulation and sea ice evolution

Stijn De Schepper, Uni Research Climate and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research Bergen, Norway

The Nordic Seas link the North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean, and play an important role in the global overturning circulation and heat transport into the Arctic. This region underwent fundamental changes during the Pliocene, a time period when global climate was generally 2–3?C warmer than today. Understanding the Pliocene Nordic Seas paleoceanography can shed light on how ocean circulation, northward heat transport and regional climate operate under globally warmer conditions.

In this challenging region, traditional paleoceanographic proxies based on calcareous microfossils often only have restricted potential due to poor preservation, limited diversity and extinct taxa. In contrast, marine palynology and organic geochemistry prove instrumental for establishing solid chronologies, documenting variability in surface ocean circulation and reconstructing sea ice extent. I will discuss marine palynological and geochemical records from the Norwegian and Iceland Seas to illustrate their importance (1) for documenting and understanding the development of the modern Nordic Seas surface circulation during the Early Pliocene, and (2) for reconstructing the sea ice extent during the Pliocene and early Quaternary of the Iceland Sea.

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