Changes in Caribbean surface hydrography during the Pliocene shoaling of the Central American Seaway

Steph, Silke; Tiedemann, Ralf; Prange, Matthias; Groeneveld, Jeroen; Nürnberg, Dirk; Reuning, Lars; Schulz, Michael; Haug, Gerald H.

doi:10.1029/2004pa001092

Cited by 92 publications

(128 citation statements)

References 119 publications

(203 reference statements)

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“…In addition, the Caribbean is not an ideal place to carry out model-data comparison in this case. The present-day salinity in the basin is in reality influenced by flow through several narrow straits and passages (Steph et al 2006), which are not at all resolved by the ocean model. In addition, these currents are very likely to have changed significantly due to tectonic changes over the period of interest; again, this effect is not included in our model simulations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Both studies suggest an increase in salinity in the Caribbean from 5.5-3.0 Ma, which they attribute to circulation and precipitation changes following the closure of the Panama Seaway. Figure 14 shows the location of these cores, along with our modelled change in salinity, Plio CS -Plio OS , averaged over the uppermost 110 m of the ocean, an appropriate depth for G. sacculifer in this region (Steph et al 2006). Although the model shows an increase in salinity at site 999, in agreement with the data, it shows a freshening at site 1000, which is in disagreement with the data.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This also remains a question for future work, again in the framework of asynchronously coupled transient simulations. Haug et al (2001) and Steph et al (2006), respectively. The color of the stars indicates that both sites show an increase in salinity over the period 5.5-3.0 Ma, but does not represent an actual value…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite all this, here we present a brief model-data comparison of salinity changes in the Caribbean. Haug et al (2001) and Steph et al (2006) have analysed the d 18 O of Globigerinoides sacculifer from ODP sites 999 and 1000 respectively. Both studies suggest an increase in salinity in the Caribbean from 5.5-3.0 Ma, which they attribute to circulation and precipitation changes following the closure of the Panama Seaway.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Closure of the Panama Seaway during the Pliocene: implications for climate and Northern Hemisphere glaciation

et al. 2007

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The ''Panama Hypothesis'' states that the gradual closure of the Panama Seaway, between 13 million years ago (13 Ma) and 2.6 Ma, led to decreased mixing of Atlantic and Pacific water Masses, the formation of North Atlantic Deep water and strengthening of the Atlantic thermohaline circulation, increased temperatures and evaporation in the North Atlantic, increased precipitation in Northern Hemisphere (NH) high latitudes, culminating in the intensification of Northern Hemisphere Glaciation (NHG) during the Pliocene, 3.2-2.7 Ma. Here we test this hypothesis using a fully coupled, fully dynamic oceanatmosphere general circulation model (GCM) with boundary conditions specific to the Pliocene, and a high resolution dynamic ice sheet model. We carry out two GCM simulations with ''closed'' and ''open'' Panama Seaways, and use the simulated climatologies to force the ice sheet model. We find that the models support the ''Panama Hypothesis'' in as much as the closure of the seaway results in a more intense Atlantic thermohaline circulation, enhanced precipitation over Greenland and North America, and ultimately larger ice sheets. However, the volume difference between the ice sheets in the ''closed'' and ''open'' configurations is small, equivalent to about 5 cm of sea level. We conclude that although the closure of the Panama Seaway may have slightly enhanced or advanced the onset of NHG, it was not a major forcing mechanism. Future work must fully couple the ice sheet model and GCM, and investigate the role of orbital and CO 2 effects in controlling NHG.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Closure of the Panama Seaway during the Pliocene: implications for climate and Northern Hemisphere glaciation

et al. 2007

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“…Despite being effectively closed by the PRISM interval, the CAS was breached repeatedly possibly as late as 2.4 Ma (Stehli & Webb 1985;Cronin & Dowsett 1996;Webb 1997;Kameo & Sato 2000;Groeneveld et al 2006;Steph et al 2006;Schmidt 2007;Williams et al 2009). The PRISM reconstruction includes five sites in the Caribbean Sea (figure 2b).…”

Section: (A ) Caribbean Seamentioning

confidence: 99%

Surface temperatures of the Mid-Pliocene North Atlantic Ocean: implications for future climate

Dowsett

Chandler

Robinson

2008

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

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The Mid-Pliocene is the most recent interval in the Earth's history to have experienced warming of the magnitude predicted for the second half of the twenty-first century and is, therefore, a possible analogue for future climate conditions. With continents basically in their current positions and atmospheric CO 2 similar to early twenty-first century values, the cause of Mid-Pliocene warmth remains elusive. Understanding the behaviour of the North Atlantic Ocean during the Mid-Pliocene is integral to evaluating future climate scenarios owing to its role in deep water formation and its sensitivity to climate change. Under the framework of the Pliocene Research, Interpretation and Synoptic Mapping (PRISM) sea surface reconstruction, we synthesize Mid-Pliocene North Atlantic studies by PRISM members and others, describing each region of the North Atlantic in terms of palaeoceanography. We then relate Mid-Pliocene sea surface conditions to expectations of future warming. The results of the data and climate model comparisons suggest that the North Atlantic is more sensitive to climate change than is suggested by climate model simulations, raising the concern that estimates of future climate change are conservative.

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Consequences of shoaling of the Central American Seaway determined from modeling Nd isotopes

et al. 2014

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The Central American Seaway played a pivotal role in shaping global climate throughout the late Cenozoic. Recent geological surveys have provided new constraints on timing of the seaway shoaling, while neodymium isotopic (ε Nd ) data measured on fossil teeth, debris, and ferromanganese crusts have helped define the history of water masses in the region. Here we provide the first 3-D simulations of ε Nd responses to the shoaling seaway. Our model suggests that a narrow and shallow seaway is sufficient to affect interoceanic circulation, that inflow/ outflow balance between the Caribbean and the Antilles responds nonlinearly to sill depth, and that a seaway narrower than 400 km is consistent with an active Atlantic meridional overturning circulation during the late Miocene. Simulated ε Nd values in the Caribbean confirm that inputs from radiogenic Pacific waters in the Caribbean decrease as the seaway shoals. Despite model limitations, a comparison between our results and ε Nd values recorded in the Caribbean helps constrain the depth of the Central American Seaway through time, and we infer that a depth between 50 and 200 m could have been reached 10 Ma ago.

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Changes in Caribbean surface hydrography during the Pliocene shoaling of the Central American Seaway

Cited by 92 publications

References 119 publications

Closure of the Panama Seaway during the Pliocene: implications for climate and Northern Hemisphere glaciation

Closure of the Panama Seaway during the Pliocene: implications for climate and Northern Hemisphere glaciation

Surface temperatures of the Mid-Pliocene North Atlantic Ocean: implications for future climate

Consequences of shoaling of the Central American Seaway determined from modeling Nd isotopes

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