Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3010
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3010
27 Sep 2024
 | 27 Sep 2024

Mean ocean temperature change and decomposition of the benthic δ18O record over the last 4.5 Myr

Peter U. Clark, Jeremy D. Shakun, Yair Rosenthal, Chenyu Zhu, Jonathan M. Gregory, Peter Köhler, Zhengyu Liu, Daniel P. Schrag, and Patrick J. Bartlein

Abstract. We use a recent compilation of global mean sea surface temperature changes (ΔGMSST) over the last 4.5 Myr together with independent proxy-based reconstructions of bottom water or deep ocean temperatures to infer changes in mean ocean temperature (ΔMOT). We find that the ratio of ΔMOT/ΔGMSST, which is also a measure of ocean heat storage efficiency, was around 0.5 before the Middle Pleistocene Transition (MPT, 1.5–0.9 Ma), but was 1 thereafter. This finding is also supported when using our ΔMOT to decompose a global mean benthic δ18O stack into its temperature and seawater components. However, further corrections in benthic δ18O, probably due to a long-term diagenetic overprint, are necessary to explain reconstructed Pliocene sea level highstands. Finally, we develop a theoretical understanding of why the ocean heat storage efficiency changed over the Plio-Pleistocene. According to our conceptual model, heat uptake and temperature in the non-polar upper ocean is mainly driven by wind, while changes in the deeper ocean in both polar and non-polar waters occur due to high-latitude deepwater formation. We propose that deepwater formation was substantially reduced prior to the MPT, effectively decreasing ΔMOT with respect to ΔGMSST. We attribute these changes in deepwater formation across the MPT to long-term cooling which caused a change starting ~1.5 Ma from a highly stratified Southern Ocean due to warm SSTs and reduced sea-ice extent to a Southern Ocean which, due to colder SSTs and increased sea-ice extent, had a greater vertical exchange of water masses.

Publisher's note: Copernicus Publications remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims made in the text, published maps, institutional affiliations, or any other geographical representation in this preprint. The responsibility to include appropriate place names lies with the authors.
Share

Journal article(s) based on this preprint

03 Jun 2025
| Highlight paper
Mean ocean temperature change and decomposition of the benthic δ18O record over the past 4.5 million years
Peter U. Clark, Jeremy D. Shakun, Yair Rosenthal, Chenyu Zhu, Patrick J. Bartlein, Jonathan M. Gregory, Peter Köhler, Zhengyu Liu, and Daniel P. Schrag
Clim. Past, 21, 973–1000, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-973-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-973-2025, 2025
Short summary Co-editor-in-chief
Peter U. Clark, Jeremy D. Shakun, Yair Rosenthal, Chenyu Zhu, Jonathan M. Gregory, Peter Köhler, Zhengyu Liu, Daniel P. Schrag, and Patrick J. Bartlein

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-3010', Lorraine Lisiecki, 16 Nov 2024
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-3010', Anonymous Referee #2, 17 Dec 2024

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-3010', Lorraine Lisiecki, 16 Nov 2024
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-3010', Anonymous Referee #2, 17 Dec 2024

Peer review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision | EF: Editorial file upload
ED: Reconsider after major revisions (19 Jan 2025) by Denis-Didier Rousseau
AR by Peter U. Clark on behalf of the Authors (01 Feb 2025)  Author's response 
EF by Natascha Töpfer (03 Feb 2025)  Author's tracked changes 
EF by Natascha Töpfer (04 Feb 2025)  Manuscript 
ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (04 Feb 2025) by Denis-Didier Rousseau
RR by Anonymous Referee #2 (01 Mar 2025)
RR by Lorraine Lisiecki (04 Mar 2025)
ED: Publish subject to technical corrections (04 Mar 2025) by Denis-Didier Rousseau
AR by Peter U. Clark on behalf of the Authors (04 Mar 2025)  Author's response   Manuscript 

Post-review adjustments

AA: Author's adjustment | EA: Editor approval
AA by Peter U. Clark on behalf of the Authors (26 May 2025)   Author's adjustment   Manuscript
EA: Adjustments approved (27 May 2025) by Denis-Didier Rousseau

Journal article(s) based on this preprint

03 Jun 2025
| Highlight paper
Mean ocean temperature change and decomposition of the benthic δ18O record over the past 4.5 million years
Peter U. Clark, Jeremy D. Shakun, Yair Rosenthal, Chenyu Zhu, Patrick J. Bartlein, Jonathan M. Gregory, Peter Köhler, Zhengyu Liu, and Daniel P. Schrag
Clim. Past, 21, 973–1000, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-973-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-973-2025, 2025
Short summary Co-editor-in-chief
Peter U. Clark, Jeremy D. Shakun, Yair Rosenthal, Chenyu Zhu, Jonathan M. Gregory, Peter Köhler, Zhengyu Liu, Daniel P. Schrag, and Patrick J. Bartlein
Peter U. Clark, Jeremy D. Shakun, Yair Rosenthal, Chenyu Zhu, Jonathan M. Gregory, Peter Köhler, Zhengyu Liu, Daniel P. Schrag, and Patrick J. Bartlein

Viewed

Total article views: 990 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
HTML PDF XML Total BibTeX EndNote
652 149 189 990 22 21
  • HTML: 652
  • PDF: 149
  • XML: 189
  • Total: 990
  • BibTeX: 22
  • EndNote: 21
Views and downloads (calculated since 27 Sep 2024)
Cumulative views and downloads (calculated since 27 Sep 2024)

Viewed (geographical distribution)

Total article views: 965 (including HTML, PDF, and XML) Thereof 965 with geography defined and 0 with unknown origin.
Country # Views %
  • 1
1
 
 
 
 
Latest update: 03 Jun 2025
Download

The requested preprint has a corresponding peer-reviewed final revised paper. You are encouraged to refer to the final revised version.

Short summary
We reconstruct changes in mean ocean temperature (ΔMOT) over the last 4.5 Myr. We find that the ratio of ΔMOT to changes in global mean sea surface temperature was around 0.5 before the Middle Pleistocene Transition but was 1 thereafter. We subtract our ΔMOT reconstruction from the global δ18O record to derive the δ18O of seawater. Finally, we develop a theoretical understanding of why the ratio of ΔMOT/ΔGMSST changed over the Plio-Pleistocene.
Share