Fluctuations in marine radiocarbon reservoir age in the western Pacific:
Evidence of reduced E-W Pacific gradient over the past 6000 years
Abstract
Radiocarbon (C) is a useful tracer for surface ocean circulation and
mixing, which reflects air-sea CO exchange. We present radiocarbon
marine reservoir ages (R) and corrections (ΔR) in Holocene inferred from
18 paired C and Th ages on fossil corals from Lanyu Island offshore
eastern Taiwan. The results show large fluctuations in the ΔR value,
with averages of -330 and -5 C yr for 6000–5100 yr BP and the past 150
years, respectively. The extremely young R in the mid-Holocene indicate
a well-equilibrated North Equatorial Current (NEC), likely stemmed from
enhanced air-sea interactions and strengthened Pacific Walker
circulation. This suggests a larger E–W gradient across the Equatorial
Pacific and hence La Niña-like condition, consistent with both model
simulations and other paleo-proxy records. Combining the ΔR records in
the northern South China Sea, the results imply an increasing influence
of the NEC water on the subtropical western Pacific since the
mid-Holocene.