Migration of deep convection center in subpolar North Atlantic around 6
ka evidenced by a dinocyst proxy of mixed layer depth
Abstract
This study explores the relationship between dinoflagellate cyst
(dinocyst) assemblages and the mixed layer depth (MLD) using canonical
correspondence analyses. Our results demonstrate that wintertime
deepening of MLD, in response to deep convection events, can influence
dinocyst assemblages and especially the relative abundance of
Nematosphaeropsis labyrinthus, which can thus be used as a proxy of MLD
and the associated deep convection intensity. The analysis of Holocene
N. labyrinthus percentage records in the subpolar North Atlantic, along
with quantitative reconstructions of MLD from dinocyst assemblages,
further reveals a westward migration of potential deep convection region
around 6 ka BP, from the Nordic Seas and eastern subpolar gyre (SPG)
during the Early Holocene, to the western to central SPG during the
Middle and Late Holocene. The intensification of deep convection in the
Labrador Sea towards a modern-like situation started during the Late
Holocene, one or two thousand years later than the major transition
around 6 ka BP in other parts of the subpolar North Atlantic. These
results strengthen the hypothesis of reduced deep-water formation in the
eastern North Atlantic from the early to late Holocene.