Last glacial-Holocene paleoceanography of the Black Sea and Marmara Sea: Stable isotopic, foraminiferal and coccolith evidence

A. E. Aksu; R. N. Hiscott; M. A. Kaminski; P. J. Mudie; H. Gillespie; T. Abrajano; D. Yaşar

doi:10.1016/S0025-3227(02)00345-6

Last glacial-Holocene paleoceanography of the Black Sea and Marmara Sea: Stable isotopic, foraminiferal and coccolith evidence

A. E. Aksu^*, R. N. Hiscott, M. A. Kaminski, P. J. Mudie, H. Gillespie, T. Abrajano, D. Yaşar

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

160 Scopus citations

Abstract

Multi-proxy data and radiocarbon dates from several key cores from the Black Sea and Marmara Sea document a complex paleoceanographic history for the last ∼30 000 yr. The Marmara Sea was isolated from both the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea during glacial periods when global sea-level lowering subaerially exposed the shallow sills at the Straits of Bosphorus and Dardanelles (i.e. lake stage), and reconnected through both straits during interglacial periods, when rise of global sea level breached the shallow sills (i.e. gateway stage). Micropaleontological data show that during the 'lake stage' the surface-water masses in both the Marmara Sea and Black Sea became notably brackish; however, during the 'gateway stages' there was a low-salinity surface layer and normal marine water mass beneath. Two sapropel layers are identified in the Marmara Sea cores: sapropels M2 and M1 were deposited between ∼29.5 and 23.5 ka, and ∼10.5 and 6.0 ka, respectively. Micropaleontological and stable isotopic data show that the surface-water salinities were reduced considerably during the deposition of both sapropel layers M2 and M1, and calculation using planktonic foraminiferal transfer functions shows that sea-surface temperatures were notably lower during these intervals. The presence of fauna and flora with Black Sea affinities and the absence of Mediterranean fauna and flora in sapropels M1 and M2 strongly suggest that communication existed with the Black Sea during these times. A benthic foraminiferal oxygen index shows that the onset of suboxic conditions in the Marmara Sea rapidly followed the establishment of fully marine conditions at ∼11-10.5 ka, and are attributed to Black Sea outflow into the Marmara Sea since 10.5 ka. These suboxic conditions have persisted to the present. The data discussed in this paper are completely at odds with the 'Flood Hypothesis' of Ryan et al. (1997), and Ryan and Pitman (1999). Crown

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	119-149
Number of pages	31
Journal	Marine Geology
Volume	190
Issue number	1-2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/S0025-3227(02)00345-6
State	Published - 15 Oct 2002
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We thank Prof. Dr. Erol Izdar, the Director of the Piri Reis Foundation for Maritime and Marine Resources Development and Education, and Prof. Dr. Orhan Uslu, the Director of the Institute of Marine Sciences and Technology, for their support and encouragement. We extend our special thanks to the officers and crew of the RV Koca Piri Reis for their assistance in data acquisition, in particular Captain Mehmet Özsaygılı and Chief Engineer Ömer Çubuk. We acknowledge the assistance of Alison Pye in stable isotopic analyses. We acknowledge research funds from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to A.E.A. and R.N.H., ship-time funds from NSERC to A.E.A. and R.N.H., travel funds from the Dean of Science at MUN, and special grants from the Piri Reis Foundation for Maritime and Marine Resources Development and Education, Turkey. Simone Galeotti and Kay-Christian Emeis critically read the manuscript and provided many valuable comments.

Keywords

Black Sea
Marmara Sea
Sapropel
Sea-surface temperature and salinity
Stable isotopes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Oceanography
Geology
Geochemistry and Petrology

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10.1016/S0025-3227(02)00345-6

Cite this

@article{53ef428ec0e04652a65bb832a02a0fd5,

title = "Last glacial-Holocene paleoceanography of the Black Sea and Marmara Sea: Stable isotopic, foraminiferal and coccolith evidence",

abstract = "Multi-proxy data and radiocarbon dates from several key cores from the Black Sea and Marmara Sea document a complex paleoceanographic history for the last ∼30 000 yr. The Marmara Sea was isolated from both the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea during glacial periods when global sea-level lowering subaerially exposed the shallow sills at the Straits of Bosphorus and Dardanelles (i.e. lake stage), and reconnected through both straits during interglacial periods, when rise of global sea level breached the shallow sills (i.e. gateway stage). Micropaleontological data show that during the 'lake stage' the surface-water masses in both the Marmara Sea and Black Sea became notably brackish; however, during the 'gateway stages' there was a low-salinity surface layer and normal marine water mass beneath. Two sapropel layers are identified in the Marmara Sea cores: sapropels M2 and M1 were deposited between ∼29.5 and 23.5 ka, and ∼10.5 and 6.0 ka, respectively. Micropaleontological and stable isotopic data show that the surface-water salinities were reduced considerably during the deposition of both sapropel layers M2 and M1, and calculation using planktonic foraminiferal transfer functions shows that sea-surface temperatures were notably lower during these intervals. The presence of fauna and flora with Black Sea affinities and the absence of Mediterranean fauna and flora in sapropels M1 and M2 strongly suggest that communication existed with the Black Sea during these times. A benthic foraminiferal oxygen index shows that the onset of suboxic conditions in the Marmara Sea rapidly followed the establishment of fully marine conditions at ∼11-10.5 ka, and are attributed to Black Sea outflow into the Marmara Sea since 10.5 ka. These suboxic conditions have persisted to the present. The data discussed in this paper are completely at odds with the 'Flood Hypothesis' of Ryan et al. (1997), and Ryan and Pitman (1999). Crown",

keywords = "Black Sea, Marmara Sea, Sapropel, Sea-surface temperature and salinity, Stable isotopes",

author = "Aksu, \{A. E.\} and Hiscott, \{R. N.\} and Kaminski, \{M. A.\} and Mudie, \{P. J.\} and H. Gillespie and T. Abrajano and D. Ya{\c s}ar",

note = "Funding Information: We thank Prof. Dr. Erol Izdar, the Director of the Piri Reis Foundation for Maritime and Marine Resources Development and Education, and Prof. Dr. Orhan Uslu, the Director of the Institute of Marine Sciences and Technology, for their support and encouragement. We extend our special thanks to the officers and crew of the RV Koca Piri Reis for their assistance in data acquisition, in particular Captain Mehmet {\"O}zsaygılı and Chief Engineer {\"O}mer {\c C}ubuk. We acknowledge the assistance of Alison Pye in stable isotopic analyses. We acknowledge research funds from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to A.E.A. and R.N.H., ship-time funds from NSERC to A.E.A. and R.N.H., travel funds from the Dean of Science at MUN, and special grants from the Piri Reis Foundation for Maritime and Marine Resources Development and Education, Turkey. Simone Galeotti and Kay-Christian Emeis critically read the manuscript and provided many valuable comments. ",

year = "2002",

month = oct,

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doi = "10.1016/S0025-3227(02)00345-6",

language = "English",

volume = "190",

pages = "119--149",

journal = "Marine Geology",

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number = "1-2",

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T1 - Last glacial-Holocene paleoceanography of the Black Sea and Marmara Sea

T2 - Stable isotopic, foraminiferal and coccolith evidence

AU - Aksu, A. E.

AU - Hiscott, R. N.

AU - Kaminski, M. A.

AU - Mudie, P. J.

AU - Gillespie, H.

AU - Abrajano, T.

AU - Yaşar, D.

N1 - Funding Information: We thank Prof. Dr. Erol Izdar, the Director of the Piri Reis Foundation for Maritime and Marine Resources Development and Education, and Prof. Dr. Orhan Uslu, the Director of the Institute of Marine Sciences and Technology, for their support and encouragement. We extend our special thanks to the officers and crew of the RV Koca Piri Reis for their assistance in data acquisition, in particular Captain Mehmet Özsaygılı and Chief Engineer Ömer Çubuk. We acknowledge the assistance of Alison Pye in stable isotopic analyses. We acknowledge research funds from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to A.E.A. and R.N.H., ship-time funds from NSERC to A.E.A. and R.N.H., travel funds from the Dean of Science at MUN, and special grants from the Piri Reis Foundation for Maritime and Marine Resources Development and Education, Turkey. Simone Galeotti and Kay-Christian Emeis critically read the manuscript and provided many valuable comments.

PY - 2002/10/15

Y1 - 2002/10/15

N2 - Multi-proxy data and radiocarbon dates from several key cores from the Black Sea and Marmara Sea document a complex paleoceanographic history for the last ∼30 000 yr. The Marmara Sea was isolated from both the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea during glacial periods when global sea-level lowering subaerially exposed the shallow sills at the Straits of Bosphorus and Dardanelles (i.e. lake stage), and reconnected through both straits during interglacial periods, when rise of global sea level breached the shallow sills (i.e. gateway stage). Micropaleontological data show that during the 'lake stage' the surface-water masses in both the Marmara Sea and Black Sea became notably brackish; however, during the 'gateway stages' there was a low-salinity surface layer and normal marine water mass beneath. Two sapropel layers are identified in the Marmara Sea cores: sapropels M2 and M1 were deposited between ∼29.5 and 23.5 ka, and ∼10.5 and 6.0 ka, respectively. Micropaleontological and stable isotopic data show that the surface-water salinities were reduced considerably during the deposition of both sapropel layers M2 and M1, and calculation using planktonic foraminiferal transfer functions shows that sea-surface temperatures were notably lower during these intervals. The presence of fauna and flora with Black Sea affinities and the absence of Mediterranean fauna and flora in sapropels M1 and M2 strongly suggest that communication existed with the Black Sea during these times. A benthic foraminiferal oxygen index shows that the onset of suboxic conditions in the Marmara Sea rapidly followed the establishment of fully marine conditions at ∼11-10.5 ka, and are attributed to Black Sea outflow into the Marmara Sea since 10.5 ka. These suboxic conditions have persisted to the present. The data discussed in this paper are completely at odds with the 'Flood Hypothesis' of Ryan et al. (1997), and Ryan and Pitman (1999). Crown

AB - Multi-proxy data and radiocarbon dates from several key cores from the Black Sea and Marmara Sea document a complex paleoceanographic history for the last ∼30 000 yr. The Marmara Sea was isolated from both the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea during glacial periods when global sea-level lowering subaerially exposed the shallow sills at the Straits of Bosphorus and Dardanelles (i.e. lake stage), and reconnected through both straits during interglacial periods, when rise of global sea level breached the shallow sills (i.e. gateway stage). Micropaleontological data show that during the 'lake stage' the surface-water masses in both the Marmara Sea and Black Sea became notably brackish; however, during the 'gateway stages' there was a low-salinity surface layer and normal marine water mass beneath. Two sapropel layers are identified in the Marmara Sea cores: sapropels M2 and M1 were deposited between ∼29.5 and 23.5 ka, and ∼10.5 and 6.0 ka, respectively. Micropaleontological and stable isotopic data show that the surface-water salinities were reduced considerably during the deposition of both sapropel layers M2 and M1, and calculation using planktonic foraminiferal transfer functions shows that sea-surface temperatures were notably lower during these intervals. The presence of fauna and flora with Black Sea affinities and the absence of Mediterranean fauna and flora in sapropels M1 and M2 strongly suggest that communication existed with the Black Sea during these times. A benthic foraminiferal oxygen index shows that the onset of suboxic conditions in the Marmara Sea rapidly followed the establishment of fully marine conditions at ∼11-10.5 ka, and are attributed to Black Sea outflow into the Marmara Sea since 10.5 ka. These suboxic conditions have persisted to the present. The data discussed in this paper are completely at odds with the 'Flood Hypothesis' of Ryan et al. (1997), and Ryan and Pitman (1999). Crown

KW - Black Sea

KW - Marmara Sea

KW - Sapropel

KW - Sea-surface temperature and salinity

KW - Stable isotopes

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/0037107570

U2 - 10.1016/S0025-3227(02)00345-6

DO - 10.1016/S0025-3227(02)00345-6

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:0037107570

SN - 0025-3227

VL - 190

SP - 119

EP - 149

JO - Marine Geology

JF - Marine Geology

IS - 1-2

ER -

Last glacial-Holocene paleoceanography of the Black Sea and Marmara Sea: Stable isotopic, foraminiferal and coccolith evidence

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

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