Planktic and benthic 14C reservoir ages, calibrated by a suite of 14C plateaus in the glacial-to-deglacial Suigetsu atmospheric 14C record

We here present a compilation of planktic and benthic 14C reservoir ages for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and early deglacial from 11 key sites of global ocean circulation in the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific Ocean. The ages were obtained by 14C plateau tuning, a robust technique to derive both an absolute chronology for marine sediment records and a high-resolution record of changing reservoir/ventilation ages (Delta14C values) for surface and deep waters by comparing the suite of planktic 14C plateaus of a sediment record with that of the atmospheric 14C record (Sarnthein et al., 2007, doi:10.1029/173GM13). Results published thus far used as atmospheric 14C reference U/Th-dated corals, the Cariaco planktic record, and speleothems (Fairbanks et al., 2005, doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2005.04.007; Hughen et al., 2006, doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2006.03.014; Beck et al., 2001, doi:10.1023/A:1008175728826). We have now used the varve-counted atmospheric 14C record of Lake Suigetsu terrestrial macrofossils (Ramsey et al., 2012, doi:10.1126/science.1226660) to recalibrate the boundary ages and reservoir ages of the seven published records directly to an atmospheric 14C record. In addition, the results for four new cores and further planktic results for four published records are given. Main conclusions from the new compilation are: (1) The Suigetsu atmospheric 14C record on its varve counted time scale reflects all 14C plateaus, their internal structures and relative length previously identified, but implies a rise in the average 14C plateau age by 200-700 14C yr during LGM and early deglacial times. (2) Based on different 14C ages of coeval atmospheric and planktic 14C plateaus, marine surface water Delta14C may have temporarily dropped to an equivalent of ~0 yr in low-latitude lagoon waters, but reached >2500 14C yr both in stratified subpolar waters and in upwelled waters such as in the South China Sea. These values differ significantly from a widely assumed constant global planktic Delta14C value of 400 yr. (3) Suites of deglacial planktic Delta14C values are closely reproducible in 14C records measured at neighboring core sites. (4) Apparent deep-water 14C ventilation ages (equivalents of benthic Delta14C), deduced from the sum of planktic Delta14C and coeval benthic-planktic 14C differences, vary from 500 up to >5000 yr in LGM and deglacial ocean basins.

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Sarnthein, Michael, Balmer, Sven, Grootes, Pieter Meiert, Mudelsee, Manfred (2014). Dataset: Planktic and benthic 14C reservoir ages, calibrated by a suite of 14C plateaus in the glacial-to-deglacial Suigetsu atmospheric 14C record. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.837511

DOI retrieved: 2014

Additional Info

Field Value
Imported on November 29, 2024
Last update November 29, 2024
License CC-BY-3.0
Source https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.837511
Author Sarnthein, Michael
Given Name Michael
Family Name Sarnthein
More Authors
Balmer, Sven
Grootes, Pieter Meiert
Mudelsee, Manfred
Source Creation 2014
Publication Year 2014
Resource Type application/zip - filename: Sarnthein_2014
Subject Areas
Name: Geophysics

Related Identifiers
Title: Planktic and benthic 14C reservoir ages for three ocean basins, calibrated by a suite of 14C plateaus in the glacial-to-deglacial Suigetsu atmospheric 14C record
Identifier: https://doi.org/10.2458/azu_rc.57.17916
Type: DOI
Relation: IsSupplementTo
Year: 2015
Source: Radiocarbon
Authors: Sarnthein Michael , Balmer Sven , Grootes Pieter Meiert , Mudelsee Manfred .

Title: (Table 1) Core locations, 14C reservoir ages, and data sources
Identifier: hdl:10013/epic.44297.d001
Type: DOI
Relation: References

Title: Software code in FORTRAN77/90, Gasser Müller Kernel smoothing
Identifier: hdl:10013/epic.44297.d002
Type: DOI
Relation: References