Nannofossil, opal phytolith, stable isotopes and Uk'37 Sea Surface Temperature record from ODP Hole 161-977A during the MIS 11

A high-resolution study of the MIS 12/MIS 11 transition and the MIS 11 (430 to 376 kyr) coccolithophore assemblages at Ocean Drilling Program Site 977 was conducted to reconstruct the paleoceanographic and climatic changes in the Alboran Sea from the variability in surface water conditions. The nannofossil record was integrated with the planktonic oxygen and carbon stable isotopes, the Uk'37 Sea Surface Temperature (SST), and at the opal phytolith content at the studied site during the investigated interval. The comparison suggests an association of the upwelling dynamics with the variability of the North Atlantic Oscillation-like (NAO-like) phase. Overall, the results provide evidences of the important role of atmospheric circulation patterns in the North Atlantic region for controlling phytoplankton primary production and oceanographic circulation dynamics in the Western Mediterranean during MIS 11.