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Oceanography in northwestern Europe during the last interglacial from intrashell δ18O ranges in Littorina Littorea gastropods

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Johan Burman  and
Tore Påsse
Johan Burman*
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, Marine Geology, University of Gothenburg, Box 460, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
Tore Påsse
Affiliation:
Swedish Geological Survey, Guldhedsgatan 5A, SE-413 20 Göteborg, Sweden
*
*Corresponding author. Fax: +46 31 786 19 86. E-mail address:johan@gvc.gu.se (J. Burman).
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Abstract

Coastal sea-surface temperature (SST) and sea-surface salinity (SSS), including seasonality, in northwest (NW) Europe during the early phase of the Eemian interglacial ca. 125 ka ago were reconstructed from Littorina littorea (common periwinkle) gastropods. The results were based on intra-annual δ18O analyses in recent and fossil shells, mainly originating from the sea of Kattegat (Sweden) and the English Channel (United Kingdom), and confined to intertidal settings. The Eemian L. littorea shells indicated annual SSTs in the range 8–18°C for the English Channel and 8–26°C for Kattegat. All specimens from the Eemian sites experienced summer SSTs of ca. 1–3°C above recent conditions. The estimated winter SST in the English Channel during the Eemian was comparable to modern measurements of ca. 8°C. However, the Kattegat region displayed Eemian winter SST approximately 8°C warmer than today, and similar to conditions in the western English Channel. The recent-fossil isotope analogue approach indicated high SSS above 35 practical salinity units (psu) for a channel south of England in full contact with the North Atlantic Ocean during the last interglacial. In addition, the Kattegat shells indicated a SSS of ca. 29 psu, which points out a North Sea affinity for this region during the Eemian.

Keywords

EemianLast interglacialOxygen isotopesSea-surface temperatureSea-surface salinitySeasonalityLittorina littoreaGastropod shells
Type
Original Articles
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 70 , Issue 1 , July 2008 , pp. 121 - 128
Copyright
University of Washington

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