Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-vvkck Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T19:40:16.690Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Fluctuations in Terrestrial–Marine Environments in the Western Equatorial Pacific during the Late Pleistocene

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Hodaka Kawahata ,
Rena Maeda  and
Hideaki Ohshima
Hodaka Kawahata
Affiliation:
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8567, Japan, E-mail: h.kawahata@aist.go.jp
Rena Maeda
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8578, Japan
Hideaki Ohshima
Affiliation:
Palynosurvey Co. Ltd. Fujioka, Gunma, 375-0011, Japan
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Large heat storage capacity in the western equatorial Pacific has played an important role in modulating global climate. The fluctuation in pollen and spore abundances, together with organic matter (OM) and lithogenics sedimentation, was investigated to reconstruct terrestrial and marine environmental change around New Guinea during the Late Pleistocene. Although appreciable contribution from Indonesian Maritime Continent was expected, the majority of the pollen and spore grains found in core C4402 was transported from New Guinea. Fern spores accounted for 70% (46–90%) of the total pollens and spores. Positive correlation between lithogenic content and the relative abundance of fern spores suggests that lithogenics could be derived from coastal lowland.

The mass accumulation rate (MAR) of pollen and spores varied from 44 to 7,031×10−3 grains cm−2 yr−1 with maxima in oxygen isotope stages (OIS) 2, 3, 4, and around the OIS 4/5 boundary. Less rainfall during glacial times generally enhanced transport of pollen by wind to Site C4402. Their scavenging from the water column was promoted by high activity of the biological pump. Pollen record from core C4402 suggests that lower montane group vegetation was dominant relative to lowland vegetation and upper and mid-montane group during glacial times. Although appreciable contribution by terrestrial OM is expected from high correlation of MAR between organic carbon (OC) and pollen and spores, fairly low COrganic/N ratios and δ13C values (around −20‰) of OM demonstrate that OM in core C4402 is mainly of marine origin.

Keywords

terrestrial–marine environmentspollen and sporesvegetationwestern equatorial PacificNew GuineaIndonesiathe late Pleistocene
Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 57 , Issue 1 , January 2002 , pp. 71 - 81
Copyright
University of Washington

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Barmawidjaja, B.M., Rohling, E.J., van der Kaars, W.A., Vergnaud, Grazzini C., and Zachariasse, W.J. Glacial conditions in the northern Molluca Sea region (Indonesia). Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology 101, (1993). 147–167.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bjerknes, J. Atmospheric teleconnections from the equatorial Pacific. Monthly Weather Review 97, (1969). 163–172.2.3.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Broecker, W.S. Oxygen isotope constraints on surface ocean temperatures. Quaternary Research 26, (1986). 121–134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Science 191, (1976). 1131–1137.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CLIMAP Project Members, (1981). Seasonal reconstruction of the Earth's surface at the last glacial maximum. Geological Society of America Map and Chart Series, 36.Google Scholar
Deines, P. The isotopic composition of reduced organic carbon. Fritz, P., and Fontes, J.C. Handbook of Environmental Geochemistry, Vol. 11. (1980). New York, Elsevier. 239–406.Google Scholar
Duce, R.A., Liss, P.S., Merrill, J.T., Atlas, E.L., Buat-Menard, P., Hicks, B.B., Miller, J.M., Prospero, J.M., Arimoto, R., Church, T.M., Elis, W., Galloway, J.N., Hansen, L., Jickells, T.D., Knap, A.H., Reinhardt, K.H., Schneier, B., Aoudine, A., Tokos, J.J., Tsunogai, S., Wollat, R., and Zhou, M. The atmospheric input of trace species to the world ocean. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 5, (1991). 193–259.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hantoro, W.S. Quaternary sea level variations in the Pacific-Indian Ocean gateways: Response and impact. Quaternary International 37, (1997). 73–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hedges, J.I., and Parker, P.L. Land-derived organic matter in surface sediments from the Gulf of Mexico. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 40, (1976). 1019–1029.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hedges, J.I., Clark, W.A., Quay, P.D., Richey, J.E., Devol, A.H., and Santos, U.M. Compositions and fluxes of particulate material in the Amazon River. Limonology Oceanography 31, (1986). 717–738.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hope, G.S. The vegetational history of Mt. Wilhelm, Papua New Guinea. Journal of Ecology 64, (1976). 627–664.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hope, G.S. The vegetation changes of the last 20,000 years at Telfomin, PNG. Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography 4, (1983). 25–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hope, G.S., and Golson, J. Late Quaternary change in the mountains of New Guinea. Antiquity 69, (1995). 818–830.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hope, G.S., Gillieson, D., and Head, J. A comparison of sedimentation and environmental change in New Guinea shallow lakes. Journal of Biogeography 15, (1988). 603–618.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hope, G.S., Golson, J., and Allen, F.J. Palaeoecology and prehistory in New Guinea. Journal of Human Evolution 12, (1983). 37–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ikehara, K. (1998). Fluctuation in paleoclimate in the Japan Sea and surrounding areas.. In Environmental study by Geological Survey of Japan Nishimura, A. Eds., pp. 59–64. Geological Survey of Japan, Ibaraki, Japan., (in Japanese).Google Scholar
Imai, N., Terashima, S., Itoh, S., and Ando, A. 1994 compilation of analytical data for minor and trace elements in seventeen GSJ geochemical reference samples, “Igneous rock series”. Geostandards Newsletter 19, (1995). 135–213.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johns, R. J. (1982). Plant zonation.. In Biogeography and Ecology of New Guinea (Monogr, Biol., 42) Gressitt, J. L., Ed., pp. 309–330. Junk, The Hague, .CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kawahata, H., Ahagon, N., and Eguchi, N. Carbonate preservation variation in the deep sea of the Caroline Basin during the last 300 kyr. Geochemical Journal 31, (1997). 85–103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kawahata, H. Fluctuations in the ocean environment within the Western Pacific Warm Pool during Late Pleistocene. Paleoceanography 14, (1999). 639–652.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kawahata, H., and Eguchi, N. Biogenic sediments in the Eauripic Rise of the equatorial western Pacific during the last 265 kyr. Geochemical Journal 30, (1996). 201–215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kawahata, H., and Eguchi, N. Palaeoproductivity in the North Fiji Basin during the late Pleistocene. Journal of Oceanography 53, (1997). 355–364.Google Scholar
Kawahata, H., and Murayama, M. Radiocarbon of settling particles from the hemipelagic region. Nuclear Instruments and Methods B 172, (2000). 485–489.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kawahata, H., Suzuki, A., and Ahagon, N. Biogenic sediments in the West Caroline Basin, the western equatorial Pacific during the last 330 kyr. Marine Geology 149, (1998). 155–176.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kawahata, H., Suzuki, A., and Ohta, H. Export fluxes in the Western Pacific Warm Pool. Deep-Sea Research I 47, (2000). 2061–2091.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kawahata, H., Yamamuro, M., and Ohta, H. Seasonal and vertical variations of sinking particle fluxes in the West Caroline Basin. Oceanologica Acta 21, (1998). 521–532.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kershaw, A.P. Pleistocene vegetation of the humid tropics of northeastern Queensland, Australia. Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology 109, (1994). 399–412.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lindstrom, E. J., Butt, R., Lukas, R., and Godfrey, S. (1990). The flow through Vitiaz Strait and St. George's Channel, Papua New Guinea.. In The physical Oceanography of Sea Straits Pratt, L. J., Ed., pp. 171–189. Kluwer Academic, Dordtrecht.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lindstrom, E., Lukas, R., Fine, R., Firing, E., Godfrey, S., Meyers, G., and Tsuchiya, M. The western equatorial Pacific Ocean Circulation study. Nature 330, (1987). 533–537.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lukas, R., and Lindstrom, E. The mixed layer of the western equatorial Pacific Ocean. Journal of Geophysical Research 96, (1991). 3343–3357.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mackey, D.J., Parslow, J., Higgins, H.W., Griffiths, F.B., and O'Sullivan, J.E. Plankton productivity and biomass in the western equatorial Pacific: biological and physical controls. Deep-Sea Research I 42, (1995). 499–533.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mackey, D.J., Parslow, J., Griffiths, F.B., Higgins, H.W., and Tilbrook, B. Phytoplankton productivity and the carbon cycle in the western equatorial Pacific under El Nino and non-El Nino conditions. Deep-Sea Research II 44, (1997). 1951–1978.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mackey, D.J., Higgins, H.W., Mackey, M.D., and Holdsworth, D. Algal class abundances in he western equatorial Pacific: Estimation from HPLC measurements of chloroplast pigments using CHEMTAX. Deep-Sea Research II 45, (1998). 1441–1468.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martinez, J.I., De Deckker, P., and Chivas, A. New estimates for salinity changes in the Western Pacific Warm Pool during the last glacial maximum: Oxygen isotope evidence. Marine Micropaleontology 32, (1997). 311–340.Google Scholar
Matsushita, M. Palynological researches of surface sediments in the Harima Nada, Seto Inland Sea—Behavior of pollen grains and spores. Quaternary Research 21, (1982). 15–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meyers, G., Douguy, J.R., and Reed, R.K. Evaporative cooling of the western equatorial Pacific by anomalous winds. Nature 323, (1986). 523–526.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nishimura, A., Ikehara, K., Yamazaki, T., Oshima, H., Mizota, C., and Ioka, N. Terrigenous influence on late Pleistocene deep-sea sediments of the West Caroline Basin, Western Pacific. EOS Transactions 75, (1994). 349 Google Scholar
Nittrouer, C.A., and Brunskill, G.J. The gateway for terrestrial material entering the ocean. EOS Transactions 75, (1994). 191–192.Google Scholar
Ohkouchi, N., Kawamura, K., Nakamura, T., and Taira, A. Small changes in the sea surface temperature during the last 20,000 years: Molecular evidence from the western tropical Pacific. Geophysical Research Letters 20, (1994). 2207–2210.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rau, G.H., Takahashi, T., and Des Marais, D.J. Latitudinal variations in plankton δ13C: Implications for CO2 and productivity in past oceans. Nature 341, (1989). 516–518.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rind, D., and Pettet, D. Terrestrial conditions at the last glacial maximum and CLIMAP sea-surface temperature estimates: Are they consistent?. Quaternary Research 24, (1985). 1–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salomons, W., and Mook, W.G. Field observations of the isotope composition of particulate organic carbon in the southern North Sea and adjacent estuaries. Marine Geology 41, (1981). M11–M20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tan, F.C., and Strain, O.M. Organic carbon isotope ratios in recent sediments in the St. Lawrence Estuary and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Esturine Coastal Marine Science 8, (1979). 213–225.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, B.W. The classification of lowland swamp communities in NE Papua. Ecology 40, (1959). 703–711.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, S.R. Abundance of chemical elements in the continental crust: A new table. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 28, (1964). 1273–1285.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tchernia, P. (1980). Descriptive Regional Oceanography. Oxford, Pergamon Press.Google Scholar
Thunell, R., Anderson, D., Gellar, D., and Miao, Q. Sea-surface temperature estimates for the tropical western Pacific during the last glaciation and their implications for the Pacific Warm Pool. Quaternary Research 1, (1994). 255–264.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tsuchiya, M., Lukas, R., Fine, R.A., Firing, E., and Lindstrom, E. Source waters of the Pacific equatorial undercurrent. Progress in Oceanography 23, (1989). 101–147.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van der Kaars, W.A. Palynology of eastern Indonesian marine piston-cores: A late Quaternary vegetational and climatic record for Australasia. Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology 85, (1991). 239–302.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van der Kaars, W.A. Marine and terrestrial pollen records of the last glacial cycle from the Indonesian region: Bandung basin and Banda Sea. Palaeoclimates: Data and Modeling 4, (1997). 1–11.Google Scholar
van der Kaars, W.A., and Dam, M.A.C. Vegetation and climate change in West Java, Indonesia during the last 135,000 years. Quaternary International 37, (1997). 67–71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van der Kaars, W.A., Wang, X., Kershaw, P., Guichard, F., and Setiabudi, D.A. A late Quaternary palaeoecological record from the Banda Sea, Indonesia: Patterns of vegetation, climate and biomass burning in Indonesia and northern Australia. Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology 155, (2000). 135–153.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Waveren, I.M. Palynofacies analysis of surface sediments from the northeastern Banda Sea (Indonesia). Netherlands Journal of Sea Research 24, (1989). 501–509.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walker, D., and Flenley, J.R. Late Quaternary vegetation history of the Enga Province of upland Papua New Guinea. Transactions. Royal Society of London, B. 286, (1979). 265–344.Google Scholar
Webster, P., and Streten, N. Late Quaternary ice age climates of tropical Australasia, interpretation and reconstruction. Quaternary Research 10, (1978). 279–309.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yamazaki, T., and Ioka, N. Long-term secular variation of the geomagnetic field during the last 200 kyr recorded in sediment cores from the western equatorial Pacific. Earth Planetary Science Letters 128, (1994). 527–544.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yan, X.-H., Ho, C.-R., Zheng, Q., and Klemas, V. Temperature and size variabilities of the Western Pacific Warm Pool. Science 258, (1992). 1643–1645.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed