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Glacial Paleoceanography off the Mouth of the Mekong River, Southern South China Sea, During the last 500 ka

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Qianyu Li ,
Fan Zheng ,
Muhong Chen ,
Rong Xiang ,
Peijun Qiao ,
Lei Shao  and
Xinrong Cheng
Qianyu Li*
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
Fan Zheng
Affiliation:
South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China
Muhong Chen
Affiliation:
South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China
Rong Xiang
Affiliation:
South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China
Peijun Qiao
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Lei Shao
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Xinrong Cheng
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
*
*Corresponding author. State Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China. Fax: +86 21 65988808.E-mail address:qli01@tongji.edu.cn (Q. Li).
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Abstract

We have analyzed core MD01-2392, ∽360 km east of the Mekong River mouth in the South China Sea (SCS). Over the past 500 ka, planktonic foraminiferal oxygen-isotopic values are consistently lighter than northern SCS and open-ocean records by up to 0.5‰, indicating the influence of run-off from the Mekong River during both glacial and interglacial periods. Carbonate content is higher during interglacials; sedimentation rates were higher during glacials. Increased sedimentation rates since 30 ka imply increased run-off during the last glacial maximum and Holocene Period. Contrary to general experience, in which it is classed as a warm species for temperature estimates, the thermocline-dwelling species Pulleniatina obliquiloculata increased its numbers during glacial periods. This implies an estuarine circulation and even brackish-water caps during glacial periods, reinforcing the sense of strong run-off. In an overall decline of warm water, the thermocline shoaled stepwise, with rapid rises across the glacial terminations. We infer that the southern SCS was opened to an influx of Indian Ocean waters through southern passages at those times of rising sea levels.

Keywords

Late Pleistocene–HoloceneGlacial cyclesPlanktonic foraminiferaThermoclineMonsoonsSouth China SeaMekong River mouth
Type
Original Articles
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 73 , Issue 3 , May 2010 , pp. 563 - 572
Copyright
University of Washington

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