Freshening, stratification and deep-water formation in the Nordic Seas during marine isotope stage 11

The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) is a critical element of Earth's climate system and it is currently weakening. While this weakening is frequently explained by freshwater-driven disruptions to deep-water formation, uncertainties about the impacts of prolonged freshening limit our capacity to predict its future state. For example, during the warm and unusually long marine isotope stage (MIS) 11 interglacial, similar to 424 to 374 ka, several lines of evidence suggest that a strong AMOC persisted concomitant with fresher-than-present conditions in the Nordic Seas, challenging our current understanding of deep-water formation. Here, we present new foraminifer-bound Nitrogen isotopes in the ocean data along with multiple additional geochemical reconstructions of upper-ocean hydrography in the Nordic Seas during this anomalous interval. Our data suggest that a weak summer stratification was driven by the prolonged upper-ocean accumulation of freshwater beginning at the onset of the climatic optimum, similar to 410 to 407 ka, which could have helped precondition the region for deep-water formation. A box model constrained by paleo-proxy data additionally suggests that the density gradient between the subpolar North Atlantic and Nordic Seas was favorable for the onset of deep-water formation in the Nordic Seas during the climatic optimum. It is thus likely that the Nordic Seas became a locus of deep-water formation around this time. Enhanced northern-hemisphere heating driven by deep-water formation in the Nordic Seas may have been important for delaying glacial conditions, thereby driving the extended warming characteristic of MIS 11. Such findings may also be relevant for near-future changes under a relatively fresher high-latitude North Atlantic. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The weakening of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) is a critical element of Earth's climate system with uncertainties about the impacts of freshwater-driven disruptions to deep-water formation. Evidence suggests that a strong AMOC persisted during anomalous intervals in the past, challenging current understanding. Enhanced northern-hemisphere heating driven by deep-water formation in the Nordic Seas during warm periods like MIS 11 may have delayed glacial conditions, contributing to extended warming. Such findings may be relevant for near-future changes under a relatively fresher high-latitude North Atlantic.