Journal
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
Volume 42, Issue 12, Pages 4878-4887Publisher
AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION
DOI: 10.1002/2015GL064215
Keywords
thermocline; Mg; Ca; Pliocene
Categories
Funding
- National Science Foundation [OCE-623419, OCE-1204254]
- Directorate For Geosciences [1204254] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Division Of Ocean Sciences [1204254] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
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The tropical Pacific thermocline strength, depth, and tilt are critical to tropical mean state and variability. During the early Pliocene (similar to 3.5 to 4.5Ma), the Eastern Equatorial Pacific (EEP) thermocline was deeper and the cold tongue was warmer than today, which resulted in a mean state with a reduced zonal sea surface temperature gradient or El Padre. However, it is unclear whether the deep thermocline was a local feature of the EEP or a basin-wide condition with global implications. Our measurements of Mg/Ca of Globorotalia tumida in a western equatorial Pacific site indicate Pliocene subsurface temperatures warmer than today; thus, El Padre included a basin-wide thermocline that was relatively warm, deep, and weakly tilted. At similar to 4Ma, thermocline steepening was coupled to cooling of the cold tongue. Since similar to 4Ma, the basin-wide thermocline cooled/shoaled gradually, with implications for thermocline feedbacks in tropical dynamics and the interpretation of TEX86-derived temperatures.
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