Coupled changes in western South Atlantic carbon sequestration and particle reactive element cycling during millennial-scale Holocene climate variability

Continental shelves have the potential to remove atmospheric carbon dioxide via the biological pump, burying it in seafloor sediments. The efficiency of marine carbon sequestration changes rapidly due to variations in biological productivity, organic carbon oxidation, and burial rate. Here we present a high temporal resolution record of marine carbon sequestration changes from a western South Atlantic shelf site sensitive to Brazil Current-driven upwelling. The comparison of biological records to rare earth element (REE) patterns from authigenic oxides shows a strong relationship between higher biological productivity and stronger particle reactive element cycling (i.e. REE cycling) during rapid climate change events. This is the first evidence that authigenic oxides archive past changes in upper ocean REE cycling by the exported organic carbon. In addition, our data suggest that Brazil Current-driven upwelling varies on millennial-scales and in time with continental precipitation anomalies as registered in Brazilian speleothems during the Holocene. This indicates an ocean-atmosphere control on the biological pump, most probably related to South American monsoon system variability.

Automated summary

Continental shelves have the potential to remove atmospheric carbon dioxide through the biological pump, burying it in seafloor sediments. The efficiency of marine carbon sequestration is influenced by changes in biological productivity, organic carbon oxidation, and burial rate. The study shows a strong relationship between marine carbon sequestration changes and rare earth element patterns in authigenic oxides, suggesting a connection between higher biological productivity and stronger particle reactive element cycling during rapid climate change events.