Pleistocene variations of beryllium isotopes in central Arctic Ocean sediment cores

• Neogene marine sediments can be dated via decay of the cosmogenic radionuclide 10Be. Two cores from theAlpha and Mendeleev Ridges in the Arctic Ocean have been analyzed for seawater-derived beryllium (Be)isotopes in order to date the sediments and to calculate sedimentation rates. The decrease of 10Be concentrationin the cores was used to calculate first order sedimentation rates. To eliminate the dilution effect of berylliumcaused by short-term changes in sedimentation rate and grain size, the 10Be concentrationswere normalized tothe terrigenous stable isotope 9Be determined in the same sample aliquot. The measured 10Be concentrationsyield low average sedimentation rates for the Alpha and Mendeleev Ridges of 2.3 mm ka−1 and 2.7 mm ka−1,respectively. Sedimentation rates calculated from the 10Be/9Be ratios result in similarly low values, rangingfrom 0.2 to 6.8 mm ka−1 for the Alpha Ridge core and from 1.9 to 6.9 mm ka−1 for the Mendeleev Ridge core.However, amino acid racemization dating for the past 150 ka of a core adjacent to the Mendeleev Ridge corestudied here indicates significantly higher sedimentation rates than calculated from the downcore decreaseof 10Be and 10Be/9Be. If such higher rates also prevailed at the locations of our cores, for which there isbiostratigraphic evidence, either the supply of 10Be was much lower than assumed or that of 9Be was muchhigher. This could imply that the signature of the deepwaters in this part of the Arctic Ocean compared to todaywas largely different for most of the past approximately one million years with a significantly lower 10Be/9Beratio. Our study also addresses the variability of beryllium isotopes in sediment cores across the Arctic Oceanthrough a comparison of previously published results. Calculated 10Be fluxes reveal low values in the AmerasianBasin and highest values in the Eurasian Basin, near the Fram Strait. The decrease of Be isotopes in the twostudied Amerasian Basin cores may thus have been caused by environmental factors such as significantlyreduced inflow of Atlantic waters in the past, reduced input of 10Be and/or increased input of 9Be from theshelves, combined with a more efficient sea ice shielding in this part of the Arctic Ocean.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Geologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Geology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Sedimentology

Sedimentologi

Geology

geologi

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