A comprehensive theory explaining the relationship between periodic variations in the Earths orbital parameters and the response of the climate system remains elusive. One of the key challenges is that of the Mid-Pleistocene Transition (MPT), during which the dominant mode of glacial/interglacial climatic variability shifted without any corresponding change in the mode of orbital forcing. Subtropical climate on orbital time-scales is sensitive to variability in both the low-latitude ocean/atmosphere circulation regime and the global carbon-cycle (through its effect on atmospheric greenhouse gas levels), both of which may have played a role in the shift in mode of global climate response to orbital forcing during the MPT. This thesis presents a series of multi-proxy (foraminiferal stable isotope and trace-metal) paleoceanographic reconstructions from the subtropical southwest Pacific, as seen in marine sediment core MD06-3018, from 2470m water depth and 23ºS in the New Caledonia Trough, southern Coral Sea. The core age-model, based upon magnetic stratigraphy and orbital tuning, yields a mean sedimentation rate at the site of 20mm/ka and a core-bottom age of 1600ka. The MD06-3018 reconstruction of New Caledonia Trough deep water chemistry, based on benthic 13C measurements, shows that the spatial chemistry gradient within the Southern Ocean between deep waters entering the Tasman Sea and the open Pacific was greater during glacial (relative to interglacial) stages over at least the past 1100ka. This gradient was, however, generally reduced on the >100kyr time-scale across the MPT, consistent with it being a period of reduced deep water ventilation in both hemispheres. The MD06-3018 Mg/Ca-derived reconstruction of subtropical southwest Pacific Sea Surface Temperature (SST) shows glacial/interglacial variability of 2-3ºC but no significant trends on the >100kyr time-scale over the duration of the record. An estimate of the uncertainty associated with the SST reconstruction demonstrates that no significant changes in reconstructed southern Coral Sea mean-annual SST can be identified between interglacial stages across the MPT. It is, therefore, unlikely that regional climatic change constituted the main cause for the observed middle Pleistocene expansion of coral reef systems. The >100kyr time-scale stability of southern Coral Sea SST means that the position of the southern boundary of the Pacific warm pool has also been stable over at least the past 1500ka. Comparison with other low-latitude Pacific reconstructions shows that the early Pleistocene warm pool was consequently more hemispherically asymmetric than its present configuration, with the latter being established by ~1000ka and implying significant changes in meridional atmospheric heat and moisture fluxes prior to the MPT. On orbital time-scales, the SST reconstruction shows a clear shift from dominant 40kyr to 100kyr modes of variability over the MPT, although significant 40kyr structure is also retained into the middle/late Pleistocene. In contrast, reconstructed hydrological cycle variability (based on coupled 18O-Mg/Ca measurements) shows only limited coherence with the obliquity cycle and a stronger relationship with the precession cycle. The decoupling of the reconstructed subtropical SST and hydrological cycle responses places constraints on the extent of orbitally paced fluctuations in the low-latitude ocean/atmosphere system. Instead, comparison of the MD06-3018 SST reconstruction with others from across the lowlatitude Pacific supports a dominant role for greenhouse gas forcing in low-latitude western Pacific glacial/interglacial SST variability across the Pleistocene. The subtropical multi-proxy climate reconstructions presented here show that the timing and sense of long-term (>100kyr time-scale) changes in the low-latitude ocean/atmosphere circulation regime are consistent with that system having been important in the expansion of northern hemisphere ice-volume during the early part of the MPT. However, the subtropical reconstructions also suggest that neither the low-latitude ocean/atmosphere circulation system nor the global carbon-cycle underwent a fundamental change in mode of response to orbital forcing during the transition. Instead, the origin of the 100kyr glacial/interglacial mode was most likely related to thresholds in the dynamics of the expanding northern hemisphere icesheets, leading in turn to the existence of significant inter-hemispheric asymmetry in the orbital time-scale climate response over the middle/late Pleistocene. Summary for Non-Specialists. Over the past five million years of its history, the Earths climate has undergone a series of regular, or nearly regular, fluctuations between warmer and colder states. These fluctuations take tens to hundreds of thousands of years to occur and are known as the ‘glacial/interglacial cycles’ on account of the associated changes in ice-sheet extent in the high-latitudes. The origin of these cycles is widely held to be the regular variations in form of the Earths orbit around the sun. In spite of decades of research, however, no complete ‘orbital theory of climate’ exists, mainly because the patterns of past climate variability, as reconstructed using ‘proxies’ for variables such as surface temperature, is much more complex than that of the orbital variations themselves. It follows that processes within the Earth system, especially those associated with large ice-sheets, the carbon-cycle and the ocean circulation system, act to substantially modify the climate response to the orbital variations. Over the past ten years, new observations from both ice-cores and low-latitude marine sediment cores have suggested that the dominant system(s) involved in setting the Earths response to the orbital variations may potentially be the carboncycle and/or the low-latitude ocean/atmosphere circulation regime rather than highlatitude ice-sheet dynamics, as was generally supposed previously. If this new view is correct, it has profound implications for the general sensitivity of the climate to the carbon-cycle on a range of time-scales - making its evaluation a scientific objective of considerable current importance. This thesis presents a series of reconstructions of aspects of climate and carbon-cycle variability for the subtropical southwest Pacific, as based on proxy measurements in a marine sediment core than spans the past 1,600,000 years at around 5000 year resolution. The key focus is on an interval called the ‘Mid- Pleistocene Transition’, during which time the mode of glacial/interglacial variability changed, indicating a fundamental change in one or more aspects of the response to the orbital forcing. The study site is well placed to investigate variability in both the carbon-cycle and low-latitude ocean circulation over the climatic transition as it lies between the Southern Ocean, a key source of carbon-cycle variability and the equatorial Pacific, where the modern El-Niño system arises. By characterizing variability in these systems, the potential role played by both systems in causing the change in mode of glacial/interglacial variability can be evaluated. The key findings of the thesis are that; firstly, changes in the long-term state of the low-latitude ocean circulation system may well have been important for the expansion of northern hemisphere ice-sheets during the early part of the Mid- Pleistocene Transition. Secondly, it provides further support for a close connection between variability in the carbon-cycle and low-latitude climate on orbital timescales but suggests that there is no clear evidence for either system undergoing a fundamental change in sensitivity to the orbital forcing during the transition.

Uma abordagem multiproxy [n-alcanos, alquenonas, n-alcanóis, esteróis, carbono orgânico total (COT) e δ13C] foi utilizada em amostras de testemunho sedimentar de alta resolução para avaliar variações paleoclimáticas e paleoceanográficas na região da Plataforma Continental de Sudeste do Brasil ao longo do Holoceno Tardio. O modelo de idade, obtido através da análise de 14C, demonstrou que o testemunho representa os últimos 2900 anos. A partir dos marcadores, principalmente os moleculares orgânicos, foi possível observar quatro diferentes fases ao longo do testemunho, com eventos característicos de cada fase. A primeira fase, entre a base do testemunho e 1800 anos antes do presente (AP), apresentou as concentrações mais altas de marcadores moleculares terrígenos, valores mais altos de COT e da taxa de sedimentação, além de apresentar um aumento nos valores da temperatura da superfície do mar (TSM). Com isso, essa fase foi relacionada a um regime pluviométrico mais intenso no continente adjacente provavelmente relacionado ao dipolo de temperatura entre os oceanos Atlântico nordeste e sudoeste e mudanças na intensidade da Zona de Convergência do Atlântico Sul (ZCAS), influenciado principalmente pela frequência de eventos El Niño Oscilação Sul (ENOS) e deslocamento da Zona de Convergência Intertropical (ZCIT) para regiões mais ao sul. A segunda fase, entre 1800 e 1600 AP, foi associado a um período de regime hidrodinâmico mais intenso, com um meandramento mais vigoroso da Corrente do Brasil (CB), dificultando a deposição de sedimentos finos na região e causando os percentuais mais altos da fração areia nesse período. A terceira fase, entre 1600 e 600 anos AP, foi caracterizada por uma mudança do aporte regional de material terrígeno proveniente de regiões mais ao sul da área de coleta do testemunho, provavelmente Rio da Prata, e transportado pela Corrente Costeira do Brasil (CCB), indicado pela presença dos marcadores moleculares e pela diminuição da TSM. A quarta fase, entre 600 anos AP e o topo do testemunho, apresentou um aumento gradual de marcadores marinhos e diminuição mais acentuada da TSM. Esse comportamento está relacionado a intensificação dos eventos de ressurgência na região entre a Ilha de São Sebastião e Cabo Frio, causada por regimes de vento NE e pela formação de meandros da CB. Os períodos correspondentes aos eventos Medieval Climate Change e Little Ice Age não apresentaram variações dos marcadores ou da TSM no testemunho analisado. / A multiproxy approach [n-alkanes, alkenones, n-alkanols, sterols, total organic carbon (TOC) and δ13C] was used in samples of a high resolution sediment core to evaluate paleoclimatic and paleoceanographic variations in the continental shelf region of Southeastern Brazil along the Late Holocene. The age model, obtained through the 14C analysis, demonstrated that the core represents the last 2900 years. Using the markers, especially the organic molecular ones, it was possible to observe four different phases along the core, with characteristic events of each phase. The first phase, between the base of the core and 1800 years before present (BP), presented the highest concentrations of terrigenous molecular markers, the highest values of TOC and sedimentation rate, in addition to an increase in the sea surface temperature (SST) values. This phase was related to a more intense pluviometric regime in the adjacent continent, probably related to the temperature dipole between the northeast and southwest Atlantic oceans and changes in the South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ) intensity, mainly influenced by the frequency of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events and displacement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) to more southern regions. The second phase, between 1800 and 1600 BP, was associated to a more intense hydrodynamic period, with a more vigorous meander of the Brazilian Current (BC), making the deposition of fine sediments difficult in the region and causing the highest percentages of the sand fraction in this period. The third phase, between 1600 and 600 years BP, was characterized by a change in the regional supply of terrigenous material, where it would come from regions further south from the sampling core area, probably Rio de la Plata, and transported by Brazilian Coastal Current (BCC), indicated by the presence of molecular markers and decreased of SST. The fourth phase, between 600 years AP and the top of the core, showed a gradual increase of marine markers and a more pronounced decrease of SST. These results are related to the intensification of resurgence events in the region between São Sebastião Island and Cabo Frio, caused by NE wind regimes and CB meander formation. The periods corresponding to the events Medieval Climate Change and Little Ice Age did not present variations of the markers or the SST in the analyzed core.

Proxies geoquímicos (n-alcanos, alquenonas, GDGTs, δ13C, Fe/Ca e Ti/Ca), obtidos em amostras de um testemunho sedimentar, foram utilizados para avaliar as mudanças paleoclimáticas e paleoceanográficas na região da Plataforma Continental de São Sebastião ao longo do Holoceno Tardio. O modelo de idade, obtido através da análise conjunta dos métodos de 210Pb e 14C, demonstrou que testemunho aqui estudado cobre os últimos 1500 anos. A avaliação dos marcadores terrígenos permitiu a identificação das mudanças na drenagem e erosão continental, as quais estão relacionadas às alterações no regime de precipitação do continente adjacente. Variações ao longo do tempo na temperatura da superfície do mar foram relacionadas às mudanças no regime de ventos predominante, os quais são responsáveis por um aumento ou uma redução da frequência dos eventos de ressurgência. Já as mudanças nos valores de temperatura de subsuperfície foram relacionadas com a entrada e saída da Água Central do Atlântico Sul próxima às regiões costeiras, e com os processos de mistura na coluna d\'água. As variações na temperatura média do ar (TMA), por sua vez, provavelmente estiveram relacionadas com mudanças na irradiação total solar. Períodos representados pelos valores mais elevados de TMA correspondem aos períodos de máxima irradiação solar conhecidos como Máxima Medieval (1100 a 1250 DC) e Máxima Moderna (1950 - presente) e o período representado pelos menores valores de TMA coincide com o período de mínima solar conhecido como Spörer. Além disso, foi possível observar uma redução na entrada de material terrígeno para a plataforma continental durante a Anomalia Climática Medieval. Em contrapartida, o período que corresponde a Pequena Era do Gelo foi caracterizado por um aumento da contribuição terrígena. No geral, foi possível observar que o gradiente de temperatura da superfície do mar entre o Oceano Atlântico Norte e o Atlântico Sul parece desempenhar um papel importante desencadeando ou amplificando as mudanças climáticas observados nos trópicos. Este dipolo de temperatura pode ocasionar mudanças na posição da Zona de Convergência Intertropical e no regime de ventos predominantes, que por sua vez irão influenciar, direta e indiretamente, nas mudanças na circulação marinha de superfície e no regime de chuvas da região. / Geochemical proxies (n-alkanes, alkenones, GDGTs, δ13C, Fe / Ca and Ti / Ca) were used to evaluate the paleoclimatic and paleoceanographic changes in the Continental Shelf of São Sebastião during the Late Holocene. The age model, obtained through the combined analyses of 210Pb and 14C methods, indicated that the core used in this study covers the last 1500 years. Variations in the sea surface temperature may be related to changes in the prevailing winds, which in turn are responsible for an increase or reduction in the frequency of the upwelling events. Changes in subsurface temperature values can be related to the presence of the South Atlantic Central Water near the coastal regions, and the mixing processes in the water column. Changes in mean air temperature (MAT), in turn, are probably related to fluctuations in total solar radiation, since periods represented by higher values of MAT correspond to the periods of maximum solar irradiation known as Medieval (1100-1250 AD) and Modern Maximum (1950 - present). While the period represented by the lower MAT values can be linked to the solar minimum period known as Spörer. The evaluation of terrigenous markers allowed the identification of variations in the drainage and continental erosion, which in turn are related to changes in the precipitation of the adjacent continent. Furthermore, the Medieval Climate Anomaly was characterized by a decrease in the terrigenous input, while the Little Ice Age could be characterized as a period of increased terrestrial contribution. Overall, it was observed that the sea surface temperature gradient between the North Atlantic and the South Atlantic Oceans appears to play an important role in triggering or amplifying climate change observed in the tropics. This temperature dipole can cause changes in the position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and the direction of prevailing winds, which in turn will influence, directly and indirectly, the marine circulation and the rainfall.

A Margem Equatorial Brasileira (MEB) é uma área de extrema importância para os estudos paleoceanográficos e paleoclimáticos do Atlântico Equatorial, mas que ainda possui um vasto campo para pesquisa. Este trabalho visa aprimorar a compreensão desta importante região, fornecendo uma interpretação paleoceanográfica para a evolução sedimentar das Bacias do Ceará e de Barreirinhas no Cenozoico, a partir de uma análise sismoestratigráfica. Foram analisadas linhas de sísmica multicanal e informações de poços de exploração petrolífera para a construção de um modelo de evolução deposicional para as duas bacias. Este modelo foi criado a partir da análise dos registros sísmicos e de técnicas de sismoestratigrafia e mapeamento de horizontes. Como resultados, identificaram-se cinco marcadores cronoestratigráficos e definiram-se duas fases distintas: (1) o Paleógeno e (2) o Neógeno + Quaternário. Durante o Paleógeno, a sedimentação passa a ter maior influência oceânica, com a sedimentação de desenvolvendo em um clima quente e úmido, e ainda controlada por uma circulação de superfície e de fundo ainda muito restritas. Durante o Neógeno e Quaternário, a Corrente Norte do Brasil (CNB) e a Corrente de Contorno Oeste Profunda passaram a atuar efetivamente na MEB, remobilizando os sedimentos e erodindo os depósitos de águas profundas. Durante este período, foi também possível identificar o efeito das variações climáticas no aporte sedimentar nas bacias e na circulação, principalmente com enfraquecimento da CNB e da Célula de Revolvimento Meridional do Atlântico. / The Brazilian Equatorial Margin (BEM) is an area of extreme importance for the paloceanography and paleoclimatology of the South Atlantic although still with a wide field for research. The scope of this work is improve the comprehension of this important region, with the paleoceanographic interpretation for the sedimentary evolution of the Ceará and Barreirinhas basins in the Cenozoic through a seismic stratigraphic approach. Multichannel seismic lines and bore hole geophysical data were analyzed to the construction of a depositional model for both basins. This model was created using seismic stratigraphy and horizon mapping techniques. As results, five chronostratigraphical markers were identified and two distinct phases defined: (1) Paleogene and (2) Neogene + Quaternary. During the Paleogene, the sedimentation became more controlled by marine influence, developing in a time of warm and humid climate and surface and bottom currents still incipient. During the Neogene and Quaternary, the North Brazil Current (NBC) and the Deep Western Boundary Current became more important in the sediment transport, erosion and rework in the BEM. During this period, it was also possible to identify the climatic changes effect on the sediment supply for both basins, and also the paleocirculation variations, especially with the weakening of the NBC and the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation.

The climatic history of the planet Earth is characterized by long- and short-term climatic variations. Oxygen isotopic data clearly shows how during the Cenozoic (from 65 Ma to the present) our planet shifted over time, from greenhouse to icehouse climate states up to the present. Along this progressive cooling, the record is dotted by rapid warming and cooling transient events, from which the causes are not yet fully understood. One problem with paleoceanographic reconstructions is that the older the event, the harder it is to find a sedimentary record in which the paleoclimatic proxies are preserved enough to be used with confidence. This work has the goal of illustrating the possibility to develop a new paleoenvironmental indicator based on the magnetic properties of magnetite crystals synthetized by magnetotactic bacteria. The sensibility of such crystals to small changes in dissolved oxygen content in the pore water and water column is well known, and can be exploited to reconstruct such changes from the sedimentary record. Qualitative information regarding this topic are defined in scientific literature, but, so far, no quantitative study has been performed. This is the first attempt to quantify the preservation of biogenic magnetite as a function of oxygenation state of waters, and is based on recent sediment extracted from cores collected in the coastal region of Rio de Janeiro (Saco do Mamanguá, Paraty). From these, where it was possible to obtain magnetic data relative to magnetite crystals together as well with as direct measurements of pore water chemistry. The results of this first attempt were used to analyze climatic and oceanographic conditions in two other sites, representative of key past environmental events during the Paleocene. The first case study was performed in a newly descripted sedimentary outcrop in central Turkey, of middle Eocene age, representative of a period of rapid warming (Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum, MECO). The second case study was done using material from a marine sediment core collected in the Ross Sea (Antarctica) that covers from the late Eocene to the Middle Miocene, a period that saw the onset of the modern, permanent ice sheet cover in the Antarctic continent. / A historia climática da Terra é caracterizada por variações climáticas de curto e longo prazo, com variações de condições, as vezes extremas. Dados de isótopos de oxigênio mostram claramente que durante o Cenozoico (desde 65 Ma até o presente) o nosso planeta passou de uma fase quente caracterizada por marcado efeito estufa (durante o Paleoceno) para um período progressivamente mais frio em direção ao presente. Ambos esses estados são caracterizados pela alternância de eventos transientes quentes e frios de relativa curta duração, sendo que destes a maioria ainda não é plenamente compreendida. Um dos principais problemas das reconstruções paleoceangráficas é que quanto mais antigo o evento mais difícil encontrar sequências sedimentares cujo registro de proxies paleoambientais seja preservado e confiável. Este trabalho visa explicitar a possibilidade de desenvolver um novo indicador paleoambiental, baseado em propriedades magnéticas de cristais de magnetita biosintetizados por bactérias magnetotáticas. Tais cristais biogênicos são notavelmente sensíveis a pequenas variações de oxigênio dissolvido na coluna de água e na agua intersticial entre os poros dos sedimentos marinhos, e essa sensibilidade pode ser explorada para reconstruir variações climáticas no registro sedimentar do passado. Informações qualitativas estão disponíveis na literatura cientifica mas, até agora, não existem estudos que quantifiquem essa relação. Esta primeira tentativa de quantificar a preservação de magnetita biogênica em função do estado de oxigenação de águas se baseia em testemunhos coletados na costa do estado do Rio de Janeiro (Saco do Mamanguá, Paraty), onde foi possível coletar dados magnéticos relativos aos cristais de magnetita biogênica concomitantemente a medidas diretas de química da água intersticial. Os resultados desse primeiro estudo foram aplicados para reconstruções de variações climáticas e oceanográficas em duas seções que registram importantes mudanças climáticas durante o Paleogeno. No primeiro caso, um afloramento localizado na Turquia central de idade Eocenica e representativo de um período de rápido aquecimento (Ótimo Climático do Eoceno Médio, Middle Eocene climatic Optimum, MECO). No segundo caso, um testemunho coletado no Mar de Ross (Antártica) que abrange o período entre o Eoceno superior e o Mioceno médio, durante o qual houve a formação da primeira cobertura de gelo permanente no continente antártico.

A taxonomia de foraminíferos planctônicos é fonte de discussões desde o início de sua utilização na paleoceanografia, havendo discordância tanto na sua classificação como identificação. Estudos genéticos em foraminíferos planctônicos identificaram a presença de mais de uma espécie dentro das espécies aceitas atualmente. Estas espécies possuem diferenças ecológicas entre si, tendo implicações para interpretações paleoceanográficas. A morfometria e isótopos de carbono e oxigênio foram escolhidos como uma alternativa mais acurada e reproduzível para identificação de variações morfológicas e para explorar a ecologia dos indivíduos estudados, respectivamente. Foram utilizadas amostras de sedimento da margem continental brasileira para explorar o potencial da morfometria como ferramenta paleoceanográfica. Foi possível observar a dominância do genótipo pink de Globigerinoides ruber na margem continental brasileira. Para Globigerinoides sacculifer, foi possível identificar comportamentos de migração vertical distintos entre os morfotipos identificados. Em Globorotalia menardii observa-se que as relações morfométricas-ambientais para o grupo todo se mantém quando a análise é feita separadamente em cada morfotipo, confirmando o potencial da correlação direta da morfometria com variáveis ambientais. Já em Globigerinella siphonifera, a diferença morfológica é atribuída a presença de diferentes espécies e não a influências do ambiente sobre a morfologia. / Although taxonomy in planktonic foraminifera has been subject of debates since the beginning of its use in paleoceanography, disagreement in their classification and identification remains. Genetic investigations have identified the presence of more than one species for some of the species accepted nowadays. Hence, these species display ecological differences among them, resulting in implications for paleoceanographic interpretations. Morphometry and carbon and oxygen stable isotopes were chosen as a more precise and reproducible alternative to identify morphological variations and to explore the ecology of the specimens, respectively. Sediment samples from the Brazilian Continental Margin were used to explore morphometry\'s potential as a paleoceanography tool. It was possible to observe the dominance of the pink genotype in Globigerinoides ruber at Brazilian continental margin. For Globigerinoides sacculifer, it was possible to identify distinct vertical migration behaviour in each identified morphotype. In Globorotalia menardii it is possible to observe that the morphometric-enviromental relations for the whole group is maintained when each morphotype is analysed separately, confirming the potential of direct correlations between morphometry and environmental variables. Meanwhile, in Globigerinella siphonifera the morphological difference is attributed to the presence of two different species and not to the influence of the environment on the morphology.

A taxonomia de foraminíferos planctônicos é fonte de discussões desde o início de sua utilização na paleoceanografia, havendo discordância tanto na sua classificação como identificação. Estudos genéticos em foraminíferos planctônicos identificaram a presença de mais de uma espécie dentro das espécies aceitas atualmente. Estas espécies possuem diferenças ecológicas entre si, tendo implicações para interpretações paleoceanográficas. A morfometria e isótopos de carbono e oxigênio foram escolhidos como uma alternativa mais acurada e reproduzível para identificação de variações morfológicas e para explorar a ecologia dos indivíduos estudados, respectivamente. Foram utilizadas amostras de sedimento da margem continental brasileira para explorar o potencial da morfometria como ferramenta paleoceanográfica. Foi possível observar a dominância do genótipo pink de Globigerinoides ruber na margem continental brasileira. Para Globigerinoides sacculifer, foi possível identificar comportamentos de migração vertical distintos entre os morfotipos identificados. Em Globorotalia menardii observa-se que as relações morfométricas-ambientais para o grupo todo se mantém quando a análise é feita separadamente em cada morfotipo, confirmando o potencial da correlação direta da morfometria com variáveis ambientais. Já em Globigerinella siphonifera, a diferença morfológica é atribuída a presença de diferentes espécies e não a influências do ambiente sobre a morfologia. / Although taxonomy in planktonic foraminifera has been subject of debates since the beginning of its use in paleoceanography, disagreement in their classification and identification remains. Genetic investigations have identified the presence of more than one species for some of the species accepted nowadays. Hence, these species display ecological differences among them, resulting in implications for paleoceanographic interpretations. Morphometry and carbon and oxygen stable isotopes were chosen as a more precise and reproducible alternative to identify morphological variations and to explore the ecology of the specimens, respectively. Sediment samples from the Brazilian Continental Margin were used to explore morphometry\'s potential as a paleoceanography tool. It was possible to observe the dominance of the pink genotype in Globigerinoides ruber at Brazilian continental margin. For Globigerinoides sacculifer, it was possible to identify distinct vertical migration behaviour in each identified morphotype. In Globorotalia menardii it is possible to observe that the morphometric-enviromental relations for the whole group is maintained when each morphotype is analysed separately, confirming the potential of direct correlations between morphometry and environmental variables. Meanwhile, in Globigerinella siphonifera the morphological difference is attributed to the presence of two different species and not to the influence of the environment on the morphology.

Investigating past changes in Earth's climate can provide useful information for assessing future climate change scenarios. Planktic foraminifera preserved in marine sediment are commonly used as a tool to reconstruct past environmental change. Here I present a combination of modern census and multinet data from the North Pacific, a new compilation of global census data, a new global calibration for Mg/Ca ratios in Neogloboquadrina pachyderma, and foraminifera assemblage, trace element, and boron isotope data from the North Pacific spanning the last deglaciation. New modern census data from the North Pacific shows that two key sub-polar proxy carrying species, N. pachyderma and Globigerina bulloides, predominantly live between 0-50 m in the water column. Global planktic foraminifera diversity is observed to be driven primarily by sea surface temperature, with upwelling and ocean productivity providing key secondary roles. In the North Pacific, a preservation bias of N. pachyderma over G. bulloides is observed when comparing multinet and core-top samples, highlighting the importance of tracking dissolution during downcore studies. To improve the use of Mg/Ca ratios in N. pachyderma downcore, I produced a new global calibration with a temperature sensitivity of 6 % per °C. This calibration was combined with boron isotope and Mg/Ca data from sediment core MD02-2489 to investigate changes in North Pacific circulation, productivity, and CO₂ during the last deglaciation. Two intervals of high surface CO₂ were observed, the first during Heinrich Stadial 1, where deep ventilation mixed CO₂ and nutrients throughout the water column. The second occurred during the Bølling-Allerød, where stratification pooled nutrients and CO₂ in surface waters, leading to enhanced productivity and CO₂ outgassing. Overall, this thesis improves the use of planktic foraminifera as tools for investigating past climate change and highlights the role of the North Pacific in deglacial CO₂ release.

Les flux d'eau douce, glace de mer et courants océaniques, de l'Océan Arctique vers les mers nordiques jouent un rôle critique sur l'Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation et donc sur le système climatique. Les facteurs contrôlant ces flux sont encore partiellement méconnus. Un moyen indirect de retracer l'intensité et les schémas de circulation de la glace de mer est de retracer l'origine des sédiments qu'elle transporte, et qui sédimentent le long des grands courants de glace et d'eau douce vers l'Atlantique Nord. Il s'agit donc de tracer un flux particulaire direct, lié à la matrice des particules détritiques. Un second flux, indirect, provient des éléments dissous dans les masses d'eau, marqués par les processus d'adsorption/désorption le long des marges où les flux particulaires terrigènes sont les plus importants. L'extraction de la phase authigène d'un signal dissous par lessivage spécifique, a permis de documenter l'évolution des masses d'eau transitant par le détroit de Fram. Les données isotopiques de Pb, Nd et Sr nous ont permis d'identifier deux sources principales de sédiments depuis le dernier maximum glaciaire jusqu'au Dryas Récent : les marges canadiennes et russes alors recouvertes par des calottes de glace. Après le Dryas Récent, les sources sédimentaires sont plus diverses avec notamment une contribution des marges groenlandaises et des mers de Chukchi et Est Sibérienne. La fraction authigène montre un changement entre ~ 19.8 et 16.4 ka probablement liée à la déglaciation de la calotte Eurasienne. Plus récemment, les valeurs [Epsilon]Nd suggèrent une influence accrue des eaux Pacifiques sur les masses d'eaux sortantes par le détroit de Fram / Freshwater exports (sea-ice and oceanic currents) from the Arctic Ocean to the nordic seas is a critical component of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation and hence of the climatic system. Factors controling those exports are still partially unknown. An indirect way of tracing the intensity and patterns of sea-ice circulation is to trace the origin of the sediments it carries and that settle along the main drift routes towards the North Atlantic. We hence document a direct sedimentary flux that is linked to the detrital particle matrices. Another flux, this one being indirect, comes from the dissolved elements that adsorb onto particles along continental margins where sedimentary fluxes are the highest. We have extracted the authigenic (dissolved) phase from the sediment in order document the evolution of water-masses in Fram Strait since the last glacial maximum. Pb, Nd and Sr isotopic data allowed us to identify two sedimentary sources from the late glacial to the onset of the younger Dryas : canadian and western russian margins, then covered by large ice sheets. After the Younger Dryas however, sedimentary supplies originate from several sources including Greeland, Chukchi Sea and East Siberian Sea margins. The authigenic phase displays a change from 19.8 to 16.4 ka likely linked to the early deglaciation of the Eurasian ice sheet. More recently, [Epsilon]Nd values reflect a more important contribution from the Pacific on water masses exiting through Fram Strait

A Margem Equatorial Brasileira (MEB) é uma área de extrema importância para os estudos paleoceanográficos e paleoclimáticos do Atlântico Equatorial, mas que ainda possui um vasto campo para pesquisa. Este trabalho visa aprimorar a compreensão desta importante região, fornecendo uma interpretação paleoceanográfica para a evolução sedimentar das Bacias do Ceará e de Barreirinhas no Cenozoico, a partir de uma análise sismoestratigráfica. Foram analisadas linhas de sísmica multicanal e informações de poços de exploração petrolífera para a construção de um modelo de evolução deposicional para as duas bacias. Este modelo foi criado a partir da análise dos registros sísmicos e de técnicas de sismoestratigrafia e mapeamento de horizontes. Como resultados, identificaram-se cinco marcadores cronoestratigráficos e definiram-se duas fases distintas: (1) o Paleógeno e (2) o Neógeno + Quaternário. Durante o Paleógeno, a sedimentação passa a ter maior influência oceânica, com a sedimentação de desenvolvendo em um clima quente e úmido, e ainda controlada por uma circulação de superfície e de fundo ainda muito restritas. Durante o Neógeno e Quaternário, a Corrente Norte do Brasil (CNB) e a Corrente de Contorno Oeste Profunda passaram a atuar efetivamente na MEB, remobilizando os sedimentos e erodindo os depósitos de águas profundas. Durante este período, foi também possível identificar o efeito das variações climáticas no aporte sedimentar nas bacias e na circulação, principalmente com enfraquecimento da CNB e da Célula de Revolvimento Meridional do Atlântico. / The Brazilian Equatorial Margin (BEM) is an area of extreme importance for the paloceanography and paleoclimatology of the South Atlantic although still with a wide field for research. The scope of this work is improve the comprehension of this important region, with the paleoceanographic interpretation for the sedimentary evolution of the Ceará and Barreirinhas basins in the Cenozoic through a seismic stratigraphic approach. Multichannel seismic lines and bore hole geophysical data were analyzed to the construction of a depositional model for both basins. This model was created using seismic stratigraphy and horizon mapping techniques. As results, five chronostratigraphical markers were identified and two distinct phases defined: (1) Paleogene and (2) Neogene + Quaternary. During the Paleogene, the sedimentation became more controlled by marine influence, developing in a time of warm and humid climate and surface and bottom currents still incipient. During the Neogene and Quaternary, the North Brazil Current (NBC) and the Deep Western Boundary Current became more important in the sediment transport, erosion and rework in the BEM. During this period, it was also possible to identify the climatic changes effect on the sediment supply for both basins, and also the paleocirculation variations, especially with the weakening of the NBC and the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation.