Reconstructing past sea surface temperature conditions is valuable to observe and evaluate the climate of the past. In the SW Atlantic, so far, few studies have exanimated the applicability of paleotemperature equations, which may reflect in fewer reliable SST estimates. This study aimed to evaluate two marine proxies for SST reconstructions: the alkenones unsaturation index (UK\'37) and the ratio Mg/Ca in different planktonic foraminifera species and size fractions (G. ruber pink; G. ruber white senso stricto and senso lato; between 250 - 300 µm and 300 - 355 μm; G. truncatulinoides (d) crusted and non-crusted forms, between 380 - 620 μm; and G. inflata 300 - 425 μm). The samples were collected in the shelf break of South Brazilian Bight (SBB, 22 °S to 27 °S). The proxies were converted into SSTs and then compared to modern SSTs from the World Ocean Atlas and satellite images. The first chapter describes the UK\'37 signals and the applicability of three different paleotemperature equations, and the second chapter describes the Mg/Ca a proxy for past SSTs and water mass conditions after applying the most used paleotemperature equations for the ratio Mg/Ca. The UK\'37 seems to record mostly autumn conditions at 0m, and the most recent Bayspline equation results into more similar temperature averages when compared to modern annual SSTs (p-value of 0.81, n = 47, ΔSST of -0.03°C ± 0.27), while the most used linear equations result into SSTs similar to autumn conditions. In subtropical regions with low-temperature variations (∼4°C), the function UK\'37 versus SSTs works in an exponential relation, and they are related to seasonal temperatures. For the Mg/Ca in planktonic foraminifera species, the Mg/Ca-inferred temperatures agree well with modern ocean temperatures. Our data suggest that in different size fractions the tested species respond differently to the most used species-specific and general species paleotemperature equations. All the upper water column species agree well with temperatures at 0-meter depth. The G. ruber (p) responds well to the SS equation, where the smallest and the largest size results into annual and autumn estimates, respectively (p-value of 0.81 and 0.71, n = 23); the smallest size of G. ruber (w) s.s. provides summer estimates applying the GE equation (p-value of 0.21, n = 7), while the largest size provides annual estimates (p-value of 0.86, n = 13). The G. ruber (w) s.l. has significant averages when compared the largest size with autumn and summer conditions (p-value of 0.21 for both, n = 16); the deep-dwelling species G. inflata and the G. truncatulinoides (d) crusted form reflect the uplift of the SACW, calcifying at 10 and 20 m depth (p-value of 0.89, n = 10 and p-value of 0.06, n = 14, respectively), while the G. truncatulinoides (d) non-crusted form records annual temperature in deep water layers conditions (p-value of 0.06, n = 16). This is the first study to report Mg/Ca ratios in surface-dwelling and deep-dwelling planktonic foraminifera tests obtained in core-top samples at the SBB. This validation will inform the reconstruction of past environmental conditions of SW Atlantic, especially in the SBB. / As reconstruções das condições da temperatura superficial do mar são importantes para avaliar o clima do passado da Terra. No Atlântico SE, no entanto, poucos estudos avaliaram a aplicabilidade das equações de conversão dos indicadores geoquímicos para temperatura, o que pode resultar em estimativas de paleotemperatura de menor acurácia. Este estudo avaliou dois indicadores marinhos de paleotemperatura: o índice de insaturação de alquenonas (UK\'37), e a razão Mg/Ca em testas de foraminíferos planctônicos de diferentes espécies e frações de tamanho (G. ruber pink; G. ruber white senso stricto e senso lato; entre 250 - 300 μm e 300 - 355 μm; G. truncatulinoides (d) encrustadas e não-encrustadas, entre 380 - 620 μm; e G. inflata 300 - 425 μm). As amostras são provenientes da plataforma externa e quebra da plataforma do Embaiamento de São Paulo (22°S a 27°S). Os indicadores foram transformados em TSM e então comparados com as temperaturas obtidas por meio do World Ocean Atlas e de imagens de satélite. O primeiro capítulo apresenta os dados de UK\'37 e a aplicabilidade de três equações de paleotemperatura. O segundo capítulo apresenta dados da razão Mg/Ca como indicador de TSM e condições de massa d\'água após a aplicação das equações de conversão. O UK\'37 apresenta influência do outono em 0 m de profundidade em seus registros, e a mais recente equação Bayspline resulta em médias de TSM mais similares com as condições atuais, principalmente quando comparado com a média anual de TSM (p-valor de 0.81, n = 47, ΔSST de -0.03°C ± 0.27), já as equações lineares mais conhecidas resultam em TSM mais parecidas com condições de outono. No geral, em regiões com pouca variação de TSM (∼1.5 °C), o UK\'37 responde em uma relação exponencial com a temperatura. A razão Mg/Ca em testas de foraminíferos planctônicos, quando convertidas em TSM, resultam em médias similares com as condições atuais de temperatura. Os nossos dados sugerem que as equações específicas para cada espécie (SS) e as equações gerais (GE) resultam em diferentes médias de TSM para cada espécie/fração de tamanho. Todas as espécies de superfície respondem bem com as temperaturas em 0 metros de profundidade. A G. ruber (p) responde bem à equação SS, onde a menor e a maior fração de tamanho resulta em médias similares às TSM anuais e de outono, respectivamente (p-valor de 0.81 e 0.71, n = 23); a menor fração de tamanho da espécie G. ruber (w) s.s. resulta em médias similares às TSM de verão com a equação GE (p-valor de 0.21, n = 7), enquanto a maior fração de tamanho resulta em TSM anual (p-valor de 0.86, n = 13). A maior fração de tamanho da espécie G. ruber (w) s.l. resulta em médias significativas quando comparadas com TSM de outono e de verão (p-valor de 0.21 para ambas, n = 16). Os registros geoquímicos das espécies de subsuperfície, como a G. inflata e a G. truncatulinoides (d) encrustada registram a subida da ACAS para a superfície na área de estudo, calcificando em 10 e 20 metros de profundidade, respectivamente (p-valor de 0.89, n = 10 e de 0.06, n = 14, respectivamente), enquanto a G. truncatulinoides (d) não-encrustada aparenta registrar as condições anuais de temperatura em profundidades mais próximas da ACAS, com médias um pouco mais elevadas que as duas espécies de subsuperfície (p-valor de 0.06, n = 16). Este é o primeiro estudo que relata as razões Mg/Ca em diferentes espécies de foraminíferos planctônicos no ESP. Esta validação auxiliará a aprimorar futuras estimações de TSM com este indicador.

O objetivo da presente tese é o de documentar, em escala milenar, as variações paleoclimáticas e paleoceanográficas superficiais do Atlântico Sul Ocidental desde o Último Máximo Glacial. Com esta finalidade, foram obtidas estimativas de paleotemperatura, paleossalinidade e paleoprodutividade baseadas na análise de fauna de foraminíferos planctônicos, isótopos estáveis de oxigênio e carbono em Globigerinoides ruber e nove datações de radiocarbono em amostras de um testemunho coletado na Bacia de Santos. Os dados foram complementados com a reanálise de outro testemunho previamente coletado em outro setor da mesma Bacia. Os resultados demonstram que as mudanças paleoceanográficas registradas no período analisado podem ser parcialmente explicadas por variações na exportação de calor e sal para o hemisfério norte relacionadas à atividade da célula de transporte meridional e à configuração das correntes superficiais associadas à circulação atmosférica. Outra parte significativa da variabilidade parece estar relacionada à intensidade do Sistema de Monção da América do Sul resultante de variações na insolação de acordo com o ciclo de precessão. Os principais desvios da tendência de variação da composição isotópica da água do mar esperada em função das mudanças de insolação coincidem com os grandes pulsos de degelo ocorridos em torno de 19, 14 e 8,2 mil anos AP. / The goal of this thesis is to document the paleoclimatic and paleoceanographic changes occurred at the millennial scale since the Last Glacial Maximum at the surface Western South Atlantic. Paleotemperature, paleosalinity and paleoproductivity estimates were obtained for this purpose based on faunal changes of foraminifera assemblages, carbon and oxygen stable isotopes in Globigerinoides ruber and nine radiocarbon datings in a core retrieved at Santos Basin. These data were supplemented by the reanalysis of a second core previously analyzed from a different sector of the same basin. The results demonstrate that paleoceanographic changes recorded in the analyzed period may be partially explained by changes in the heat and salt export to the northern hemisphere related to the meridional overturning cell and the surface currents related to atmospheric circulation. Another significant portion of the observed variability seems to be related to changes in the strength of the South American Monsoon System resulting from insolation changes according to the precessional cycle. The main departures from the expected trend of variation in the isotopic composition of seawater related to insolation changes coincide with great meltwater pulses occurred around 19, 14, and 8.2 kyr BP.

Análises sedimentológicas e geoquímicas realizadas no registro sedimentar GeoB 16204-2 (01°9.75\'S, 42°20.30\'O, 1210 m de profundidade) permitiram reconhecer três períodos com diferentes configurações paleoceanográficas e paleoclimáticas ao longo dos últimos 8100 anos para margem equatorial brasileira. O primeiro período (8100 - 5000 anos cal A.P.) foi caracterizado por condições hidrodinâmicas mais intensas, menor influência marinha e maior aporte continental, constatados por menores valores de sortable silt, maior porcentagem da fração areia, menores conteúdos de CaCO3 e maiores valores das razões de Ti/Ca e Fe/Ca. O segundo período (5000 - 2500 anos cal A.P.) apresentou maiores flutuações na intensidade das correntes de fundo e diminuição do aporte continental indicados por variações do sortable silt, moda não definida na distribuição dos tamanhos das partículas (PSD) e tendência decrescente das razões Ti/Ca e Fe/Ca. O terceiro período (2500 anos cal A.P. - presente), prevaleceram condições hidrodinâmicas menos intensas e menor aporte continental sinalizados por moda do PSD próximo a 7 Φ e menores valores das razões Fe/Ca e Ti/Ca. Ao longo dos 8100 anos ocorreu uma desintensificação da corrente de fundo, provavelmente associado a um enfraquecimento da célula de revolvimento meridional do Atlântico (AMOC) e também à migração em direção sul da Zona de Convergência Intertropical (ZCIT). A migração da ZCIT além de influenciar as correntes oceânicas também contribuiu para mudanças das configurações atmosféricas favorecendo condições mais secas na região de estudo durante o Holoceno Tardio. Estimativas de temperatura e salinidade da superfície do mar revelam pouca variação nos últimos 5.000 anos, com valores próximos aos da média climatológicos atuais, 26,4°C e 36,5. / Sedimentological and geochemical analyzes on sedimentary record GeoB 16204-2 (01°9.75 \'S, 42°20:30\'W, 1210 m depth) allowed to recognize three periods with different paleoceanographic settings and paleoclimatic over the last 8100 years for the Brazilian equatorial margin . The first period (8100 - 5000 cal yr BP) was characterized by more intense hydrodynamic conditions, lower marine influence and greater continental contribution, evidenced by lower values of sortable silt, higher percentage of sand fraction, lower CaCO3 content and higher values of the Ti / Ca and Fe / Ca ratios. The second period (5000 - 2500 cal yr BP) showed greater fluctuations in the intensity of bottom currents and decreased continental contribution indicated by variations of sortable silt, poorly defined mode in the particle size distribution (PSD) and decrease trend of the Ti / Ca and Fe / Ca ratios. The third period (2500 cal yr BP - present), was dominated by less intense hydrodynamic conditions and less continental contribution indicated by for mode PSD about 7 Φ and lower values of Fe/Ca and Ti/Ca ratios. Over the 8100 years there has been a weakening of North Brazilian Current, probably associated with a weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and also the southward migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Besides influencing ocean currents the migration of the ITCZ also contributed to changes atmospheric conditions, favoring drier conditions in the study area during the Late Holocene. Sea surface temperature ans salinity show little change in the last 5000 years, with values close to the current climatological average, 26.4 ° C and 36.5.

Análises sedimentológicas e geoquímicas realizadas no registro sedimentar GeoB 16204-2 (01°9.75\'S, 42°20.30\'O, 1210 m de profundidade) permitiram reconhecer três períodos com diferentes configurações paleoceanográficas e paleoclimáticas ao longo dos últimos 8100 anos para margem equatorial brasileira. O primeiro período (8100 - 5000 anos cal A.P.) foi caracterizado por condições hidrodinâmicas mais intensas, menor influência marinha e maior aporte continental, constatados por menores valores de sortable silt, maior porcentagem da fração areia, menores conteúdos de CaCO3 e maiores valores das razões de Ti/Ca e Fe/Ca. O segundo período (5000 - 2500 anos cal A.P.) apresentou maiores flutuações na intensidade das correntes de fundo e diminuição do aporte continental indicados por variações do sortable silt, moda não definida na distribuição dos tamanhos das partículas (PSD) e tendência decrescente das razões Ti/Ca e Fe/Ca. O terceiro período (2500 anos cal A.P. - presente), prevaleceram condições hidrodinâmicas menos intensas e menor aporte continental sinalizados por moda do PSD próximo a 7 Φ e menores valores das razões Fe/Ca e Ti/Ca. Ao longo dos 8100 anos ocorreu uma desintensificação da corrente de fundo, provavelmente associado a um enfraquecimento da célula de revolvimento meridional do Atlântico (AMOC) e também à migração em direção sul da Zona de Convergência Intertropical (ZCIT). A migração da ZCIT além de influenciar as correntes oceânicas também contribuiu para mudanças das configurações atmosféricas favorecendo condições mais secas na região de estudo durante o Holoceno Tardio. Estimativas de temperatura e salinidade da superfície do mar revelam pouca variação nos últimos 5.000 anos, com valores próximos aos da média climatológicos atuais, 26,4°C e 36,5. / Sedimentological and geochemical analyzes on sedimentary record GeoB 16204-2 (01°9.75 \'S, 42°20:30\'W, 1210 m depth) allowed to recognize three periods with different paleoceanographic settings and paleoclimatic over the last 8100 years for the Brazilian equatorial margin . The first period (8100 - 5000 cal yr BP) was characterized by more intense hydrodynamic conditions, lower marine influence and greater continental contribution, evidenced by lower values of sortable silt, higher percentage of sand fraction, lower CaCO3 content and higher values of the Ti / Ca and Fe / Ca ratios. The second period (5000 - 2500 cal yr BP) showed greater fluctuations in the intensity of bottom currents and decreased continental contribution indicated by variations of sortable silt, poorly defined mode in the particle size distribution (PSD) and decrease trend of the Ti / Ca and Fe / Ca ratios. The third period (2500 cal yr BP - present), was dominated by less intense hydrodynamic conditions and less continental contribution indicated by for mode PSD about 7 Φ and lower values of Fe/Ca and Ti/Ca ratios. Over the 8100 years there has been a weakening of North Brazilian Current, probably associated with a weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and also the southward migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Besides influencing ocean currents the migration of the ITCZ also contributed to changes atmospheric conditions, favoring drier conditions in the study area during the Late Holocene. Sea surface temperature ans salinity show little change in the last 5000 years, with values close to the current climatological average, 26.4 ° C and 36.5.

The Late Cretaceous–early Paleogene is the most recent period of Earth history with a dynamic carbon cycle that experienced sustained global greenhouse warmth and can offer a valuable insight into our anthropogenically-warmer future world. Yet, knowledge of ambient climate conditions and evolution of the carbon cycle at this time, along with their relation to forcing mechanisms, are still poorly constrained. In this thesis, I examine marine sediments recovered from the South Atlantic Walvis Ridge (ODP Site 1262) and Indian Ocean Ninetyeast Ridge (IODP Site U1443 and ODP Site 758), to shed new light on the evolution of the climate and carbon cycle from the Late Maastrichtian through to the Early Eocene (~67.10–52.35 Ma). The overarching aims of this thesis are: 1) to identify the long-term trends and principle forcing mechanisms driving the climate and carbon cycle during this time period, through construction of 14.75 million-year-long, orbital-resolution (~1.5–4 kyr), stratigraphically complete, benthic stable carbon (δ13Cbenthic) and oxygen (δ18Obenthic) isotope records; 2) to investigate in more detail the climatic and carbon-cycle perturbations of the Early–Middle Paleocene (e.g., the Dan-C2 event, Latest Danian Event and the Danian/Selandian Transition Event) and place these in their proper (orbital) temporal context; 3) to investigate the Late Maastrichtian warming event and its relationship to the eruption of the Deccan Traps Large Igneous Province, as well as its role (if any) in the subsequent Cretaceous/Paleogene (K/Pg) mass extinction; 4) to provide the first orbital-resolution estimates of temperature and carbonate chemistry variability from the low latitude Indian Ocean spanning the Late Paleocene–Early Eocene, through analysis of trace element and stable isotope data from multiple foraminiferal species. Taken together, the results presented in this thesis provide a critical new insight into the dynamic evolution of the climate and carbon cycle during the greenhouse world of the early Paleogene, and shed light on the potential forcing mechanisms driving the climate and carbon cycle during this time.

Global climate is controlled by two factors, the amount of heat energy received from the sun (solar insolation) and the way that heat is distributed Earth's surface. Solar insolation varies on timescales of 10s to 100s of thousands of years due to changes in the path of Earth's orbit about the sun (Milankovitch cycles). Earth's internal boundary conditions, such as paleogeography, the presence/absence of polar icecaps, atmospheric/oceanic chemistry and sea level, provide distribution and feedback mechanisms for the incoming heat. Variations in these internal boundary conditions may happen abruptly or, as in the case of plate tectonics, take millions of years. We use geochemical and sedimentological techniques to investigate the response of ocean chemistry, regional aridity and atmospheric and oceanic circulation patterns to climate change during both greenhouse and icehouse climates. To explore the connection between orbitally-forced changes in solar insolation, continental aridity and wind, we generated a high-resolution dust record for ~58 Myr old deep-sea sediments from Shatsky Rise. Our data provide the first evidence of a correlation between dust flux to the deep sea and orbital cycles during the Early Paleogene, indicating dust supply (regional aridity) responded to orbital forcing during the last major interval of greenhouse climate. The change in dust flux was comparable to that during icehouse climates implying subtle variations in solar insolation have a similar impact on climate during intervals of over-all warmth as they do during glacial-interglacial states. The Carboniferous Period (359-299 Ma) marks a critical time in Earth's history when a series of tectonic and biological events caused a shift in the mean climate state from a global "greenhouse" to an "icehouse". Geochemical records extracted from sedimentary rocks deposited in shallow epicontinental seaways are increasingly being used to infer relationships between tectonism, carbon cycling and climate and therefore are assumed to reflect global ocean processes. We analyzed radiogenic isotopes in biogenic apatite along a North American transect to constrain the degree of geochemical coupling between the epicontinental seas and the open ocean. Our results argue strongly for decoupling of North American seaways from the open ocean by latest Mississippian time.

Aquesta Tesi Doctoral està centrada en la reconstrucció de les condicions climàtiques del passat a la conca occidental del Mediterrani, i més concretament en l’estudi de l’efecte de la variabilitat climàtica d’escala orbital i mil•lenària sobre les condicions oceanogràfiques de la conca. El treball es basa en l’anàlisi i interpretació de dades de indicadors sedimentològics, com ara la mida de gra i la composició elemental dels sediments, d’on s’ha obtingut informació sobre els canvis en les aportacions terrígenes induïts per la variabilitat climàtica i oceanogràfica de la conca, reflectida en canvis del nivell del mar o de la circulació termohalina. Hom ha pogut investigar els canvis del nivell del mar associats als cicles glacials mitjançant l’estudi de les variacions en la mida de gra de les partícules sedimentàries i en la composició elemental d’un testimoni del marge progradant del Golf de Lleó. Les variacions eustàtiques del nivell del mar han determinat l’apilament d’unitats sedimentaries regressives en el talús superior amb una ciclicitat de 100 ka. Els canvis en el nivell del mar han modulat la sedimentació en el marge, la qual va oscil•lar entre aportacions principalment fluvials durant els períodes glacials coincidint amb nivells del mar baixos, i aportacions degudes a la reactivació de processos erosius a la plataforma continental com les Cascades d’Aigües Denses de Plataforma durant les èpoques amb nivell del mar alt corresponents als períodes interglacials. L’estudi de l’Estadi Isotòpic Marí 3, entre 65 i 20 ka, caracteritzat per condicions climàtiques fluctuants de escala mil•lenària, ens hauria d’ajudar a entendre com el clima es comporta sota condicions canviants ràpides i per lo tant pot ser clau per entendre millor el ràpid canvi climàtic induït per l’ésser humà. Les variacions de la mida de gra durant aquest període en el marge del Golf de Lleó han revelat per primera vegada l’existència d’oscil•lacions del nivell del mar d’escala mil•lenària associades a la variabilitat climàtica dels cicles de Dansgaard-Oeschger observats a l’Atlàntic Nord. Nivells del mar relativament alts s’associen a les fases càlides dels cicles de Dansgaard-Oeschger. Aquests resultats mostren una ràpida resposta dels casquets polars a la variabilitat climàtica ràpida del darrer període glacial. Resta per identificar, però, amb precisió el inici d’aquestes pujades del nivell del mar i la seva amplitud. La circulació termohalina del Mediterrani occidental també s’ha vist afectada per les oscil•lacions climàtiques dels cicles de Dansgaard-Oeschger durant l’Estadi Isotòpic Marí 3. Els resultats confirmen que la circulació profunda del Mediterrani occidental funcionà de manera asincrònica respecte a la Circulació de Retorn de l’Atlàntic Nord durant els cicles de Dansgaard-Oeschger. Aquest fet posa de manifest la rapidesa en la transmissió de la variabilitat climàtica entre latituds altes i intermèdies, probablement induïda per un mecanisme de teleconnexió atmosfèrica similar a l’actual Oscil•lació de l’Atlàntic Nord. Tot i així, la circulació profunda del Mediterrani occidental també fou modulada per canvis en la hidrologia de la conca. A l’Holocè hom ha identificat igualment una sèrie d’esdeveniments de curta durada de intensificació de la circulació termohalina, els quals mostren una ciclicitat d’uns 1000 anys. Hom ha pogut correlacionar aquest esdeveniments amb altres observats a l’Atlàntic Nord i en altres regions del planeta, fet que confirma que les reorganitzacions ràpides del sistema climàtic són també comuns en els períodes interglacials. / This PhD Thesis focuses on the reconstruction of past climatic conditions in the Western Mediterranean Basin, and more precisely on the study of the impact of climate variability at orbital and millennial time scales over oceanographic conditions. The work relies on the study of sedimentological proxies like grain-size and elemental geochemical composition of the sediments for unravelling the changes in terrigenous supplies led by oscillations in climate and oceanographic conditions, namely sea level fluctuations and changes in the termohaline circulation of the Western Mediterranean Sea. Sea level changes associated with glacial cycles have been investigated by analysing the oscillations in grain-size and geochemical composition of the sediment records from the progradational Gulf of Lion margin. Eustatic sea level oscillations have determined stacking of regressive progradational units in the upper slope following a 100 kyr cyclicity. Sea level fluctuations have modulated sediment accumulation over this margin, with a succession of periods dominated by high fluvial supplies, and periods characterized by the reactivation of erosive processes in the continental shelf such as Dense Shelf Water Cascading during glacial lowstands and interglacial highstands, respectively. The study of climate variability during Marine Isotope Stage 3, between 65 and 20 ka, characterized by rapid climate fluctuations of millennial time scales, may help us to understand how the climate behaves when undergoing rapid changes and therefore might also further increase our understanding of rapid, anthropogenic climate change. The high-resolution study of grain-size oscillations during Marine Isotopic Stage 3 in the Gulf of Lion margin has shown by the first time the occurrence of millennial scale sea level fluctuations associated with climate variability during the Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles identified in the North Atlantic region. Relative high sea level has been observed to occur during warm interstadials of the Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles. These results point to a rapid response of the ice sheets to climate variability during the last glacial period. However, the precise timing and the amplitude of these millennial-scale sea level rises are still to be determined. The termohaline circulation of the Western Mediterranean Sea has been affected by Dansgaard-Oeschger climate oscillations during Marine Isotopic Stage 3 too, as determined by the study carried out in the IMAGES core MD99-2343 offshore Minorca island. Our results show that during Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles the circulation of deep-water masses in the Western Mediterranean was not synchronized with the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. This confirms the rapid transmission of climate variability between high and mid-latitudes, likely induced by an atmospheric mechanism similar to the present-day North Atlantic Oscillation. Hydrological oscillations within the basin further modulated the termohaline circulation in the Western Mediterranean Sea. During the Holocene a series of short-lived events of enhanced deep-water circulation have been identified to occur with a cyclicity close to 1000 yr, which have been correlated to relatively cold periods recently recognized from the North Atlantic region and in other regions of the world. These results confirm that rapid reorganizations of the climate system usually ascribed to glacial stages are also a common feature during interglacial periods.

Deep-sea bamboo coral (Isidella sp.) SE000901A from the southern Oregon coast (water depth 1048m) provides a high-resolution record of variability of North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW) and carbon rain to the sea floor, related to coastal upwelling, from 1808 to 2000AD. Counting of annual layers in magnesium to calcium (Mg/Ca) variations, measured by electron microprobe analysis, yields a detailed age model that is transferred directly to records of carbon and oxygen isotope ratios (δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O) measured by isotope ratio mass spectrometry and trace element ratios measured by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). A significant linear relationship between δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O measured on the carbonate internode of the coral specimen revealed disequilibrium kinetic isotopic variations that depend on calcification rate. The stable isotopic time series are significantly correlated to cadmium to calcium ratios (Cd/Ca) in the carbonate internode, suggesting that cadmium uptake also reflects the rate of calcification. Comparison of phosphorus to calcium ratios (P/Ca) in the carbonate internode to historical records of oxygen concentrations of NPIW suggests that coralline P/Ca is related to the phosphate content of the ambient bottom water, which covaries inversely with oxygen concentration. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) were measured on two organic gorgonin nodes of our bamboo coral, but incomplete understanding of the gorgonin growth patterns and the difficulty in translating ages between the proteinaceous node and calcareous internode preclude detailed comparison between organic stable isotopes and the trace element and isotopic composition of the well-dated carbonate proxies. Based on correlation of the measured properties to historical variations in coastal upwelling, and high-latitude climate variability, we demonstrate the potential and challenges in using deep-sea bamboo corals to extend records of climate variability into the pre-historical past. / Graduation date: 2012

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering, 1997. / "September 1997." "Funding was provided by National Science Foundation Grant OCE-9201286, National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship Program, and the JOI/USSAC Ocean Drilling Graduate Fellowship Program." Includes bibliographical references (p. 152-153).

O objetivo da presente tese é o de documentar, em escala milenar, as variações paleoclimáticas e paleoceanográficas superficiais do Atlântico Sul Ocidental desde o Último Máximo Glacial. Com esta finalidade, foram obtidas estimativas de paleotemperatura, paleossalinidade e paleoprodutividade baseadas na análise de fauna de foraminíferos planctônicos, isótopos estáveis de oxigênio e carbono em Globigerinoides ruber e nove datações de radiocarbono em amostras de um testemunho coletado na Bacia de Santos. Os dados foram complementados com a reanálise de outro testemunho previamente coletado em outro setor da mesma Bacia. Os resultados demonstram que as mudanças paleoceanográficas registradas no período analisado podem ser parcialmente explicadas por variações na exportação de calor e sal para o hemisfério norte relacionadas à atividade da célula de transporte meridional e à configuração das correntes superficiais associadas à circulação atmosférica. Outra parte significativa da variabilidade parece estar relacionada à intensidade do Sistema de Monção da América do Sul resultante de variações na insolação de acordo com o ciclo de precessão. Os principais desvios da tendência de variação da composição isotópica da água do mar esperada em função das mudanças de insolação coincidem com os grandes pulsos de degelo ocorridos em torno de 19, 14 e 8,2 mil anos AP. / The goal of this thesis is to document the paleoclimatic and paleoceanographic changes occurred at the millennial scale since the Last Glacial Maximum at the surface Western South Atlantic. Paleotemperature, paleosalinity and paleoproductivity estimates were obtained for this purpose based on faunal changes of foraminifera assemblages, carbon and oxygen stable isotopes in Globigerinoides ruber and nine radiocarbon datings in a core retrieved at Santos Basin. These data were supplemented by the reanalysis of a second core previously analyzed from a different sector of the same basin. The results demonstrate that paleoceanographic changes recorded in the analyzed period may be partially explained by changes in the heat and salt export to the northern hemisphere related to the meridional overturning cell and the surface currents related to atmospheric circulation. Another significant portion of the observed variability seems to be related to changes in the strength of the South American Monsoon System resulting from insolation changes according to the precessional cycle. The main departures from the expected trend of variation in the isotopic composition of seawater related to insolation changes coincide with great meltwater pulses occurred around 19, 14, and 8.2 kyr BP.