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Equatorward phytoplankton migration during a cold spell within the Late Cretaceous super-greenhouse
van Helmond, N.A.G.M.; Sluijs, A.; Papadomanolaki, N.M.; Plint, A.G.; Gröcke, D.R.; Pearce, A.; Eldrett, J.S.; Trabucho-Alexandre, J.; Walaszczyk, I.; van de Schootbrugge, B.; Brinkhuis, H. (2016). Equatorward phytoplankton migration during a cold spell within the Late Cretaceous super-greenhouse. Biogeosciences 13: 2859–2872. dx.doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-2859-2016
In: Gattuso, J.P.; Kesselmeier, J. (Ed.) Biogeosciences. Copernicus Publications: Göttingen. ISSN 1726-4170; e-ISSN 1726-4189, more
Peer reviewed article  

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Authors  Top 
  • van Helmond, N.A.G.M.
  • Sluijs, A.
  • Papadomanolaki, N.M.
  • Plint, A.G.
  • Gröcke, D.R.
  • Pearce, A.
  • Eldrett, J.S.
  • Trabucho-Alexandre, J.
  • Walaszczyk, I.
  • van de Schootbrugge, B.
  • Brinkhuis, H., more

Abstract
    Abstract. Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (OAE2), a ?600 kyrepisode close to the Cenomanian–Turonian boundary(ca. 94 Ma), is characterized by relatively widespread marineanoxia and ranks amongst the warmest intervals ofthe Phanerozoic. The early stages of OAE2 are, however,marked by an episode of widespread transient cooling andbottom water oxygenation: the Plenus Cold Event. This coldspell has been linked to a decline in atmospheric pCO2,resulting from enhanced global organic carbon burial. Toinvestigate the response of phytoplankton to this markedand rapid climate shift we examined the biogeographicalresponse of dinoflagellates to the Plenus Cold Event. Ourstudy is based on a newly generated geochemical and palynologicaldata set from a high-latitude Northern Hemispheresite, Pratts Landing (western Alberta, Canada). We combinethese data with a semi-quantitative global compilationof the stratigraphic distribution of dinoflagellate cyst taxa.The data show that dinoflagellate cysts grouped in the Cyclonepheliumcompactum–membraniphorum morphologicalplexus migrated from high to mid-latitudes during the PlenusCold Event, making it the sole widely found (micro)fossil tomark this cold spell. In addition to earlier reports from regionalmetazoan migrations during the Plenus Cold Event,our findings illustrate the effect of rapid climate change onthe global biogeographical dispersion of phytoplankton.

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