Last interglacial surface water structure in the western Mediterranean (Balearic) Sea: Climatic variability and link between low and high latitudes

A multiproxy analysis based on planktic foraminiferal abundances, derived SSTs, and stable planktic isotopes measurements together with alkenone abundances and Uk′37 SSTs was performed on late MIS 6 to early MIS 5d sediment recovered from Site 975 (ODP Leg 161) in the South Balearic Islands Basin (Western Mediterranean) with emphasis on reconstructing the climate progression of the last interglacial period. A number of abrupt climate changes related to alternative influence of nutrient rich northern and oligotrophic southern water masses was revealed. Heinrich event 11 and cooling events C27, C26, C25, C24, and C23, which have been previously described in the North Atlantic, were recognized. However, in comparison to the eastern North Atlantic mid-latitude region, events C27 and C26 at Site 975 seem to be significantly more pronounced. Together with evidence of a two-phase climate optimum with maximum SSTs reached during its later phase, this implies a close similarity in climate dynamics between the Western Mediterranean and the Nordic seas. We propose that postglacial effects in the Nordic seas had an influence on the western Mediterranean climate via atmospheric circulation and that these effects competed with the insolation force.