Intermediate water signal leads surface water response during Northeast Atlantic deglaciation

Multi-proxy records of the high resolution core ENAM94-09 from the Faeroe region, NE Atlantic, were used to reconstruct paleoceanographic conditions at intermediate water depth during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 19.3–16.7 ka BP) and the initial deglaciation period (16.7–>14 ka BP). The methods comprise micropaleontological and geochemical analyses as well as measurements of stable isotopes and AMS 14C dating for stratigraphic control. Owing to exceptionally high sedimentation rates of 90 cm/ka during the LGM and the initial deglaciation, it has been possible to resolve that the intermediate water masses in the Faeroe area lead the surface water deglaciation signal by 1.6 ka. The time span of this lead corresponds to the “Southern Hemisphere Lead” recently reported from the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean [Paleoceanography, 14 (1999) 135]. It is suggested that an interhemispheric teleconnection at intermediate water depth played a crucial role during deglaciation and in the final ice surge events around the northern North Atlantic.