NOAA/WDS Paleoclimatology - Northeast Atlantic Foramifinferal Abundance, d15N and Sea Water Temperature Data during the last 10ka

In the North Atlantic, the subpolar gyre (SPG) connects tropical and high latitude waters, playing a leading role in deep-water formation, propagation of Atlantic water into the Arctic, and as habitat for many ecosystems. Detailed instrumental records spanning the last few decades document significant decadal variability in SPG circulation, with associated hydrographic and ecological changes. Emerging longer-term records provide circumstantial evidence that the North Atlantic also experienced centennial trends during the 20th century. Here, we use marine sediment records to show that there has been a long-term change in SPG circulation during the industrial era, most of which occurred during the 20th century. Moreover, we show that the shift and modern SPG configuration are unprecedented in the last 10,000 years. Modern SPG dynamics have resulted in an expansion of subtropical ecosystems into new habitats and likely also altered the northward transport of heat to high latitudes.