The Early–Middle Pleistocene Transition in the Gulf of Cadiz (NE Atlantic) – an interplay between subtropical gyre and extremely cold surface waters

Mega, Aline; Rodrigues, Teresa; Salgueiro, Emília; Padilha, Mária; Kuhnert, Henning; Voelker, Antje H. L.

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-919-2025

Articles | Volume 21, issue 5

https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-919-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Special issue:

Publications by EGU Medallists

https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-919-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 21, issue 5

Research article

|

20 May 2025

Research article |

| 20 May 2025

The Early–Middle Pleistocene Transition in the Gulf of Cadiz (NE Atlantic) – an interplay between subtropical gyre and extremely cold surface waters

Aline Mega, Teresa Rodrigues, Emília Salgueiro, Mária Padilha, Henning Kuhnert, and Antje H. L. Voelker

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-919-2025-supplement

Data sets

Oxygen isotope of planktic foraminifera Globigerina bulloides from IODP Site 339-U1387 P. Bajo et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.914401

SST and synchronized ages from IODP Site 339-U1387 P. Bajo et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.914400

Planktonic foraminifera faunal data and sea-surface temperatures for the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 18 to MIS 28 interval of IODP Site 339-U1387 A. H. L. Voelker et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.974451

Temperature reconstruction for the Mid-Pleistocene Transition based on deep-dwelling foraminifera of IODP Site339-U1385 A. Bahr et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.882374

Oxgyen and carbon isotope data for the planktonic foraminifera Globigerina bulloides at IODP Site 339-U1385 D. A. Hodell et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.951386

A 1 Ma record of Sea Surface Temperature and extreme cooling events in the North Atlantic: A perspective from the Iberian Margin T. Rodrigues et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.921577

Planktonic foraminifera faunal data and sea-surface temperatures for the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 18 to MIS 28 interval of IODP Site 339-U1387 A. H. L. Voelker et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.974451

Model code and software

Ocean Data View R. Schlitzer https://odv.awi.de/

Short summary

Our research explores climatic changes during the Early–Middle Pleistocene (1006–750 ka) on the southern Portuguese margin. We found that warm, subtropical-gyre-related conditions dominated. However, those conditions were occasionally interrupted by extreme cold events during the glacial periods. Our data show that these cold events, linked to changes in the North Atlantic's circulation, reached as far south as 36° N and significantly impacted marine ecosystems in the surface ocean.