Temperature Gradient Reconstructions from the Eastern Equatorial Pacific Cold Tongue

Sea surface temperature (SST) reconstructions from the Western and Eastern Equatorial Pacific (WEP and EEP) indicate the Equatorial Pacific was in a permanent El Niño-like state during the early Pliocene. Specifically, SST in the WEP was nearly the same as today, while SST in the EEP cold tongue region was 2-3 °C warmer than today. Climatic transitions recorded in the EEP are of particular interest due to the region’s sensitivity to changes in upwelling and thermocline depth, and due to its role in the global ocean heat balance. However, not much is known about the evolution of the EEP cold tongue. This study aims to reconstruct the east-west and north-south gradients within the EEP using new SST and sub-surface temperature records from ODP Sites 848, 849, and 853 and published paleoceanographic records from the EEP to examine the temporal and spatial evolution of the EEP cold tongue from the Pliocene to Recent. Mg/Ca analyses on Globigerinoides sacculifer and Globorotalia tumida and alkenone analyses have been made to reconstruct east-west and north-south SST and thermocline depth, respectively. Currently, G. tumida Mg/Ca records have been generated for Sites 848 (most southern) and 853 (most northern) and G. sacculifer Mg/Ca and alkenone records have been generated for Site 848. This study compares new data to published data to achieve exceptional spatial coverage of the EEP cold tongue. Comparison of SST data to reconstructions of thermocline temperatures, paleoproductivity, and wind field strength will provide insight into the underlying causes of changes in the intensity and spatial extent of the cold tongue. Understanding these causes will aid in explaining the transition from the permanent El Niño-like state to modern conditions as climate cooled through the Pliocene.