Deoxygenation of the Baltic Sea during the last millennium

Over the last 1,000 years, changing climate strongly influenced the ecosystem of coastal oceans such as the Baltic Sea. Sedimentary records revealed that changing temperatures could be linked to changing oxygen levels, spreading anoxic, oxygen-free areas in the Baltic Sea. However, the attribution o...

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Main Authors: Florian Börgel, Thomas Neumann, Jurjen Rooze, Hagen Radtke, Leonie Barghorn, H. E. Markus Meier
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2023-07-01
Series:Frontiers in Marine Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2023.1174039/full
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author Florian Börgel
Thomas Neumann
Jurjen Rooze
Hagen Radtke
Leonie Barghorn
H. E. Markus Meier
author_facet Florian Börgel
Thomas Neumann
Jurjen Rooze
Hagen Radtke
Leonie Barghorn
H. E. Markus Meier
author_sort Florian Börgel
collection DOAJ
description Over the last 1,000 years, changing climate strongly influenced the ecosystem of coastal oceans such as the Baltic Sea. Sedimentary records revealed that changing temperatures could be linked to changing oxygen levels, spreading anoxic, oxygen-free areas in the Baltic Sea. However, the attribution of changing oxygen levels remains to be challenging. This work simulates a preindustrial period of 850 years, covering the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) and the Little Ice Age using a coupled physical-biogeochemical model. We conduct a set of sensitivity studies that allow us to disentangle the contributions of different biogeochemical processes to increasing hypoxia during the last millennium. We find that the temperature-dependent mineralization rate is a key process contributing to hypoxia formation during the MCA. Faster mineralization enhances the vertical phosphorus flux leading to higher primary production. Our results question the hypothesis that increased cyanobacteria blooms are the reason for increased hypoxia in the Baltic Sea during the MCA. Moreover, the strong contribution of the mineralization rate suggests that the role of temperature-dependent mineralization in current projections should be revisited.
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spelling doaj.art-71c7152037494295b811598be456819e2023-07-07T12:09:02ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452023-07-011010.3389/fmars.2023.11740391174039Deoxygenation of the Baltic Sea during the last millenniumFlorian BörgelThomas NeumannJurjen RoozeHagen RadtkeLeonie BarghornH. E. Markus MeierOver the last 1,000 years, changing climate strongly influenced the ecosystem of coastal oceans such as the Baltic Sea. Sedimentary records revealed that changing temperatures could be linked to changing oxygen levels, spreading anoxic, oxygen-free areas in the Baltic Sea. However, the attribution of changing oxygen levels remains to be challenging. This work simulates a preindustrial period of 850 years, covering the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) and the Little Ice Age using a coupled physical-biogeochemical model. We conduct a set of sensitivity studies that allow us to disentangle the contributions of different biogeochemical processes to increasing hypoxia during the last millennium. We find that the temperature-dependent mineralization rate is a key process contributing to hypoxia formation during the MCA. Faster mineralization enhances the vertical phosphorus flux leading to higher primary production. Our results question the hypothesis that increased cyanobacteria blooms are the reason for increased hypoxia in the Baltic Sea during the MCA. Moreover, the strong contribution of the mineralization rate suggests that the role of temperature-dependent mineralization in current projections should be revisited.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2023.1174039/fullBaltic Seaoxygenlast millenniumvariabilityLittle Ice Agemedieval climate anomaly
spellingShingle Florian Börgel
Thomas Neumann
Jurjen Rooze
Hagen Radtke
Leonie Barghorn
H. E. Markus Meier
Deoxygenation of the Baltic Sea during the last millennium
Frontiers in Marine Science
Baltic Sea
oxygen
last millennium
variability
Little Ice Age
medieval climate anomaly
title Deoxygenation of the Baltic Sea during the last millennium
title_full Deoxygenation of the Baltic Sea during the last millennium
title_fullStr Deoxygenation of the Baltic Sea during the last millennium
title_full_unstemmed Deoxygenation of the Baltic Sea during the last millennium
title_short Deoxygenation of the Baltic Sea during the last millennium
title_sort deoxygenation of the baltic sea during the last millennium
topic Baltic Sea
oxygen
last millennium
variability
Little Ice Age
medieval climate anomaly
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2023.1174039/full
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