Oxidative conditions along the continental shelf of the Southeast Pacific during the last two millennia: a multiproxy interpretation of the oxygen minimum zone variability from sedimentary records

The oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) is an essential feature along the Pacific margin, extensively studied for its influence on benthic fauna, acquiring relevance in coastal zones due to its impact on aquaculture species, marine-managed areas, and marine-protected areas. The most evident temporal variabili...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Praxedes Muñoz, Alexis Castillo, Jorge Valdés, Boris Dewitte
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.2023.1134164/full
_version_ 1797777713520443392
author Praxedes Muñoz
Praxedes Muñoz
Praxedes Muñoz
Alexis Castillo
Alexis Castillo
Alexis Castillo
Jorge Valdés
Boris Dewitte
Boris Dewitte
Boris Dewitte
Boris Dewitte
author_facet Praxedes Muñoz
Praxedes Muñoz
Praxedes Muñoz
Alexis Castillo
Alexis Castillo
Alexis Castillo
Jorge Valdés
Boris Dewitte
Boris Dewitte
Boris Dewitte
Boris Dewitte
author_sort Praxedes Muñoz
collection DOAJ
description The oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) is an essential feature along the Pacific margin, extensively studied for its influence on benthic fauna, acquiring relevance in coastal zones due to its impact on aquaculture species, marine-managed areas, and marine-protected areas. The most evident temporal variability beyond seasonal timescales observed for the OMZ was related to inter-annual variability associated with El Niño, when warmer and more oxygenated waters arrive at shallower zones and the OMZ becomes deeper. However, the impact of oxygen-deficient water that appears sporadically over the shelf is not yet understood. This study provides an integrated view of the oceanographic and climatic conditions behind bottom oxygen conditions along the Chilean continental margin, considering the temporal variability in the South East (SE) Pacific during the last ~2000 years. We organized the information on redox-sensitive metals and δ15N from sedimentary cores obtained from shelf zones from 23°S to 36°S at water depths lower than 100 m. The results demonstrate the variability in the upper part of the OMZ over the shelf, which seems to respond to climatic oscillations. The element distribution indicated in particular a more intense OMZ was developed over the shelf before 1400 AD, followed by more oxygenated bottom conditions afterward, except between 1925 and 1970 off 36°S when the OMZ was intensified, a condition that was not observed at the northern sites. This period mostly coincided with a low Pacific Decadal Oscillation amplitude and reduced El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) activity. In the last 50 years, the proxy data suggests less intense suboxic environment along the Chilean margin. This weakening of the upper boundary of the OMZ in the last decades is interpreted as resulting from the accumulative effect of ventilation processes at different time scales.
first_indexed 2024-03-12T23:08:39Z
format Article
id doaj.art-7277a0115c2c43b8b171e95482bf8ece
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2296-7745
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-12T23:08:39Z
publishDate 2023-07-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Marine Science
spelling doaj.art-7277a0115c2c43b8b171e95482bf8ece2023-07-18T09:54:11ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452023-07-011010.3389/fmars.2023.11341641134164Oxidative conditions along the continental shelf of the Southeast Pacific during the last two millennia: a multiproxy interpretation of the oxygen minimum zone variability from sedimentary recordsPraxedes Muñoz0Praxedes Muñoz1Praxedes Muñoz2Alexis Castillo3Alexis Castillo4Alexis Castillo5Jorge Valdés6Boris Dewitte7Boris Dewitte8Boris Dewitte9Boris Dewitte10Universidad Católica del Norte, Departamento de Biología Marina, Coquimbo, ChileCentro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Áridas, CEAZA, Coquimbo, ChileNúcleo Milenio de Ecología y Manejo Sustentable (ESMOI), Facultad de Ciencias del Mar, Departamento de Biología Marina, Universidad Católica del Norte, Coquimbo, ChileCentro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del Maule, Vicerrectoría de Investigación y Posgrado, Universidad Católica del Maule, Campus San Miguel, Talca, ChileJ’EAI-CHARISMA, UMNG-Cajicá, Cajicá, ColombiaANID-Millennium Science Initiative Program Núcleo Milenio UPWELL, La Serena, ChileLaboratorio de Sedimentología y Paleoambientes, Instituto de Cs Naturales Alexander von Humboldt, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y de Recursos Biológicos, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, ChileUniversidad Católica del Norte, Departamento de Biología Marina, Coquimbo, ChileCentro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Áridas, CEAZA, Coquimbo, ChileNúcleo Milenio de Ecología y Manejo Sustentable (ESMOI), Facultad de Ciencias del Mar, Departamento de Biología Marina, Universidad Católica del Norte, Coquimbo, ChileCECI, Université de Toulouse, CERFACS/CNRS, Toulouse, FranceThe oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) is an essential feature along the Pacific margin, extensively studied for its influence on benthic fauna, acquiring relevance in coastal zones due to its impact on aquaculture species, marine-managed areas, and marine-protected areas. The most evident temporal variability beyond seasonal timescales observed for the OMZ was related to inter-annual variability associated with El Niño, when warmer and more oxygenated waters arrive at shallower zones and the OMZ becomes deeper. However, the impact of oxygen-deficient water that appears sporadically over the shelf is not yet understood. This study provides an integrated view of the oceanographic and climatic conditions behind bottom oxygen conditions along the Chilean continental margin, considering the temporal variability in the South East (SE) Pacific during the last ~2000 years. We organized the information on redox-sensitive metals and δ15N from sedimentary cores obtained from shelf zones from 23°S to 36°S at water depths lower than 100 m. The results demonstrate the variability in the upper part of the OMZ over the shelf, which seems to respond to climatic oscillations. The element distribution indicated in particular a more intense OMZ was developed over the shelf before 1400 AD, followed by more oxygenated bottom conditions afterward, except between 1925 and 1970 off 36°S when the OMZ was intensified, a condition that was not observed at the northern sites. This period mostly coincided with a low Pacific Decadal Oscillation amplitude and reduced El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) activity. In the last 50 years, the proxy data suggests less intense suboxic environment along the Chilean margin. This weakening of the upper boundary of the OMZ in the last decades is interpreted as resulting from the accumulative effect of ventilation processes at different time scales.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2023.1134164/fulloxygen minimum zonedenitrificationsensitive redox metalsensolate holoceneeastern boundary upwelling system
spellingShingle Praxedes Muñoz
Praxedes Muñoz
Praxedes Muñoz
Alexis Castillo
Alexis Castillo
Alexis Castillo
Jorge Valdés
Boris Dewitte
Boris Dewitte
Boris Dewitte
Boris Dewitte
Oxidative conditions along the continental shelf of the Southeast Pacific during the last two millennia: a multiproxy interpretation of the oxygen minimum zone variability from sedimentary records
Frontiers in Marine Science
oxygen minimum zone
denitrification
sensitive redox metals
enso
late holocene
eastern boundary upwelling system
title Oxidative conditions along the continental shelf of the Southeast Pacific during the last two millennia: a multiproxy interpretation of the oxygen minimum zone variability from sedimentary records
title_full Oxidative conditions along the continental shelf of the Southeast Pacific during the last two millennia: a multiproxy interpretation of the oxygen minimum zone variability from sedimentary records
title_fullStr Oxidative conditions along the continental shelf of the Southeast Pacific during the last two millennia: a multiproxy interpretation of the oxygen minimum zone variability from sedimentary records
title_full_unstemmed Oxidative conditions along the continental shelf of the Southeast Pacific during the last two millennia: a multiproxy interpretation of the oxygen minimum zone variability from sedimentary records
title_short Oxidative conditions along the continental shelf of the Southeast Pacific during the last two millennia: a multiproxy interpretation of the oxygen minimum zone variability from sedimentary records
title_sort oxidative conditions along the continental shelf of the southeast pacific during the last two millennia a multiproxy interpretation of the oxygen minimum zone variability from sedimentary records
topic oxygen minimum zone
denitrification
sensitive redox metals
enso
late holocene
eastern boundary upwelling system
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2023.1134164/full
work_keys_str_mv AT praxedesmunoz oxidativeconditionsalongthecontinentalshelfofthesoutheastpacificduringthelasttwomillenniaamultiproxyinterpretationoftheoxygenminimumzonevariabilityfromsedimentaryrecords
AT praxedesmunoz oxidativeconditionsalongthecontinentalshelfofthesoutheastpacificduringthelasttwomillenniaamultiproxyinterpretationoftheoxygenminimumzonevariabilityfromsedimentaryrecords
AT praxedesmunoz oxidativeconditionsalongthecontinentalshelfofthesoutheastpacificduringthelasttwomillenniaamultiproxyinterpretationoftheoxygenminimumzonevariabilityfromsedimentaryrecords
AT alexiscastillo oxidativeconditionsalongthecontinentalshelfofthesoutheastpacificduringthelasttwomillenniaamultiproxyinterpretationoftheoxygenminimumzonevariabilityfromsedimentaryrecords
AT alexiscastillo oxidativeconditionsalongthecontinentalshelfofthesoutheastpacificduringthelasttwomillenniaamultiproxyinterpretationoftheoxygenminimumzonevariabilityfromsedimentaryrecords
AT alexiscastillo oxidativeconditionsalongthecontinentalshelfofthesoutheastpacificduringthelasttwomillenniaamultiproxyinterpretationoftheoxygenminimumzonevariabilityfromsedimentaryrecords
AT jorgevaldes oxidativeconditionsalongthecontinentalshelfofthesoutheastpacificduringthelasttwomillenniaamultiproxyinterpretationoftheoxygenminimumzonevariabilityfromsedimentaryrecords
AT borisdewitte oxidativeconditionsalongthecontinentalshelfofthesoutheastpacificduringthelasttwomillenniaamultiproxyinterpretationoftheoxygenminimumzonevariabilityfromsedimentaryrecords
AT borisdewitte oxidativeconditionsalongthecontinentalshelfofthesoutheastpacificduringthelasttwomillenniaamultiproxyinterpretationoftheoxygenminimumzonevariabilityfromsedimentaryrecords
AT borisdewitte oxidativeconditionsalongthecontinentalshelfofthesoutheastpacificduringthelasttwomillenniaamultiproxyinterpretationoftheoxygenminimumzonevariabilityfromsedimentaryrecords
AT borisdewitte oxidativeconditionsalongthecontinentalshelfofthesoutheastpacificduringthelasttwomillenniaamultiproxyinterpretationoftheoxygenminimumzonevariabilityfromsedimentaryrecords