HR: 11:05h
AN: PP42A-04    [Abstracts]
TI: Evolution, Abundance and Biocalcification of Calcareous Nannoplankton During the Aptian (Early Cretaceous): Causes and Consequences for C Isotopic Anomalies, Climate Changes and the Carbon Cycle.
AU: * Erba, E
EM: Elisabetta.Erba@unimi.it
AF: University of Milan, Dept. of Earth Sciences, Via Mangiagalli 34, Milan, 20133 Italy
AB: The mid Cretaceous is marked by extreme greenhouse conditions, coeval with emplacement of large igneous provinces, C isotopic anomalies, major changes in structure and composition of the oceans, and accelerated rates in the evolutionary history of calcareous plankton. The Aptian is a crucial interval to decipher links between biotic evolution and environmental pressure: it is appealing for understanding nannofloral biocalcification and feedbacks in the carbonate system and in the global carbon cycle. Ontong Java, Manihiki and Kerguelen Plateaus formed in the Aptian affecting the ocean-atmosphere system with excess CO2, changes in Ca2+ and Mg2+ concentrations, and varying nutrient cycling. Two large C isotopic anomalies are associated with episodes of prolonged high primary productivity, changes in alkality, global warming and cooling, anoxia, speciations and extinctions in planktonic communities. Nannofossil diversity, abundance and biocalcification are quantified in continuous, complete, pelagic sections to derive biosphere-geosphere interactions at short and long time scales. The early Aptian C isotopic anomaly interrupts a speciation episode in calcareous nannoplankton paralleled by a drastic reduction in nannofossil paleofluxes culminating in the nannoconid crisis preceding the Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a and the negative C isotopic spike linked to clathrate melting presumably triggered by the thermal maximum at the onset of the mid Cretaceous greenhouse climate. No extinctions are recorded. In the early late Aptian resumption of nannoconid production and appearance of several taxa are coeval with a return to normal C isotopic values. The occurrence of calpionellids and diversified planktonic foraminifers indicate successful biocalcification and restoration of the thermocline. In the late Aptian a drop in nannofossil abundance and accelerated extinction rates are associated with another C isotopic excursion under cool conditions possibly due to a prolonged volcanic winter or reversed greenhouse conditions resulting from a draw-down of carbon dioxide after accelerated weathering and massive burial of organic carbon-rich sediments in the oceans.
DE: 0419 Biomineralization
DE: 4900 PALEOCEANOGRAPHY (0473, 3344)
DE: 4912 Biogeochemical cycles, processes, and modeling (0412, 0414, 0793, 1615, 4805)
DE: 4944 Micropaleontology (0459, 3030)
SC: Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology [PP]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005