Paleoproductivity evolution in the northeastern Indian Ocean since the last glacial maximum: Evidence from biogenic silica variations

Abstract Changes of marine paleoproductivity could reflect the history of marine biogenic cycle process, and exploring the evolution and mechanism of marine productivity are important for understanding the global biogenic factor cycle and its roles in past, present and future climate change. Based on the analysis of biogenic silica (BSi) in core ADM-159 and core BoB-56 from the northeastern Indian Ocean, high-resolution curves of paleoproductivity evolution were obtained. The results show that the BSi contents in these two core sediments are less than 1.8%, mainly affected by the low supply of silica skeleton and the high dissolution and dilution of terrigenous materials. Distinct fluctuations in BSi contents could still be reflected, and their relative values were controlled by chemical weathering processes and terrigenous material supply. The power spectrum analysis of BSi content shows reliable periodicities of 5.86 kyr, 1.95 kyr, 1.35 kyr and 1.09 kyr, suggesting that millennial-scale BSi value might be affected by solar activity. Based on the BSi mass accumulation rates (MAR), lower paleoproductivity during the glacial period and higher level during the Holocene were revealed in our records, which matched well with the global climate changes. Temperatures controlled by low latitude insolation changes could influence the nutrient substance supply, further promote productivity variations at the glacial–interglacial scale. Some millennial events, such as the Heinrich stadial 1 (HS1) and Younger Dryas (YD) periods, showed relatively low paleoproductivity, while the Bolling/Allerod (B/A) period and the middle Holocene showed higher paleoproductivity. These millennial paleoproductivity fluctuations may be due to the changes of nutrient supply caused by Indian summer monsoon (ISM). In addition, the BSi MAR of core ADM-159 and core BoB-56 are well correlated with the isotopic compositions of Greenland ice core and Chinese speleothem, providing robust evidence for the link between northeastern Indian Ocean paleoproductivity and global climate change.