Disentangling Effects of Sea Surface Temperature and Water Depth on Hydroxylated Isoprenoid GDGTs: Insights From the Hadal Zone and Global Sediments

Wenjie Xiao*, Yunping Xu, Chuanlun Zhang*, Jian Lin, Weichao Wu, L. Xiaoxia, Jingqian Tan, Xi Zhang, Fengfeng Zheng, Xiuqing Song, Yuanqing Zhu, Yi Yang, Hongrui Zhang, Frank Wenzhöfer, Ashley A. Rowden, Ronnie N. Glud

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

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Abstract

Hydroxylated isoprenoid glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (OH-GDGTs) preserved in marine sediments are thought to be controlled by sea surface temperature (SST). However, water depth may also exert a significant influence on OH-GDGTs. Here, we investigated sedimentary OH-GDGTs in the Kermadec and Atacama trench regions (2,560–9,560 m water depth). Sedimentary OH-GDGTs in hadal trenches were dominated by OH-GDGT-0 (72 ± 8%), potentially reflecting an adaption of source organisms to ambient cold deep water. This result, combined with global data set, revealed that the predominance of OH-GDGT-0 is a ubiquitous phenomenon in deep-sea sediments, leading to a considerable underestimation of RI-OH′-derived SSTs. By considering both SST and water depth effects, we developed more accurate OH-GDGT-based paleothermometers for both shallow regions and the global ocean, encompassing the full-ocean-depth range. Our findings highlight the importance of accounting for the effect of water depth on OH-GDGTs and provide improved tools for reconstructing paleo-SSTs.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere2023GL103109
JournalGeophysical Research Letters
Volume50
Issue number15
Number of pages12
ISSN0094-8276
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 16. Aug 2023

Keywords

  • global oceans
  • hadal trench
  • OH-GDGTs
  • sea surface temperature
  • water depth

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