ABSTRACT THE ocean's intermediate1–6 and deep7,8 circulation are both known to have differed during the last glaciation from those of today, but little is known about the history of the

subtropical gyres. Variations in gyre processes should be closely linked to variations in global climate, as gyre circulation is driven by air–sea interactions and reflects the climate at

the ocean surface. The gyres are also a significant reservoir of carbon and nutrients, so that gyre processes affect the distribution of carbon and nutrients in the oceans and thus

atmospheric CO2. Here we use measurements of δ13C and δ18O in foraminifera from the Bahamas to produce a detailed reconstruction of nutrient and temperature profiles in the thermocline

depleted of nutrients. Moreover, glacial thermocline waters were cooler, had a steeper temperature gradient and a shallower base. Both the ventilation and the thermal structure of the

glacial thermocline are consistent with what is known of the glacial climate9–14. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is a preview of subscription content, access via your

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* Learn about institutional subscriptions * Read our FAQs * Contact customer support SIMILAR CONTENT BEING VIEWED BY OTHERS DEEPER AND STRONGER NORTH ATLANTIC GYRE DURING THE LAST GLACIAL

MAXIMUM Article Open access 10 July 2024 SHOALING OF ABYSSAL VENTILATION IN THE EASTERN INDIAN SECTOR OF THE SOUTHERN OCEAN Article Open access 19 May 2022 GATEWAY-DRIVEN WEAKENING OF OCEAN

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Department of Oceanography, Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas, 77843-3146, USA AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts,

02543, USA Niall C. Slowey & William B. Curry Authors * Niall C. Slowey View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * William B. Curry View

author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Slowey, N., Curry, W.

Enhanced ventilation of the North Atlantic subtropical gyre thermocline during the last glaciation. _Nature_ 358, 665–668 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1038/358665a0 Download citation *

Received: 13 May 1992 * Accepted: 17 June 1992 * Issue Date: 20 August 1992 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/358665a0 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able

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