Reconstruction of the sedimentary history offshore NW Africa

Abstract

Paleoceanography, Climate, Marine Productivity, Terrigenous Input, High-frequent Cyclicities, LGM, Holocene, XRF Core Scanner. - The goal of this thesis is to reconstruct, with high spatial resolution, the influence of coastal upwelling and terrigeneous input on the magnitude and composition of sediment accumulation off NW Africa, and to investigate how this influence has varied through the last glacial and interglacial periods. To achieve dense coverage for paleoceanographic reconstruction in the investigation area, a large number of sediment cores has been analyzed with rapid and non-destructive core-logging systems. The results of this thesis show that even the small region of the Canary Islands can be separated into several areas, with each reflecting its own sediment characteristics. Recent remote sensing images of chlorophyll concentration reflecting the present upwelling conditions are mirrored by the accumulation rates of the underlying sediment. The variation and distribution of the sediment accumulation rates in the past provides information about paleoceanographic features, such as upwelling conditions and sea-level fluctuations. The contribution of terrigeneous material to the marine sediments can be separated into eolian and a fluvial portions. Three characteristic areas ...