Millennium analysis of mercury content in the North Atlantic sediments during the late Pliocene

结果表明，北大西洋沉积物中汞含量在过去100万年和2500 ~ 2550 ka之间分别以10万年和41,000年、3000年和5000年为明显的变化周期。沉积物汞含量增加，在冰期与冰筏碎片（IRD）的增加，正相关的总有机碳含量和其碳同位素比值和表面居住的微型浮游生物物种的绝对丰度成反比。这些观测结果表明，含汞和IRD的冰山流出到这一海域，在冰川期融化，增加的汞的透光水被纳入到有机物产生的深居浮游植物在较低的透光带。沉积物汞含量可以作为一种新的化学指标，在轨道尺度和千年尺度上反映北方半球浮冰的扩大和缩小

It was clarified that mercury contents in the North Atlantic sediments over the last 1,000,000 years and during a period between 2500 ka and 2550 ka changed with distinct periods of 100,000 and 41,000 years, and 3000 and 5000 years, respectively. The sediment Hg content increased during glacial periods with the increase of ice-rafted debris (IRD), correlating positively with total organic carbon content and inversely with its carbon isotopic ratio and the absolute abundance of surface-dwelling nannoplankton species. These observations suggest that Hg- and IRD-bearing icebergs flowed out to this sea area melted during glacial periods and the increased Hg of photic water is incorporated into the organic matter produced by deep-dwelling phytoplankton in the lower photic zone. Sediment Hg content can be used as a new chemical indicator of enlargement and reduction of ice floes in the northern hemisphere in both orbital and millennium scales