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Timing and Climatic Consequences of the Opening of Drake Passage
Howie D. Scher* and
Ellen E. Martin
Age estimates for the opening of Drake Passage range from 49to 17 million years ago (Ma), complicating interpretations ofthe relationship between ocean circulation and global cooling.Secular variations of neodymium isotope ratios at Agulhas Ridge(Southern Ocean, Atlantic sector) suggest an influx of shallowPacific seawater approximately 41 Ma. The timing of this connectionand the subsequent deepening of the passage coincide with increasedbiological productivity and abrupt climate reversals. Circulation/productivitylinkages are proposed as a mechanism for declining atmosphericcarbon dioxide. These results also indicate that Drake Passageopened before the Tasmanian Gateway, implying the late Eoceneestablishment of a complete circum-Antarctic pathway.
Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed at the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA. E-mail: howie{at}earth.rochester.edu
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