Sedimentological and geochemical records of the North Atlantic Glacial Eastern Boundary Current, 50-15 ka BP

The upper branch of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) plays a critical role in ocean circulation and climate change, yet its variability during the last glacial period is poorly documented. Here, we investigate the northward-flowing Glacial Eastern Boundary Current (GEBC) in the North Atlantic, known today as the European Slope Current, and representing the easternmost portion of the upper branch of the AMOC. Based on flow speed (sortable silt, XRF) and radiogenic/stable isotopic records, we show that Dansgaard-Oeschger (D/O) interstadials (stadials) correspond to a faster (weaker) GEBC during the ~50-15 ka period. This, by analogy to present-day conditions, suggests enhanced (reduced) strength of the subpolar gyre and, by extension, of northern-sourced water production and AMOC during D-O interstadials (stadials). Concomitant fluctuations of both the European Ice Sheet and the GEBC between ~30 and 17 ka suggest an active role of the upper branch of AMOC in the poleward transport of heat and freshwater to the northern North Atlantic, with direct impacts on deep water formation and AMOC strength. Our GEBC reconstruction is the first physical (non-chemical) record documenting dynamic upper AMOC variability at high resolution in the eastern basin of the North Atlantic. Together with the deep North Atlantic records of northern-sourced water export, they confirm the central role of the AMOC in the generation of abrupt climate changes.