IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v16y2025i1d10.1038_s41467-025-62189-9.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Ocean freshening near the end of the Mesozoic

Author

Listed:
  • Wiesława Radmacher

    (Research Center in Kraków)

  • Igor Niezgodzki

    (Research Center in Kraków)

  • Vicente Gilabert

    (University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU)
    Universidad de Zaragoza)

  • Gregor Knorr

    (Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research)

  • David M. Buchs

    (Cardiff University
    Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute)

  • José A. Arz

    (Universidad de Zaragoza)

  • Ignacio Arenillas

    (Universidad de Zaragoza)

  • Martin A. Pearce

    (Cromwell Road)

  • Jarosław Tyszka

    (Research Center in Kraków)

  • Mateusz Mikołajczak

    (Research Center in Kraków)

  • Osmín J. Vásquez

    (Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala)

  • Sarit Ashckenazi-Polivoda

    (Masada National Park
    Ben-Gurion University of the Negev)

  • Sigal Abramovich

    (Ben-Gurion University of the Negev)

  • Mariusz Niechwedowicz

    (University of Warsaw)

  • Gunn Mangerud

    (University of Bergen)

Abstract

Paleogeographic changes have significantly shaped ocean circulation and climate dynamics throughout Earth’s history. This study integrates geological proxies with climate simulations to assess how ocean gateway evolution influenced ocean salinity near the end of the Mesozoic (~66 Ma). Our modeling results demonstrate that 1) Central American Seaway shoaling reorganizes ocean currents, and 2) Arctic marine gateway restrictions, confining Arctic–Global Ocean exchange exclusively to the Greenland–Norwegian Seaway, drive Arctic Ocean surface freshening and southward outflow of buoyant, low-salinity waters. However, only the combined effect of these two factors leads to both Arctic freshening and increased water mass stratification in the Greenland–Norwegian Seaway, proto-North Atlantic, and the Western Tethys. This scenario aligns with Maastrichtian palynological, micropaleontological, and geochemical records from high- and low-latitude sites. Our findings highlight the profound impact of these latest Cretaceous paleogeographic reconfigurations in altering global salinity patterns, underscoring their role as key drivers of global climate dynamics.

Suggested Citation

  • Wiesława Radmacher & Igor Niezgodzki & Vicente Gilabert & Gregor Knorr & David M. Buchs & José A. Arz & Ignacio Arenillas & Martin A. Pearce & Jarosław Tyszka & Mateusz Mikołajczak & Osmín J. Vásquez , 2025. "Ocean freshening near the end of the Mesozoic," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-15, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-62189-9
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-62189-9
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-62189-9
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-025-62189-9?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yannick Donnadieu & Emmanuelle Pucéat & Mathieu Moiroud & François Guillocheau & Jean- François Deconinck, 2016. "A better-ventilated ocean triggered by Late Cretaceous changes in continental configuration," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 7(1), pages 1-12, April.
    2. Heather M. Stoll & Isabel Cacho & Edward Gasson & Jakub Sliwinski & Oliver Kost & Ana Moreno & Miguel Iglesias & Judit Torner & Carlos Perez-Mejias & Negar Haghipour & Hai Cheng & R. Lawrence Edwards, 2022. "Rapid northern hemisphere ice sheet melting during the penultimate deglaciation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-16, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Hsun-Ming Hu & Gianluca Marino & Carlos Pérez-Mejías & Christoph Spötl & Yusuke Yokoyama & Jimin Yu & Eelco Rohling & Akihiro Kano & Patrick Ludwig & Joaquim G. Pinto & Véronique Michel & Patricia Val, 2024. "Sustained North Atlantic warming drove anomalously intense MIS 11c interglacial," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    2. Kaushal Gianchandani & Sagi Maor & Ori Adam & Alexander Farnsworth & Hezi Gildor & Daniel J. Lunt & Nathan Paldor, 2023. "Effects of paleogeographic changes and CO2 variability on northern mid-latitudinal temperature gradients in the Cretaceous," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-7, December.
    3. F. Held & H. Cheng & R. L. Edwards & O. Tüysüz & K. Koç & D. Fleitmann, 2024. "Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles of the penultimate and last glacial period recorded in stalagmites from Türkiye," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-8, December.
    4. Xinwei Yan & Xu Zhang & Bo Liu & Huw T. Mithan & John Hellstrom & Sophie Nuber & Russell Drysdale & Junjie Wu & Fangyuan Lin & Ning Zhao & Yuao Zhang & Wengang Kang & Jianbao Liu, 2025. "Asynchronicity of deglacial permafrost thawing controlled by millennial-scale climate variability," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-12, December.
    5. Yijia Liang & Kan Zhao & Yongjin Wang & Shitao Chen & Tyler E. Huth & Bin Zhao & Quan Wang & Zhenqiu Zhang & Qingfeng Shao & Hai Cheng & R. Lawrence Edwards, 2025. "Asian summer monsoon variability across Termination II and implications for ice age terminations," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-9, December.
    6. Hongrui Zhang & Yongsong Huang & Reto Wijker & Isabel Cacho & Judit Torner & Madeleine Santos & Oliver Kost & Bingbing Wei & Heather Stoll, 2023. "Iberian Margin surface ocean cooling led freshening during Marine Isotope Stage 6 abrupt cooling events," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-62189-9. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.