Paleoceanographic evolution of the central Adriatic during the last four glacial-interglacial cycles (Promess1 Borehole PRAD1-2)

The paleoenvironmental history of the central Adriatic basin is here reconstructed for the last 360 ka BP, based on an integrated approach (planktic and benthic foraminifera, alkenone SST and O and C stable isotope records). There seems to be a general in phase trend in the paleoclimatic changes between the central Adriatic and the north Atlantic climate system, except for the intervals related to the deposition of the sapropel layers in the eastern Mediterranean; in particular, the time period between MIS7.5 and MIS5 results to be strongly influenced by the monsoonal regime. Compared to other Mediterranean records, it can be inferred that the Adriatic was affected by very low SST during glacial times (down to 2°C for MIS2), which is uncommon for the Mediterranean basin. The SST record points out that the Adriatic was not capable to maintain interglacial/interstadial conditions for a duration similar to the western Mediterranean. The landlocked position of this shallow basin, in fact, makes it particularly sensitive to factors such as the strong exposure to atmospheric forcing (e.g. Siberian High), and the strong influence of the nearby land mass, producing a lag in the demise of glacial intervals. Moreover, the progressively higher values of the ?18O records of the glacial intervals, consistently with the SST record and the foraminifera assemblage, imply an increasing impact of the formation of cold and dense water in more recent times.