Geosciences Dept. Seminar: Closure of the Tethyan seaway and the reorganization of low latitudes oceans

​Abstract:

Through the Miocene (23 to 5 Myr ago) the world oceans have gone through a major reorganization driven by the opening and closing of oceanic gateways. Most notably, this period is marked by the transition for meridional oceanic circulation to latitudinal one, fundamentally reorganizing planetary heat transfer. This reorganization had dramatic effects, from restructuring nutrient regimes to global cooling climate.

As such, understanding the cause, effect and timing of this reorganization is key to the understanding of the long term evolution of many systems. In this talk I will present new constraints of the timing of closure of the connection between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean during the Early and Middle Miocene which ended the oceanic meridional low latitude circulation. From there we will discuss the effect of this circulation change on the formation and establishment of the Arabian Sea oxygen minimum zone, changes in Mediterranean circulation and possible effects on Atlantic Ocean. 

Seminar Organizer: Prof. Eyal Haifetz