Southern Ocean Water Mass method: A new statistical approach using microfossil radiolaria for paleoceanographic insights for the Southwest Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean

Ocean circulation and the formation and upwelling of water masses in the Southern Ocean play a critical role in the exchange of heat and carbon with the atmosphere over glacial-interglacial cycles, but the history of the subsurface water masses is poorly understood. Radiolarians inhabit the water column from the surface to the bottom of the ocean, and their distribution is known to be associated with water masses. We use radiolarian abundance census data from the SO-RAD core top dataset to explore the relationship between radiolarian distribution and surface and subsurface water mass structure of the Southwest Pacific Sector of the Southern Ocean. The species distribution was first explored using non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling. Then Multivariate Regression Tree (MRT) analysis was used to understand the relationship between radiolarian distributions and parameters of water mass boundaries (using isopycnal depths) and upwelling (using nutrient data). We identified a series of indicator species associated with oceanographic zones which were used to develop the Southern Ocean Water Mass Index. The contribution of the Index Species Groups provided further information on water column structure and the relative influence of the various water masses. The index was then applied to the radiolarian assemblage data from 2 previously published cores, Y8 and Y9, from the Subantarctic Zone east of New Zealand. The results of the Southern Ocean Water Mass Method showed changes in water mass structure through the last glacial-interglacial cycle at both core sites. The results agree with other proxy data from the region. The SOWM Method provides a new tool for understanding the history of changes in the water mass structure and circulation in the Southern Ocean. • A new proxy for water masses was developed using radiolarian assemblages. • 5 water mass groups were identified in the SW Pacific using statistical analyses. • The new proxy identified changes in water masses over the last glacial cycle.