On the reconstruction of upwelling history: Namibia upwelling in context

Eastern boundary upwelling is an important aspect of the modern ocean, despite the relatively small area involved. Consequences of increased upwelling during the Neogene, as a result of intensifying trade winds, include increased heat transport by the ocean, increased mixing, increased fractionation of phosphate from silicate, and opportunities for evolution of new species. Coastal upwelling has been studied since the first decade of the 20th century. The processes involved are complex, and differ depending on geographic setting. Off Namibia, upwelling history has been studied by a number of drilling expeditions; the last of these was ODP Leg 175, which occupied seven sites on the continental slope between Walvis Ridge and Cape Town, during September and October of 1997. Productivity proxies all along southwestern Africa suggest the presence of increased upwelling and organic matter supply to the sea floor during glacial periods. At the same time, there is a decrease in the supply of diatoms and other siliceous plankton remains. This is the Walvis Opal Paradox, established through the contrasting results of studies by Diester-Haass (1985) and Oberhänsli (1991). We propose that the Walvis Opal Paradox is fundamental to the understanding of glacial–interglacial productivity fluctuations on a global scale. Furthermore, a central feature of the history of late Neogene upwelling off Namibia is the Matuyama Opal Maximum, centered between Gauss and Olduvai magnetic chrons [Wefer et al., Proc. ODP 175 (1998)]. It is due to the fact that diatom supply first increases (during the Gauss) when the planet cools and then decreases again during additional cooling, on entering the Quaternary. On a 400 000-year scale, peak productions are coincident with (or slightly lag) maximum seasonal contrast potential in the high-latitude insolation curve. We suggest that this is further evidence that the nutrient content of thermocline waters was diminished during glacial periods. The reasons why this should be so remain to be discovered.