Past Analogues of Deoxygenation Events in the Mediterranean Sea: A Tool to Constrain Future Impacts

Human-induced carbon emissions are altering the modern climate, with severe repercussions on ecosystems. Among others, anthropogenic pressure is causing deoxygenation of bottom water, widespread establishment hypoxic zones in several Mediterranean areas. The geological archives allow investigating past dynamics (sapropel events) and their impact marine Here, we compare causes evolution which occurred during two different time periods (Messinian Holocene) paleoceanographic settings based micropaleontological content. Messinian sapropel events result increased export productivity a relatively cold arid context, triggering anoxic conditions. Holocene formed response to weakening/stopping thermohaline circulation due increasing temperature freshwater input. Our results suggest that near future will not follow trend characteristic deep-sea because predicted drying trend. Differently, setting shallow-sea sapropels comparable situation areas, where human-induced eutrophication promoting deoxygenation. Based these results, patchy Sea caused by climate warming may lead drastic change ecosystem services would likely human activities.