PALAEO-08053; No of Pages 11

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology xxx (2016) xxxxxx

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Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/palaeo

Monsoon-inuenced variations in productivity and lithogenic ux along

offshore Saurashtra, NE Arabian Sea during the Holocene and Younger
Dryas: A multi-proxy approach
Syed Azharuddin a, Pawan Govil a,, A.D. Singh b, Ravi Mishra c, Shailesh Agrawal a,
A.K. Tiwari c, Kamlesh Kumar a
a
Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, 53-University Road, Lucknow 226 007, India
b
Department of Geology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005, India
c
National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, Vasco-da-Gama, Goa 403 804, India

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: A sediment core from NE Arabian Sea was studied to reveal the variations in shelf environment of western con-
Received 30 May 2016 tinental margin of India. A multi-proxy analysis based on planktonic foraminifera abundance (PFA), benthic fora-
Received in revised form 17 October 2016 minifera abundance (BFA), planktonic-benthic foraminiferal ratio (P/B), CaCO3 percentage (wt%), Oxygen (18OG.
Accepted 11 November 2016 18
ruber) and Carbon ( OG. ruber) isotopes of foraminifera as well as sediment X-ray studies were carried out on
Available online xxxx
3.4 m long core SK-240/485 recovered from offshore Saurashtra, NE Arabian Sea. The study aims to understand
Keywords:
the monsoon variability in the NE Arabian Sea offshore Saurashtra since the late Pleistocene-Holocene transition
Palaeoclimate and how monsoon climate coupled with sea-level change inuenced paleo-productivity pattern. Six AMS radio-
NE Arabian Sea carbon dates place the core in the time interval 121 Ka. Our study reveals that there have been three periods of
Oxygen isotope major changes in the monsoonal climate, productivity and sea level; viz. 128 Ka (Younger Dryas and early Ho-
Planktonic foraminifera locene); 84 Ka (middle Holocene) and 41 Ka (late Holocene). The studied time period was also marked by
Offshore Saurashtra weakened south west monsoon (SWM) during the cold events such as Younger Dryas (YD), Abrupt Event (AE)
centring around 9.8 Ka as well as 8.2 and 4 Ka cold events. The Younger Dryas and early Holocene shows the
low sea level stand and less Indus river discharge. Thereafter during middle and late Holocene the monsoon
strengthened which resulted in raised sea level and increased Indus river discharge. The proxy records broadly
suggest relatively low foraminiferal productivity at the core location during the Younger Dryas and early Holo-
cene. We record a moderate foraminiferal productivity during the middle Holocene between 8 and 4 Ka,
which suggest the mesotrophic condition. The foraminiferal productivity however was relatively high since
4 Ka suggesting the eutrophic conditions at the core site.
2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction blows steadily along SW at 15 m/s over the region of Arabian Sea
(Hastenrath and Lamb, 1979). During NEM the direction of wind
In the northern Indian Ocean, the surface circulation is controlled by reverses due to high pressure over Asian continent while low pressure
seasonal monsoon wind system, with a strong and humid South West develops over Indian Ocean.
Monsoon (SWM) during summer (June September) (Nair et al., The Arabian Sea is one of the most productive basins worldwide, be-
1989; Haake et al., 1993) and a moderate and dry North East Monsoon cause of SWM induced nutrient upwelling (Ryther and Menzel, 1965)
(NEM) during winter (December to February) (Bll et al., 2014 and ref- and winter NEM related mixed layer nutrient input (Madhupratap et
erences therein). Both SWM and NEM are the result of differential al., 1996) by virtue of wind circulation pattern during summer and
heating of land and ocean during summer and winter seasons respec- winter seasons respectively. In the western and central Arabian Sea,
tively. SWM is the result of development of low surface atmospheric most sediment trap studies indicate maximum biological productivity
pressure over Asia (centred at Tibet and northern India) and high sur- during the SWM (Broerse et al., 2000; Wakeham et al., 2002), whereas
face atmospheric pressure develops over the southern Indian ocean in the NE Arabian Sea, maximum particle uxes are observed during
(Shea, 1986). Therefore, a strong south to north air ow rises which the winter monsoon season (Goes et al., 1992; Andruleit et al., 2000;
Schulz et al., 2002; Matondkar et al., 2006). This is because in the NE
Corresponding author. Arabian Sea the particle ux is determined by re-suspension of local
E-mail address: [email protected] (P. Govil). sediment and winter productivity rather than by summer monsoonal

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.11.018
0031-0182/ 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Please cite this article as: Azharuddin, S., et al., Monsoon-inuenced variations in productivity and lithogenic ux along offshore Saurashtra, NE
Arabian Sea during the Holocene an..., Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.11.018
2 S. Azharuddin et al. / Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology xxx (2016) xxxxxx

upwelling, which results in a non-upwelling environment, in contrast to decipher carbonate preservation as well as monsoon wind induced
the summer upwelling regime offshore Oman, Somalia and southern hydrographic changes and mudat (Banerji et al., 2015) to study the
India (Schulz et al., 2002). mid Holocene land sea interactions.
Planktonic foraminifera have been recognised as potential proxy for There are numerous evidences which explain the lowering of sea
paleoceanographic studies since a very long time. Due to their high level during early Holocene along the western continental margin of
abundance and extensive presence in almost all marine environments, India. The geomorphic features and associated sediments on the outer
foraminifera are widely used to reconstruct paleoclimate from marine shelf of western India were studies by several workers (Nair, 1975;
archives (Saraswat, 2015). The absolute abundance of foraminifera in Wagle et al., 1994; Rao et al., 1994). There is a unique carbonate plat-
sediments mainly depend on 2 factors viz. 1) Variations of planktonic form reported also known as Fifty Fathom Flat (FFF) carbonate platform
foraminiferal population in the surface layer and benthic foraminiferal (Fig. 1), which extends between 60 and 100 m water depth, occurs on
population on the seaoor resulting in change in rate of ux of the spec- the outer continental shelf of the north-western margin of India (Rao
imen which incorporates in the sediments, 2) the effect of dilution et al., 2003). The FFF consist of relic sediments which are mainly oolitic
caused by other materials, such as terrigenous inux (Kroon et al., and palletal aragonite sands, having tan colour landward and shiny
1993). At present the most accurate and widely important proxy used white towards the offshore (Rao et al., 2003). The age of these sands
for reconstruction of paleo-sea level are of micropaleontological nature range from 14.3 to 7.6 Ka (Rao et al., 2003). Other important studies in-
(Van Der Zwaan et al., 1990). Therefore in the present study we used clude the early Holocene evidence of relict sand zone, coated grains, pal-
PFA, BFA and P/B ratio supported by mineralogical (Quartz, Calcite and lets and benthic foraminifera of shallow water origin (Hashimi and Nair,
Aragonite) abundance for the sea level reconstruction. The idea started 1976). On the basis of these evidences, a Holocene sea level curve for the
with the pioneer study of Phleger (1951) which was followed by the at- western continental margin of India was prepared (Hashimi et al.,
tempt of Grimsdale and Van Morkhoven (1955) to use P/B ratio and 1995). The curve indicated the lowering of sea level during early
planktonic foraminiferal percentage (Nigam and Henriques, 1992) in Holocene. During middle and late Holocene the sea level raised rapidly
paleodepth reconstruction and found that the proportion of planktonic and took a nearly stable mark up to the recent times.
foraminifera in the total foraminiferal population increase towards
deeper water. This increase in the planktonic foraminifera with distance 1.2. Regional oceanographic settings
from the coast is due to the decrease in turbidity (Berger and Diester-
Haass, 1988). However BFA follows a slightly different pattern from The studied sedimentary core is located in the shelf offshore
PFA. It increases from near shore to continental edge and further Saurashtra, North Eastern Arabian Sea (NEAS). The Arabian Sea (AS)
decreases seawards (Douglas and Woodruff, 1981). covers an area of about 3,863,000 km2, and is surrounded by arid land-
The productivity of an ocean mainly depends on source of nutrient mass to the west and north and by coastal highlands of western India to
supply. The source of nutrient may be from the outside supply of nutri- the east. Three major river (Indus, Narmada and Tapti) discharge their
ents (river inux) or the internal cycling (upwelling and/or mixed layer enormous fresh water and sediments into the AS. The Indus fan being
circulation) of nutrients within the water column (Berger et al., 1989). the second largest fan (Clift et al., 2002) is the most extensive physio-
The uniqueness of the present study is that the core location belongs graphic feature of the AS in the Northern Indian Ocean covering an
to such a shallow water depth (88 m) which is above oxygen minimum area of approximately 1.11.25 million km2 with a length of 1500 km
zone (OMZ). Only few limited attempts (Singh et al., 2007; Nisha and and a maximum width of 960 km (Govil and Naidu, 2007). The Indus
Singh, 2012) were made in the past to study the evolution of such a Fan is bounded by continental margin of India-Pakistan and Chagos-
shallow shelf environment of the Arabian Sea, where both the upwell- Laccadive Ridge on the east, by the Owen and Murray Ridges on the
ing as well as mixed layer nutrient input does not have signicant role west and north, and by Carlsberg Ridge on the south. The sediments in
in the productivity of the area. In such a case, the paleoproductivity of the Indus fan are mainly brought by Indus river (Govil and Naidu,
the area mainly depends on the fresh water nutrient input. Previous 2007). The Narmada and Tapti rivers drain the peninsular shield of
studies from the NE Arabian Sea (Milliman et al., 1984) reveal that the India also contribute sediments to eastern AS whereas the Indus river
Indus river has been the only signicant source of freshwater discharge drains the northern AS including offshore Pakistan, Kutch and
in the area during Holocene. Hence it can be concluded that the Saurashtra coast. The deposited sediments in to the ocean basin have
paleoproductivity along the core site mainly depends on fresh water nu- always been used to infer paleoclimatic variations at different time
trient input from Indus river. Therefore, the present study aims to get a scales from decadal to centennial to millennial. A strong precipitation
high resolution monsoonal record to understand Indus river discharge, gradient exists across the AS due to the effect of SWM (Staubwasser et
sea level uctuation and productivity variations in the NE Arabian Sea al., 2003). Indus river has been the only signicant source of fresh
offshore Saurashtra during the Younger Dryas and Holocene using a water discharge in the NEAS during the Holocene (Milliman et al.,
multi-proxy approach. 1984). In the western AS the low salinity is observed due to SWM relat-
ed upwelling whereas no such effect has been observed in NEAS
1.1. Previous studies (Levitus et al., 1994). However strong seasonality has been observed
in the sea surface temperature (SST) and mixed layer depth of NEAS
Despite widespread concern, limited attempts were made to study by virtue of seasonal reversing of SWM and associated air temperatures
the paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic variations over shelf region (Rao et al., 1989).
offshore Saurashtra of the NE Arabian Sea using a multi-proxy approach.
Existing records from the north-west Indian margin include geomor- 2. Material and methods
phologic studies (Rao et al., 1994, 2003; Rao and Wagle, 1997) to ex-
plain the role of carbonate platform, sea level uctuations (Hashimi et Samples were obtained from the ORV core repository at National
al., 1995), organic carbon (Corg) distribution (Babu et al., 1999), Centre of Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR), Goa, India. Core SK
210
Pbxs, 137Cs and 14C (Somayajulu et al., 1999) to decipher the sediment 240/485 (Fig. 2) was collected during Sagar kanya cruise no. 143rd
deposition rates, foraminiferal isotope records (Sarkar et al., 2000; from the continental margin of Northeastern Arabian Sea offshore
Gupta et al., 2011) for monsoon studies, Corg, CaCO3 and C/N records Saurashtra region (Lat 2116N Long 6855.99E) at a water depth of
(Bhushan et al., 2001) to study the concentration and burial uxes, tem- 88 m. The core is 340 cm long sub sampled at 2 cm interval to obtain
perature and salinity data (Balachandran et al., 2008) to study the phys- a high temporal resolution. Six sediment samples including core top
ical oceanographic parameters during present day winter monsoon, and bottom were dated using 14C accelerated mass spectrometry
pteropod studies (Singh and Singh, 2010; Singh et al., 2011a) to (AMS) technique at Radiocarbon Laboratory, Institute of Physics, Centre

Please cite this article as: Azharuddin, S., et al., Monsoon-inuenced variations in productivity and lithogenic ux along offshore Saurashtra, NE
Arabian Sea during the Holocene an..., Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.11.018
 S. Azharuddin et al. / Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology xxx (2016) xxxxxx 3

Fig. 1. (I) Map showing Fifty Fathom Flat (FFF) Carbonate Platform Extension along the western continental margin of India (after Rao et al., 2003). (II) (A) Aragonite pallets dating early
Holocene as described earlier (Rao et al., 1994) (B)&(C) Similar aragonite pallets found in our samples during Younger Dryas and early Holocene.

for Science and Education, Konarskiego, Gliwice, Poland and NSF 2001) and calibrated using Calib 7.1 version (Stuiver and Reimer, 1993)
Arizona AMS Facility, University of Arizona, U.S. The ages were (Fig. 3).
converted to calendar year BP (1950) by applying appropriate reservoir 10 g of sediment sample was dried keeping in an oven at 60 C. Dried
correction (R) of 129 35 years for the Saurashtra coast (Dutta et al., sediment sample weighed and soaked in distilled water overnight.

Fig. 2. Map showing core location SK 240/485 (Lat 2116N Long 6855.99E) collected from offshore Saurashtra, NE Arabian Sea during 143rd Sagar kanya cruise.

Please cite this article as: Azharuddin, S., et al., Monsoon-inuenced variations in productivity and lithogenic ux along offshore Saurashtra, NE
Arabian Sea during the Holocene an..., Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.11.018
4 S. Azharuddin et al. / Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology xxx (2016) xxxxxx

For measuring 18O and 13C values, ~1520 specimens of plankton-

ic foraminifera surface water species G. ruber, were put into individual
screw capped glass vials. The vials were systematically kept in the Gas
Bench along with three carbonate standards i.e. NBS 18, Merk and
MMB (n = 5 in each run). Subsequently, the vials were ushed with ul-
trapure He gas for about 10 min per sample. After ushing, 100% ortho-
phosphoric acid (H3PO4) was injected into each vial which was kept at
72 C temperature bath for 2 h. The evolved CO2 was puried by Naon
tube and Pora pack column in Gas Bench and allowed into Continuous
Flow Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer (CFIRMS, MAT 253) for analysis.
Each measurement comprised of three pulses of reference followed by
six pulses of sample CO2 gas. The tank reference gas was calibrated by
using NBS-18. All samples including internal standard MMB were mea-
sured with respect to the calibrated tank gas. The isotopic data are re-
ported against VPDB with a precision of 0.1 (1) for both 18O
and 13C values on daily basis. These samples were measured at the sta-
ble isotope facility at BSIP, Lucknow, India.

3. Results

The rate of sedimentation at the core site ranges between 18.3 and
Fig. 3. Calibrated Age-Depth Model of the core SK-240/485 and sedimentation rates (cm/
47.9 cm/Ka. The maximum rate of 47.9 cm/Ka has been recorded at
Ka).
the core top between 1.4 and 2.7 Ka (0-62 cm) which decreased to
35 cm/Ka to the next date interval i.e. 4.2 Ka (114 cm) and decreased
Water was decanted from top without disturbing the bottom settled further to 18.3 cm/Ka up to 7.4 Ka (172 cm). An increase in sedimenta-
sediment. To remove organic matter and clay lumps, 10 ml of 10% sodi- tion rate was observed reaching the value of 30.4 cm/Ka up to 10 Ka
um hexa-meta-phosphate (NaPO3)6 and 5 ml of 10% hydrogen peroxide (250 cm) and thereafter further increased to 32.7 cm/Ka until 12.6 Ka
(H2O2) solutions were added respectively and kept overnight. Subse- (core bottom). The results yield a high sub-centennial scale resolution
quently these samples were wet sieved through a 63 m size sieve of ~40110 years per sample which is rst of its type from the offshore
with enough care to prevent the breakage of foraminifer shells. Saurashtra region.
N63 m fraction (coarse fraction) retained on the sieve was transferred
in to 25 ml beaker and dried in the oven at 5060 C. The dried fraction
was again sieved through 250 m and 150 m sieves, weighed (to obtain
sand percentage in the sediment) and used for census counts of Plank-
tonic (total planktic foraminiferal abundance: PFA) and Benthic (total
benthic foraminiferal abundance: BFA) abundance according to the
standard procedure (CLIMAP, 1976) of foraminiferal counting. 2530
clean white G. ruber specimens were picked for the isotope analysis.
CaCO3 percentage (wt%) was determined using Karbonat-Bombe
method (Mller and Gastner, 1971). 1 g dried and powdered sample
was taken in Carbonate bomb jar and 5 ml 12% HCl was inserted in
the cylinder. This was carefully done to avoid spilling of acid over sedi-
ment sample while the jar is unscrewed. Once the jar was screwed
tightly by the manometer head, the acid was spilled and allowed to
react with sediment sample. The CO2 thus produced created pressure
in the jar which was recorded by attached manometer giving the
CaCO3 (uncorrected) reading. Before running a batch of sample every
time, CaCO3 standard reading was recorded using Sigma-Aldrich 100%
CaCO3 standard powder in order to calibrate the recorded uncorrected
manometer reading. Calibration of scale was done using the following
equation (Mller and Gastner, 1971) -

CaCO3 manometer reading of sample  100

CaCO3 %sample
CaCO3 manometer reading of standard

X-Ray powder diffraction (XRD) was done to obtain relative abun-

dance of Quartz, Calcite and Aragonite on PANalytical X'Pert3 Powder
XRD instrument at XRD laboratory, Birbal Sahni Institute of
Palaeosciences (BSIP), Lucknow, India. X-rays were allowed to pass
through ne powdered sediments placed on sample holder stage. The
analysis was targeted to obtain 2 values ranging between 20 and
40. The diffracted X-rays give signature peaks at specic 2 angle (by
satisfying Bragg's law) of the corresponding minerals. The peak counts Fig. 4. Variation in depositional environment in the core SK-240/485 (bottom to top)
were noted for quartz, calcite and aragonite in order to obtain the min- Mineralogical counts of Quartz, Calcite & Aragonite and Coarse fraction (N63m CF) %.
eralogical abundance. Dark gray bands indicate abrupt change in depositional environment.

Please cite this article as: Azharuddin, S., et al., Monsoon-inuenced variations in productivity and lithogenic ux along offshore Saurashtra, NE
Arabian Sea during the Holocene an..., Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.11.018
 S. Azharuddin et al. / Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology xxx (2016) xxxxxx 5

The variation in coarse fraction N 63 m percentage (CF %) (Fig. 4) During middle Holocene PFA ranged between 2343 and 1000 intact
denes contribution of sandy sediments in the core at particular inter- shells per gram at 4.22 and 7.99 Ka respectively, while during late
val. In our record, the CF % ranges between 43.1% to 1.5% during last Holocene BFA ranged between 7669 and 1906 intact shells per gram
12.65 Ka During Younger Dryas and early Holocene the CF % maxima at 1.61 and 3.99 Ka respectively.
and minima lies at 8.2% at 8.38 Ka and 1.5% at 9.76 Ka respectively. Dur- The planktic/benthic foraminifera (P/B) (Fig. 5) ratio is the ratio
ing middle Holocene, the maxima increases to 43.1% at 5.86 Ka and min- between the PFA and BFA at a particular interval of sample. The P/B
ima lies on 4.5% at 4.33 Ka while the late Holocene marked a maxima of ratio generally follows a directly proportional trend towards increasing
21.4% at 1.56 Ka and minima of 4.1% at 3.13 Ka. water depth (Van Der Zwaan et al., 1990). In our results the P/B ratio
Planktonic foraminifera abundance (PFA) (Fig. 5) is the number of ranges between 1.59 and 0.2 at 8.12 Ka and 12.52 Ka respectively during
undistorted intact planktonic foraminifera shells present per gram of Younger Dryas and early Holocene. While during middle Holocene, it
the sample. In our dataset, PFA ranges between 1413 and 191 intact ranges between 5.13 and 1.12 at 5.31 Ka and 7.85 Ka respectively. Dur-
shells per gram at 9.7 and 8.38 Ka respectively during the Younger ing the late Holocene the P/B ratio have a maximum value of 3.44 at
Dryas and early Holocene. During middle Holocene PFA ranged between 4.84 Ka and a minimum value of 1.17 at 1.46 Ka.
6464 and 1315 intact shells per gram at 4.05 and 7.99 Ka respectively, The CaCO3 percentage (%) (Fig. 5) is the measure of the total CaCO3
while during late Holocene PFA ranged between 10,561 to 5850 intact present in the deposited sediments at the corresponding time interval.
shells per gram at 2.85 and 1.86 Ka respectively. The water depth plays a major role in the development of foraminifera.
Benthic foraminifera abundance (BFA) (Fig. 5) is the number of Sometimes, the available CaCO3 does not get used up in foraminiferal
undistorted intact benthic foraminifera shells present per gram of the development due to low water depth and we get high CaCO3% by the
sample. The uctuation in BFA is the measure of nutrient availability virtue of relict carbonates which are result of Halimeda bioherm fecal
in the benthic environment (Herguera and Berger, 1991) which in pallets. Singh et al. (2006) also suggested the down-core variation of
turn depends on the water depth. Generally in the continental shelf re- CaCO3 attributed to aragonite preservation in the eastern Arabian Sea.
gion BFA is directly proportional to water depth. In our record, the BFA The recorded CaCO3% minima and maxima values in our results are
ranges between 2228 and 535 intact shells per gram at 10.2 and 92.27 at 11.85 Ka and 99.01 at 8.58 Ka corresponding to the Younger
10.45 Ka respectively during the Younger Dryas and early Holocene. Dryas and early Holocene. However for middle Holocene it ranges
between 38.89 and 95.37 at 4.05 and 7.99 Ka respectively. During the
late Holocene the values range between 32.41 and 47.69 at 2.96 and
1.98 Ka respectively.
X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) is the measure of mineralogical abundance
by using their 2 angle to measure the absolute count of the correspond-
ing minerals at their signature peaks. In the present study we measured
the counts through the peaks of Calcite, Aragonite and Quartz (Fig. 4).
During the Younger Dryas and early Holocene maxima and minima of
quartz count is 1437 and 1057 at 12.57 and 9.89 Ka respectively, where-
as the calcite counts range between 1058 and 631 at 8.31 and 8.64 Ka
respectively. The aragonite count during Younger Dryas and early Holo-
cene ranges between 4272 and 3637 at 8.64 and 9.89 Ka respectively.
During middle Holocene the quartz range between 3369 and 1186 at
5.1 and 7.66 Ka respectively, while the calcite count lie between 3345
and 1056 at 5.64 and 7.99 Ka respectively. The aragonite count during
middle Holocene ranged between 3782 and 1209 at 7.99 and 4.11 Ka
respectively. During the late Holocene XRD values for quartz count
range between 4781 and 3610 at 2.69 and 1.69 Ka respectively, whereas
calcite range between 3349 and 2838 at 2.27 and 3.82 Ka respectively.
The aragonite counts during late Holocene range between 1205 and
1125 at 1.69 and 3.53 Ka respectively.
Carbon isotopes (13C) (Fig. 5) of foraminifera gives an idea of the
circulation pattern as well as nutrient content in the water mass
(Kroopnick, 1985). To study the surface ocean circulation pattern and
nutrient content, 13C of planktonic foraminifera serves as a reliable
proxy (Ravelo and Fairbanks, 1995). During Younger Dryas and early
Holocene 13C ( VPDB) values in our record marks a minima of 0.2
() at 11.61 Ka, and maxima of 1.3 () at 11.97, 11.3.11.12, 9.83 and
8.51 Ka. However during the middle Holocene 13C minima and
maxima lies between 0.7 and 1.7 () at 8.12 and 6.19 Ka. During late
Holocene the minima values 0.7 () at 1.52 Ka, while maxima values
1.3 () at 3.53, 3.19, 2.73, 2.36, 2.19. 1.82, 1.65 and 1.61 Ka.
Oxygen isotopes (18O) (Fig. 6) of planktonic foraminifera are a ro-
bust proxy to predict long term variability of SWM in the Arabian Sea
(Govil and Naidu, 2010; Saraswat et al., 2013; Tiwari et al., 2015). In
the NE Arabian Sea, the only signicant source of freshwater discharge
Fig. 5. Productivity and sea level variations in the core SK-240/485 ( bottom to top) is Indus river (Milliman et al., 1984). This freshwater from Indus river
Planktonic foraminifera Abundance per gram (PFA), Benthic foraminifera Abundance consist of meltwater discharge (by virtue of snow and glacial melting)
per gram (BFA), Planktonic/Benthic foraminifera (P/B Ratio), CaCO3%, 13CG.ruber ( as well as monsoon precipitation run-off, indicating a regime which is
VPDB) (red line = 5 point average). Dark gray bands indicate abrupt climate variations
(Cooling events - YD = Younger Dryas; AE = Abrupt event; 8.2 Ka event and 4 Ka
highly sensitive to temperature changes (Miller et al., 2012). During
cooling) (Warming event PB = Preboreal). (For interpretation of the references to Younger Dryas and early Holocene the 18OG. ruber ( VPDB) maxima
colour in this gure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.) values 0.7 () at 11.73 Ka whereas minima values 2.2 () at 9.7

Please cite this article as: Azharuddin, S., et al., Monsoon-inuenced variations in productivity and lithogenic ux along offshore Saurashtra, NE
Arabian Sea during the Holocene an..., Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.11.018
6 S. Azharuddin et al. / Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology xxx (2016) xxxxxx

virtue of ex-situ river discharge from Indus as well as localised seasonal

rivers with negligible in-situ contribution.

4.2. Paleoproductivity and sea level

The nutrient properties in shallow water depths are controlled by

river inputs (Macdonald et al., 1987) due to limited nutrient circulation
within the water column. Therefore the productivity and sea level vari-
ations in the core location of present study directly depend on uvial
run-off in the area which ultimately depends on SWM precipitation as
well as melt water contribution in the Indus river as it is the most signif-
icant fresh water source in NE Arabian Sea (Milliman et al., 1984).
The primary productivity of marine organisms is an important factor
for climate studies as it accounts the partitioning of CO2 gas between the
atmosphere and ocean (Broecker, 1982). Since long time, a wide variety
of chemical and micropaleontological proxies have been applied to in-
terpret sediment properties for paleoproductivity studies (Mller and
Suess, 1979; Berger et al., 1989 and references therein). The present
study used chemical (CaCO3%) proxies to decipher paleoproductivity
of the area. However PFA and BFA are used to decipher foraminiferal
productivity in the area which also in turn depends on the nutrient
Fig. 6. Temporal variation of 18OG.ruber ( VPDB) showing wet and dry oscillations due to
availability. On the other hand, one of the major factor which controls
monsoonal variation. Dark gray bands indicate abrupt climate variations (Cooling events -
YD = Younger Dryas; AE = Abrupt event; 8.2 Ka event and 4 Ka cooling) (Warming event the productivity in the coastal (20 - 120 m water depth) areas is ba-
PB = Preboreal). thymetry, which is of great importance in the eld of oceanography
since very long time. The main objective of paleobathymetry analysis in-
clude the study of upliftment and subsidence of sedimentary basin as
well as in the preparation of sea level uctuation curve.
During Younger Dryas and early Holocene, comparatively low PFA
and 8.77 Ka. During middle Holocene the maxima and minima range and BFA (Fig. 5) has been observed which correspond to lower forami-
between 1.8 and 2.6 () at 7.59 and 4.11 Ka respectively, whereas niferal productivity in the area. On the other hand, high values of
during late Holocene the maxima and minima ranges between 2.0 CaCO3% (N 95%) have been observed. Generally high CaCO3% corre-
and 3.4 at 1.77 and 1.44 Ka respectively. sponds to high PFA and BFA but in this case the available CaCO3 in the
area was not utilised for the foraminiferal ourishment. X-ray studies
reveal that the high CaCO3 is by the virtue of aragonite abundance
4. Discussions (Fig. 4) in the form of relict hard mass and pallets. The dominance of ara-
gonite over calcite in the form of pallets and relict hard mass (Fig. 1)
4.1. Depositional environment at the core location suggest the growth of algae Halimeda in the area. Rao et al. (1994)
reported similar aragonite pallets from the western continental margin
The environment of deposition mainly depends on the sediment of India during early Holocene due to increased Halimeda growth. These
supply from the fresh water river discharge around the core location algae grow and accumulate the CaCO3 in the form of carbonate debris
(ex-situ) as well as the in-situ supply of sediment material due to local- called as Halimeda bioherm (Raees et al., 2006). Earlier it was reported
ised production. The sedimentation observed at the core location re- to conned only with the Great Barrier reef, Java Sea and Nicaraguan
veals a high depositional rate during the Younger Dryas and early Rise areas of the world (Rao et al., 1994 and reference therein). For
Holocene. Whereas, the low percentage of coarse fraction (N63m) the rst time Rao et al. (1994) reported the growth of Halimeda along
along with low quartz and calcite abundance points towards low river the western continental margin of India during 13,7008300 years be-
discharge during that time. The high abundance of aragonite in the fore present. However, the reason of abundant carbonate debris was
form of pallets and relict mass suggest the high in-situ deposition of sed- not explained. Later, Raees et al. (2006) published the optimum
iments at the core location during Younger Dryas and early Holocene. ourishing water depth of Halimeda as around 4050 m from the SW
The increased quartz and calcite abundance along with high and Caribbean waters. Therefore, in order to have a better understanding
uctuating percentage of coarse fraction (N63m) indicates high energy of the study area we have divided the paleoproductivity into two differ-
terrigenous input whereas sudden decrease in aragonite abundance ent types viz. 1) Algal productivity 2) Foraminiferal productivity. This
suggest the lack of in-situ sediment accumulation in the area. However division is based on the algal and foraminiferal abundance which in
the rate of in-situ sediment supply during Younger Dryas and early turn depends on their ourishing environments. The algal productivity
Holocene was much higher than the ex-situ terrigenous sediment in the area is due to the algae Halimeda which favours low water depth
supply during middle Holocene, therefore the area experienced overall for its ourishment. The remains of Halimeda carbonate debris consist of
decrease in sedimentation rate during the middle Holocene. aragonitic CaCO3 (Rao et al., 1994). In contrast, the foraminiferal pro-
During the late Holocene maximum sedimentation rate has been re- ductivity is the function of absolute abundance of planktonic foraminif-
corded with less uctuations in the coarse fraction (Fig. 4). Maxima of era on ocean surface and benthic foraminifera on ocean bottom. These
Quartz and Calcite abundance indicate maximum terrigenous and bio- mainly depend on the ux rate of incorporating sediments as well as
logical ux whereas low aragonite with no pallets and relict mass indi- the dilution caused by terrigenous inputs. However there could be sev-
cate negligible in-situ sediment supply. However the stability in eral reasons for the variation of planktonic and benthic foraminiferal
percentage of coarse fraction (N63m) indicate stable deposition condi- population in the ocean. Their distribution is strongly linked to several
tions. Therefore, it can be concluded that the high sedimentation rate re- ocean water properties such as chemistry, temperature, turbidity etc.
corded during the Younger Dryas and early Holocene is by the virtue of Foraminifera are very specic to their survival range when it comes to
high in-situ aragonite deposition and negligible ex-situ river input the abundance. The optimum range of their survival which denes
whereas the high sedimentation rate during late Holocene is by the their absolute abundance is typically narrow and distinct from other

Please cite this article as: Azharuddin, S., et al., Monsoon-inuenced variations in productivity and lithogenic ux along offshore Saurashtra, NE
Arabian Sea during the Holocene an..., Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.11.018
 S. Azharuddin et al. / Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology xxx (2016) xxxxxx 7

proxies. Therefore, any change in the ocean conditions can distinctly be recorded similar increased productivity in the middle to late Holocene
observed in the corresponding PFA and BFA of the depositing sediments. geochemical proxy record from the Core AAS9/19. Although the
The lower values of PFA, BFA and P/B ratio (Fig. 5) during Younger CaCO3% during middle Holocene is recorded lower than that during
Dryas and early Holocene also indicate the coastal sub-tidal to inter- Younger Dryas and early Holocene, still it favoured foraminiferal growth
tidal conditions at the core location. The low quartz abundance (Fig. due to the dominance of Calcite and by the virtue of raised sea level (as
4) during Younger Dryas and early Holocene indicates that the area discussed later in the section). This led to the cessation of algal growth
was deprived of riverine input as well as the nutrient supply from in the area which in turn decreased the aragonite abundance during
Indus River. Therefore the biological along with the mineralogical middle Holocene. Decreased aragonite abundance during middle and
proxy record suggest the lowered sea level during the Younger Dryas late Holocene have also been recorded earlier from marine sediment
and early Holocene. It should be noted that the present day water cores SK-17 (Singh, 2007) and AAS9/19 (Naik et al., 2014) due to the in-
depth of the core site is 88 m. Therefore, if the Halimedal signatures crease in OMZ intensity. Since the present core location falls out of the
were dominant during Younger Dryas and early Holocene, it suggest OMZ, so the decreased aragonite abundance could be attributed to
at least ~ 4050 m lowered sea level during that time (as discussed ceased algal productivity in the area. A remarkable increase in PFA,
above) at the present core location. Furthermore, the more evidence BFA and P/B ratio (Fig. 5) during the middle Holocene (84 Ka) plausibly
from the Holocene sea level curve for western Indian continental mar- be related to the raised sea level after 8 Ka. The sudden increase in
gin (Hashimi et al., 1995) as well as the global sea level uctuation re- Quartz and calcite (Fig. 4) with simultaneous decrease in aragonite
cord (Thompson and Goldstein, 2006; Smith et al., 2011) also reported abundance between 7.5 and 7 Ka demarcates a major variation in sea
~ 5070 m lowered sea level during onset of early Holocene. Within level, nutrient supply and river water discharge within the middle Holo-
the Younger Dryas and early Holocene, Hashimi et al. (1995) document- cene. Also the increased 13C during middle Holocene points towards
ed ~70 m rise in sea level along the western continental margin of India increased productivity after early Holocene. This is due to the fact that
whereas Smith et al. (2011) marked up to ~ 60 m rise in sea level primary producers utilise 12C during photosynthesis thereby increasing
13 12
globally up to ~7 Ka This remarkable increase in sea level is attributed C/ C ratio in the surface water and hence increased 13C signatures
to the melt water release from decaying ice masses (Smith et al., (Fig. 5). The simultaneous increase in calcite abundance along with in-
2011). More evidently, planktonic foraminifera percentage over total fo- creased PFA and BFA points towards raised sea level which would
raminiferal abundance (Fig. 7) is lower during the abrupt cold events have resulted in the increased water depth of the area providing suit-
(discuss in the later section), hence it can be inferred that the sea level able ambient environment for the calcication and foraminiferal
uctuations may have played a major role on the present site during growth. Also the decreased aragonite with increased quartz abundance
Younger Dryas and early Holocene which was the governing factor for suggests the onset of riverine ux in the area due to raised sea level
the productivity signatures, less foraminiferal abundance and low nutri- which ceased the Halimeda growth during middle Holocene. The high
ent supply from the Indus river discharge. Therefore, during Younger P/B ratio as well as percentage of coarse fraction (N63m) around 6 Ka
Dryas and early Holocene when the water depth was low at the core is probably related to Holocene sea level maxima (HSLM). The sea
location and the conditions were not favourable for the foraminiferal level curves from western continental margin of India (Hashimi et al.,
growth, hence, recorded a low foraminiferal productivity. 1995) and Singapore (Bird et al., 2010) also recorded the HSLM around
The early-middle Holocene transition (87 Ka) is recorded by drastic 6 Ka After HSLM the minor drop in sea level has been recorded within
variations in biological and chemical proxies. However the biological the middle Holocene by P/B ratio (Fig. 5) and planktonic foraminifera
proxy responded ~500 years before the chemical proxy response. The percentage (Fig. 7).
middle Holocene recorded comparatively higher PFA and BFA (Fig. 5) Maximum values of PFA and BFA are recorded during the late
which demarcates the increased foraminiferal productivity. Also the Holocene (Fig. 5) as compared to early and middle Holocene and this
high and uctuating percentage of coarse fraction (N 63m) indicate corresponds to Holocene foraminiferal Productivity Maxima (HPM).
high energy depositional environment of biogenic and terrigenous ma- However, the values of CaCO3% are lower during the late Holocenethan
terial which increased the turbulence of surface and intermediate water early and middle Holocene. It is intriguing that calcite predominates
resulting in high nutrient supply due to mixing. Naik et al. (2014) also over aragonite and thus CaCO3 favoured foraminiferal ourishment

Fig. 7. Planktonic foraminifera percentage in total foraminifera population. Rectangular bands indicate productivity collapse during YD = Younger Dryas; AE = Abrupt event and 8.2 Ka
event. Productivity regenerated between YD and AE i.e. PB = Preboreal, HSLM = Holocene Sea Level Maxima.

Please cite this article as: Azharuddin, S., et al., Monsoon-inuenced variations in productivity and lithogenic ux along offshore Saurashtra, NE
Arabian Sea during the Holocene an..., Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.11.018
8 S. Azharuddin et al. / Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology xxx (2016) xxxxxx

during late Holocene. During the onset of late Holocene, high values of average ~ 1.1 difference in 18OG. ruber between early and late
the P/B ratio suggest the slight lowering of sea level which is also sup- Holocene. Higher values of 18OG. ruber during Younger Dryas and early
ported by PFA and BFA records (Fig. 5). Similar observations have Holocene as compared to middle and late Holocene corresponds to
been recorded in oyster bed from Saurashtra coast (Banerji et al., weakened SW monsoonal conditions leading to arid climate. Similar
2015) which marked the records of ~ 2 m elevated sea level around Younger Dryas and early Holocene weakening of SWM have been
3.5 Ka. documented from paleolimnological studies of Thar Desert lake which
recorded low lake levels and high evaporation rate (Prasad and Enzel,
4.3. South-west monsoon (SWM) 2006).
Heavier incursions of ~0.7 and ~0.5 have been observed in 18O
The 2 C variation in sea surface temperature during the Holocene in values around 11.5 and 8.2 Ka (Fig. 6) respectively which corresponds to
eastern Arabian Sea has been recorded (Govil and Naidu, 2010). Other Younger Dryas (YD) and 8.2 Ka cooling events. These cooling events
SST studies from eastern Arabian Sea include 2.5 C variation since point towards further weakening of monsoon during YD and 8.2 Ka.
mid-Holocene in the SE Arabian Sea (Tiwari et al., 2015), 2 C variation Similar incursions have also been recorded in other parts of Indian
since mid-Holocene from 800 m water depth (Kessarkar et al., 2013) ocean i.e. 18Oc of benthic foraminifera C. wuellerstor in the core ABP-
and 1.5 C SST variability in the deep water (1245 m) offshore Malabar 25.02 from NE Arabian Sea (Gupta et al., 2011), 18Osw of cores SK
coast, SW Arabian Sea (Saraswat et al., 2013). Other than SST, mainly 218/1 from Bay of Bengal (BOB) (Govil and Naidu, 2011), RC12344
evaporation, precipitation and river run-off during SWM inuence the from Andaman Sea (Rashid et al., 2007), SK-17 from eastern Arabian
18O of sea water and hence the 18O of calcite. Recent studies from Sea (Anand et al., 2008) and 18Oc of KL126 from northern BOB
south-eastern as well as central Arabian Sea (Kumar and Ramesh, (Kudrass et al., 2001) which reveals the weakening of SWM rainfall dur-
2016 and references therein) indicate that the salinity/18O of these ing YD. Terrestrial records which also document weakening of SW mon-
areas depend on NEM precipitation run-off from Western Ghats as soon during YD include speleothems from India (Sinha et al., 2005) and
well as the effect of NE monsoon driven West Indian Continental Cur- China (Wang et al., 2001). However, the western Arabian Sea upwelling
rent (WICC), which brings low salinity/18O water from Bay of Bengal indices record do not show any signs of reduced upwelling strength
to the Arabian Sea. However the effect of WICC is not signicant in the during YD (Naidu and Malmgren, 1996; Overpeck et al., 1996; Gupta
NE Arabian Sea. The salinity/18O of NE Arabian Sea depends signicant- et al., 2003). The YD cooling was a typical event of Northern Hemisphere
ly on Indus river fresh water run-off (both glacial and snow melt as well (Ohkushi et al., 2016). For example, the 18O records of planktonic and
as SWM precipitation) which is ultimately driven by SW Monsoon. In benthic foraminifera from continental slope, Offshore Hokkaido, Japan
general, the Indus river system consist of a variety of climate regimes (Ohkushi et al., 2016) show cooling signatures during YD. Whereas,
which affect water input from various stratied climate zones. These in- no YD signatures were observed in Antarctic ice-core record of Blunier
clude temperature induced run-off in high altitudes catchments cov- and Brook (2001). Another abrupt cooling event (AE) (Figs. 6 & 7)
ered by large areas of glaciers, winter precipitation dominated by centring around 9.8 Ka have been observed in our record which corre-
succeeding summer ow in the mid altitudes and the monsoon induced sponds to weakening of SWM which could have resulted in lower
rainfalls in the foothill areas (Archer, 2003). Hydrological regime of the Indus river discharge on the core site further leading to reduced produc-
Indus basin is primarily controlled by snow and glacial melts tivity. After 8.3 Ka we observed another sudden increase in 18O values
(Mukhopadhyay and Dutta, 2010). Immerzeel et al. (2010) modelled which correspond to 8.2 Ka cooling which also resulted in decreased
the upper Indus basin and concluded that the total stream ow in the productivity and Indus discharge due to weakened SWM. Similar obser-
area include 34% snow melt and 26% glacial melt indicating a regime vations have also been documented from 18O records of bulk carbon-
which is highly sensitive to temperature. The run-off generated by gla- ates from paleolake Riwasa, North India (Dixit et al., 2014) and
cier and snow melting is 151% greater than ow generated in down- radiometrically-dated speleothems (Cheng et al., 2009; Liu et al.,
stream areas due to monsoon precipitation (Immerzeel et al., 2010). 2013) which point towards the short term but pronounced weakening
However a variable pattern is suggested by Winiger et al. (2005) of SWM at 8.2 Ka.
reporting 70% of the annual run-off which is entering in the plain is Lighter incursion of ~0.7 in 18O value is observed around 11.2 Ka
due to the seasonal monsoonal rains in lower parts of the basin whereas soon after the YD cooling which corresponds to Preboreal (PB) warming
Singh and Bengtsson (2005) reported 49% snow and glacial melt contri- period. Kessarkar et al. (2013) reported similar abrupt event centring
bution in the Chenab river at Akhnoor. Hence, it can be concluded that around 11.2 Ka suggesting huge fresh water input due to high variability
the Indus river system consist of glacial and snow melt as the primary of rainfall during that period. The lower values of 18OG. ruber during mid-
driver of downstream ows. Therefore, the impact of declining glacial dle Holocene and subsequently more lower values during late Holocene
masses on river run-off due to climate change is more substantial to suggests the amelioration in the magnitude of SW monsoon after 8 Ka.
Indus system due to high melt water contribution to the total run-off. Therefore it is concluded, that during Younger Dryas and early Holocene
Singh and Bengtsson (2005) suggested that with increase in overall SWM was weak and further underwent three main rapid cooling
temperature of ~ 13 C, there would be a decrease of 1123% snow phases viz. Y.D., AE and 8.2 cooling event as well as one short warming
melt contribution in Sutlej basin but also indicated 1650% increase in event i.e. PB. (Fig. 6).
glacial melt, resulting an overall increase in melt water ux due to Middle Holocene recorded comparatively lower (~ 0.5) average
increase in temperature. Therefore 18O values in the present study 18OG. ruber values which corresponds to strengthening of SWM. Similar
may also be attributed to the uvial discharge magnitude from Indus strengthening of SWM after 8 Ka has been documented in the foraminif-
river. G. ruber are surface dwelling planktonic foraminifera which lives eral SST records from western Arabian Sea (Saher et al., 2007).
throughout the year (Guptha et al., 1997; Govil and Naidu, 2011) and Further strengthening of monsoon took place during late Holocene
hence these are expected to record riverine ux induced changes which increased Indus riverine input at the core location. However, a
around the core location. Therefore we have evaluated 18OG. ruber (Fig. heavier incursion of ~0.4 18OG. ruber (Fig. 6) is observed during 4.1
6) variability down core in order to understand the monsoonal variabil- 3.2 Ka which corresponds to short term weakening in the strength of
ity in the offshore Saurashtra region of NE Arabian Sea. SWM. Similar cooling trend has also been observed around 4600
SWM is the major source of moisture over the Indian sub-continent. 3300 years B.P. in the temperature and salinity record of core SO90-
It is also responsible for the riverine ux as well as salinity of the Arabian 56KA (Rolinski et al., 2001) from offshore Pakistan NE Arabian Sea
Sea. In the Arabian Sea, every 1 p.s.u. (practical salinity unit) change in around 4.5 Ka as well as 18O and salinity records of core AAS62/1
Sea Surface Salinity (SSS) are found to be related to 0.33 of 18O from SE Arabian Sea (Kessarkar et al., 2013) due to weakening of
(Duplessy et al., 1981; Sarkar et al., 2000). Our data documents an SWM. This weakening of SWM is associated to major low latitude

Please cite this article as: Azharuddin, S., et al., Monsoon-inuenced variations in productivity and lithogenic ux along offshore Saurashtra, NE
Arabian Sea during the Holocene an..., Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.11.018
 S. Azharuddin et al. / Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology xxx (2016) xxxxxx 9

drought event and southward movement of ITCZ (Mayewski et al., increasing fresh water nutrient supply in the area. Moreover, 4 Ka
2004). Palynological record from central Himalaya (Phadtare, 2000) cooling event has been observed due to weakened SWM.
observed sharp decrease in conifer pollen whereas relative increase in
cold tolerant evergreen oak-pollen during 40003500 years B.P. which
also suggest progressive cooling. During that time, the reduction in Acknowledgement
fresh water ux from Indus river has been reported (Staubwasser et
al., 2003) which could be a result of weakened SWM and glaciations The authors are thankful to Prof. Sunil Bajpai, Director, BSIP,
in Karakoram and Western Himalaya. Lucknow for providing necessary facilities to carry out this work and
permitting us to publish the same. Extended thanks to the shipboard
4.4. Relationship between productivity collapse, sea level and Indus river team of 143rd Sagar kanya cruise for sampling core location SK-240/
discharge 485. SA is also thankful to SERB-DST Project No. SR/FTP/ES-53/2013
for the award of Junior Research Fellowship. This work was supported
The productivity of present core location, being at shallower depth by fastrack grant of SERB-DST under project No. SR/FTP/ES-53/2013.
and outside OMZ regime, directly depends on the nutrient availability
from the Indus river run-off. Hence any uctuation in the run-off
would have directly affected the productivity of the area. The intensity References
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Please cite this article as: Azharuddin, S., et al., Monsoon-inuenced variations in productivity and lithogenic ux along offshore Saurashtra, NE
Arabian Sea during the Holocene an..., Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.11.018
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Please cite this article as: Azharuddin, S., et al., Monsoon-inuenced variations in productivity and lithogenic ux along offshore Saurashtra, NE
Arabian Sea during the Holocene an..., Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.11.018