SONNE SO264

SONNE-EMPEROR will focus on establishing a new paleoceanographic north - south reference transect along the Emperor Seamount Chain in the N Pacific. Our approach for the first time progresses beyond previous studies of single isolated sites in this region, as we will systematically compile and study proxydata timeseries to reconstruct the physical and chemical paleoceanography of the N Pacific between ~30°N and ~50°N. This transect will cross major oceanographic and climatic features, comprising the Kuroshio Extension, the Kuroshio Bifurcation Front, the Subarctic Boundary, and the Subarctic Front. Our approach will allow us to decipher both temporal and spatial variations in the pelagic N Pacific Subtropical and Subarctic Gyres at surface, subsurface, and deep level on millennial to orbital timescales. Hence, SONNE-EMPEROR will enable a dynamic and three-dimensional understanding of the long-term evolution of climate modes and their linkages not only to regional N Pacific, but also to S Pacific and Atlantic large-scale climate and ocean circulation patterns. An integral part of SONNE-EMPEROR will be the development of climate proxy timeseries from the so far largely unexplored offshore, pelagic N Pacific ocean areas with new, quantitative paleoceanographic and paleoclimatological methods. As such records will be rather unaffected by land-near processes – although being of lesser temporal resolution - they will be more reliable for ocean climate model assessment. Thus, we will contribute to a much improved understanding of the long-term evolution of climate modes and their linkage to regional N Pacific and large-scale variability.