The glacial oceans

The accumulation of carbonate and carbonaceous matter increased during the glacial age due to intensified sink water formation in the northernmost Atlantic Ocean and the intensified upwellings in the Indo-Pacific Oceans. As a consequence of that there was a decrease of the ΣCO₂ concentration in the ocean as well as of the CO₂ content in the atmosphere.As a whole the accumulation area of calcareous matter was enlarged by ca. 20% during glacial times. The decreased accumulation area in the North Atlantic was well compensated by a large increase in the Indo-Pacific oceans.The northernmost part of the Atlantic Ocean was quasi-stagnant during the most intense deglacial times, thus causing a reduced exchange between surface water and deep water which, in its turn, led to a decrease of the accumulation of carbon (as CaCO₃ and organic matter). The concentration of ΣCO₂ rose in the seawater and the pCO₂ increased as well.