Pliocene-Pleistocene climate evolution :|bwas the cooling global?

The early Pliocene (3-5 Ma) is the most recent time in Earth???s history when climate was significantly warmer than today, while boundary conditions (incoming solar radiation, distribution of continents, atmospheric PCO2) were similar to today. Climate modeling, based on the previous sea surface temperature (SST) reconstructions, indicate that SST patterns played an important role in sustaining Pliocene warmth. To date, little data exists in subtropical gyres, particularly in the southern hemisphere. A new Mg/Ca SST record at the ODP site 1264, located in the south Atlantic subtropical gyre, displays no longterm trend over the past 4 Ma, implying that the south Atlantic subtropical gyre was stable during the Pliocene-Pleistocene climate cooling. The record reveals significant changes in SST gradients between the subtropical gyre and Benguela upwelling regions. The presented data will inform future Pliocene climate models; possibly affecting predictions of atmospheric and ocean circulation, and contribute to our understanding of the Pliocene-Pleistocene climate transition