High-resolution Sea Surface Temperature record in the Central Mediterranean across the Pliocene/Pleistocene transition

The present dataset provides the first high-resolution record of alkenone-derived Sea Surface Temperature (SST) estimates across the Pliocene/Pleistocene transition (ca. 2.6 – 2.5 Ma) that was reconstructed for the Monte San Nicola section (Sicily, Southern Italy), reference area for the Gelasian GSSP (Rio et al., 1998; Capraro et al. 2022). We also include C37 (tetra-, tri-, di-unsaturated) alkenones concentrations and the planktonic δ18O record for the surface dweller G. ruber. The Pliocene/Pleistocene was characterized by the intensification of a long-term global cooling trend that eventually culminated in the definitive onset of the Northern Hemisphere Glaciation at ca. 2.5 Ma. Investigations performed so far on Mediterranean sections straddling the event provided evidence of a manifold climatic response across the Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary, which was however not documented by means of high-resolution studies. The high temporal resolution of the record presented here (~700 yr/sample; Zanola et al. 2024) allowed recognizing significant both the major and small-scale details on the regional and global climatic evolution across the interval of relevance.