Plio-Pleistocene Glacial-Interglacial Climate Variability as Recorded in the North-Atlantic Björn and Gardar Drift Sediments

International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 395 recovered near-continuous sedimentary records from several major contourite drift bodies in the North Atlantic Ocean. These drifts deposits are influenced by deep-water currents, and studying their composition can inform us on past changes in ocean circulation. Drift sedimentation is a dynamic process that can lead to spatial variation in deposition and preservation through time. Here, we correlate on a glacial-interglacial timescale new IODP Expedition 395 records with Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) records previously cored nearby to assess the degree of variability between sites on the same drift body. We correlate IODP Site U1554 with ODP Site 984 for Björn Drift, and IODP Site U1564 with ODP Site 983 for Gardar Drift. Variations in magnetic susceptibility measured on sediment cores show striking resemblances between the paired sites. The clearly expressed glacial-interglacial scale variability enables astronomical tuning of the records. Furthermore, we explore the possibility of using multiple volcanic ash layers as additional markers for stratigraphic correlation. This work will contribute to the construction of high-resolution age models for the Expedition 395 records, as well as to a better understanding of the evolution of Björn and Gardar Drifts through space and time.