Major sea level fall during the Pliocene M2 glaciation

The extent of ice growth during the Pliocene M2 glaciation (~3.3 Ma) has been called into question, with benthic foraminiferal oxygen isotope records interpreted primarily as a cooling signal. Here we improve the benthic foraminiferal Mg/Ca paleothermometer, allowing bottom water temperature reconstructions with a precision of ±0.2-0.3°C (1 s.d.). Applying this approach to M2 implies a significant increase in ice volume (~55 m SLE) that was more tightly coupled to a drop in CO₂ than to ocean temperature. We suggest that the M2 glaciation was driven by a reduction in northern hemisphere poleward heat transport, and amplified by a reduction in southern hemisphere poleward heat transport caused by restriction of the Indonesian Seaway. The cryosphere growth drove the atmospheric CO₂ decrease, which likely contributed to the overall magnitude of ice growth. These results demonstrate the sensitivity of the cryosphere to changes in ocean heat transport in a similar to modern climate.