Abstract
The palaeotemperature equation of Epstein et al.1. relates the oxygen-isotope composition of mollusc carbonate shells to the temperature in which it has been deposited. This equation has been applied extensively to derive palaeotemperatures and other palaeoenvironmental parameters for the Pleistocene epoch, based on the isotopic composition of planktonic foraminifera in deep sea cores2–11. Recently, doubt has been expressed as to whether planktonic foraminifera fractionate oxygen isotopes according to the known palaeotemperature equation12–18, and thus the validity of many palaeoenvironmental studies has been questioned. We present here experimental data demonstrating that planktonic foraminifera of the species G. sacculifer deposit calcite skeletons that have an oxygen-isotope composition very close to that predicted by the well-known palaeotemperature equation1.
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Erez, J., Luz, B. Temperature control of oxygen-isotope fractionation of cultured planktonic foraminifera. Nature 297, 220–222 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1038/297220a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/297220a0
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