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Extracting environmental information from planktonic foraminiferal δ13C data

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Abstract

The oxygen isotopic composition of foraminiferal shell calcite varies as a function of temperature and the 18O/16O ratio of seawater during calcification. This relationship has provided the basis for numerous studies of past climate changes, continental glaciation and changes in oceanic current systems1. In contrast, the variables affecting the δ13C composition of foraminiferal calcite are poorly understood. It has been proposed that the δ13 C value of planktonic foraminifera is a function of the 13C/12C ratio of sea water Σ CO2 and of 'vital effects' related to metabolic processes such as respiration and symbiont photosynthesis1,2. In this paper we demonstrate that the δ13C value of Orbulina universa shell calcite is a function of symbiont photosynthetic activity and irradiance levels based on laboratory experiments with living specimens. Environmental temperature has no significant effect on the δ13C value, whereas the δ18O value of the shell varies as a function of temperature but is independent of symbiont photosynthesis. The ability to relate δ13C data with the environmental parameter of light may provide new insights into dynamic processes occurring in palaeooceanic euphotic zones.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ocean Sciences Division, Department of Geological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, 29208, USA

    Howard J. Spero & Douglas F. Williams

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  1. Howard J. Spero
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  2. Douglas F. Williams
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Spero, H., Williams, D. Extracting environmental information from planktonic foraminiferal δ13C data. Nature 335, 717–719 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/335717a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/335717a0

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