Abstract
Planktonic foraminifera collected from the entire 200 m water column in the western Weddell Sea using vertically-towed nets consisted largely ofNeogloboquadrina pachyderma (s) andGlobigerina quinqueloba. Peak abundance of planktonic foraminifera occurred in low-nutrient waters adjacent to the sea ice margin. Nearly all specimens ofN. pachyderma (s) in the > 250 μm size class possessed a kummerform final chamber, but less than 20% added gametogenic calcite to the exterior of their shells. The frequent occurrence of δ18O values ofN. pachyderma (s) lighter than the δ18O in equilibrium with ambient surface waters presumably indicates that significant growth occurred either out of isotopic equilibrium or in water beneath the ice shelf containing18O-depleted snow melt. We suggest herein that the variation between δ18O and δ18O is most likely due to secretion of shell carbonate in water influenced by snow melt or glacier melt.
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Norris, R.D., Kim, D.Y., Park, BK. et al. Stable isotope and ecological habitat of planktonic foraminifera adjacent to the ice edge in the western Weddell Sea. Geosci J 2, 88–98 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02910487
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02910487