Articles | Volume 12, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-1753-2015
© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-1753-2015
© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
18 Mar 2015
Research article |
| 18 Mar 2015
Boron incorporation in the foraminifer Amphistegina lessonii under a decoupled carbonate chemistry
K. Kaczmarek
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
G. Langer
Department of Earth Science, University of Cambridge, Dowing Site, CB2 3EQ Cambridge, UK
G. Nehrke
Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
I. Horn
Institute of Mineralogy, Leibniz University, Callin street 3, 30167 Hanover, Germany
S. Misra
Department of Earth Science, University of Cambridge, Dowing Site, CB2 3EQ Cambridge, UK
M. Janse
Burgers Zoo, Antoon van Hooffplein 1, 6816 SH Arnhem, the Netherlands
Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
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To calculate the seawater carbonate system, proxies for 2 out of 7 parameters are required. The boron isotopic composition of foraminifera shells can be used as a proxy for pH and it has been suggested that B / Ca ratios may act as a proxy for carbonate ion concentration. However, differentiating between the effects of pH and [CO32−] is problematic, as they co-vary in natural systems. To deconvolve the effects, we conducted culture experiments with the planktonic foraminifer Orbulina universa.
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This paper offers a new methodology to study paleo-coral bleaching events using high-resolution femtosecond Laser Ablation Multiple Collector Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. Coral bleaching records only go back several decades, but this new proxy allows the study of bleaching events that occurred tens of thousands of years ago. Unlike other methods, the high-resolution of the method can detect bleaching events that occur over very short time periods, just a few weeks.
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Planktonic foraminifera population dynamics has long been assumed to be controlled by synchronous reproduction and ontogenetic vertical migration (OVM). Due to contradictory observations, this concept became controversial. We here test it in the Atlantic ocean for four species of foraminifera representing the main clades. Our observations support the existence of synchronised reproduction and OVM but show that more than half of the population does not follow the canonical trajectory.
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Cultured at in situ high-pressure conditions Cibicides and Cibicidoides taxa develop lasting ectoplasmic structures that cannot be retracted or resorbed. An ectoplasmic envelope surrounds their test and may protect the shell, e.g. versus carbonate aggressive bottom water conditions. Ectoplasmic roots likely anchor the specimens in areas of strong bottom water currents, trees enable them to elevate themselves above ground, and twigs stabilize and guide the retractable pseudopodial network.
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At approximately 14 Ma, the East Antarctic Ice Sheet expanded to almost its current extent, but the role of CO2 in this major climate transition is not entirely known. We show that atmospheric CO2 might have varied on 400 kyr cycles linked to the eccentricity of the Earth’s orbit. The resulting change in weathering and ocean carbon cycle affected atmospheric CO2 in a way that CO2 rose after Antarctica glaciated, helping to stabilize the climate system on its way to the “ice-house” world.
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Biogeosciences, 18, 1161–1184, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1161-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1161-2021, 2021
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Results from a data set acquired from living foraminifera T. sacculifer collected from surface waters are presented, allowing us to establish a new Mg/Ca–Sr/Ca–temperature equation improving temperature reconstructions. When combining equations, δ18Ow can be reconstructed with a precision of ± 0.5 ‰, while successive reconstructions involving Mg/Ca and δ18Oc preclude salinity reconstruction with a precision better than ± 1.69. A new direct linear fit to reconstruct salinity could be established.
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The isotopic composition of boron in carbonate shells of marine unicellular organisms is a popular tool to estimate seawater pH. Usually, many shells need to be dissolved and measured for boron isotopes, but the information on their spatial distribution is lost. Here, we investigate two techniques that allow for measuring boron isotopes within single shells and show that they yield robust mean values but provide additional information on the heterogeneity within and between single shells.
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Mattia Greco, Lukas Jonkers, Kerstin Kretschmer, Jelle Bijma, and Michal Kucera
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Eveline M. Mezger, Lennart J. de Nooijer, Jacqueline Bertlich, Jelle Bijma, Dirk Nürnberg, and Gert-Jan Reichart
Biogeosciences, 16, 1147–1165, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1147-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1147-2019, 2019
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Seawater salinity is an important factor when trying to reconstruct past ocean conditions. Foraminifera, small organisms living in the sea, produce shells that incorporate more Na at higher salinities. The accuracy of reconstructions depends on the fundamental understanding involved in the incorporation and preservation of the original Na of the shell. In this study, we unravel the Na composition of different components of the shell and describe the relative contribution of these components.
Jacqueline Bertlich, Dirk Nürnberg, Ed C. Hathorne, Lennart J. de Nooijer, Eveline M. Mezger, Markus Kienast, Steffanie Nordhausen, Gert-Jan Reichart, Joachim Schönfeld, and Jelle Bijma
Biogeosciences, 15, 5991–6018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5991-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5991-2018, 2018
Andrea C. Gerecht, Luka Šupraha, Gerald Langer, and Jorijntje Henderiks
Biogeosciences, 15, 833–845, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-833-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-833-2018, 2018
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Biogeosciences, 14, 3387–3400, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3387-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3387-2017, 2017
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Ella L. Howes, Karina Kaczmarek, Markus Raitzsch, Antje Mewes, Nienke Bijma, Ingo Horn, Sambuddha Misra, Jean-Pierre Gattuso, and Jelle Bijma
Biogeosciences, 14, 415–430, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-415-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-415-2017, 2017
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To calculate the seawater carbonate system, proxies for 2 out of 7 parameters are required. The boron isotopic composition of foraminifera shells can be used as a proxy for pH and it has been suggested that B / Ca ratios may act as a proxy for carbonate ion concentration. However, differentiating between the effects of pH and [CO32−] is problematic, as they co-vary in natural systems. To deconvolve the effects, we conducted culture experiments with the planktonic foraminifer Orbulina universa.
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Biogeosciences, 13, 5983–6001, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-5983-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-5983-2016, 2016
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Coccolithophores are calcifying marine algae that play an important role in the oceanic carbon cycle. Deep niches of coccolithophores exist in the ocean and are poorly understood. Laboratory cultures with the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi were carried out to reproduce the environmental conditions (light–nutrient limitation) of a deep niche in the South Pacific Ocean. Physiological modelling of experimental results allows us to estimate the growth rates of coccolithophores in this niche.
Katharina Lenhart, Thomas Klintzsch, Gerald Langer, Gernot Nehrke, Michael Bunge, Sylvia Schnell, and Frank Keppler
Biogeosciences, 13, 3163–3174, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-3163-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-3163-2016, 2016
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In this study we investigated marine algae as a source of CH4 in oxic surface waters of oceans. Algae-derived CH4 may explain the CH4 oversaturating state within the surface mixed layer, sometimes also termed the "oceanic methane paradox".
This finding of an overlooked source of CH4 in marine environments will be of considerable importance to scientists in many disciplines because algae play a crucial role in organic matter cycling in marine and freshwater ecosystems.
Anaid Rosas-Navarro, Gerald Langer, and Patrizia Ziveri
Biogeosciences, 13, 2913–2926, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-2913-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-2913-2016, 2016
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The global warming debate has sparked an unprecedented interest in temperature effects on coccolithophores. We show that sub-optimal growth temperatures lead to an increase in malformed coccoliths in a strain-specific fashion and the inorganic / organic carbon has a minimum at optimum growth temperature. Global warming might cause a decline in coccoliths' inorganic carbon contribution to the "rain ratio", as well as improved fitness in some genotypes by reducing coccolith malformation.
G. Dishon, J. Fisch, I. Horn, K. Kaczmarek, J. Bijma, D. F. Gruber, O. Nir, Y. Popovich, and D. Tchernov
Biogeosciences, 12, 5677–5687, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-5677-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-5677-2015, 2015
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This paper offers a new methodology to study paleo-coral bleaching events using high-resolution femtosecond Laser Ablation Multiple Collector Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. Coral bleaching records only go back several decades, but this new proxy allows the study of bleaching events that occurred tens of thousands of years ago. Unlike other methods, the high-resolution of the method can detect bleaching events that occur over very short time periods, just a few weeks.
A. Mewes, G. Langer, S. Thoms, G. Nehrke, G.-J. Reichart, L. J. de Nooijer, and J. Bijma
Biogeosciences, 12, 2153–2162, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-2153-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-2153-2015, 2015
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A culture study with the benthic foraminifer Amphistegina lessonii was conducted at varying seawater [Ca2+] and constant [Mg2+]. Results showed optimum growth rates and test thickness at ambient seawater Mg/Ca and a calcite Mg/Ca which is controlled by the relative seawater ratio. Results support the conceptual biomineralization model by Nehrke et al. (2013); however, our refined flux-based model suggests transmembrane transport fractionation that is slightly weaker than expected.
G. Langer, G. Nehrke, C. Baggini, R. Rodolfo-Metalpa, J. M. Hall-Spencer, and J. Bijma
Biogeosciences, 11, 7363–7368, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-7363-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-7363-2014, 2014
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Specimens of the patellogastropod limpet Patella caerulea were collected within and outside a CO2 vent site at Ischia, Italy. The distribution of different crystal structures across shell sections was analysed. Patella caerulea counteracts shell dissolution in corrosive waters by enhanced production of aragonitic parts of the shell. We conclude that it is not possible to predict the dissolution behaviour of a composite biomineral on the basis of the properties of its constituent mineral.
G. Nehrke, N. Keul, G. Langer, L. J. de Nooijer, J. Bijma, and A. Meibom
Biogeosciences, 10, 6759–6767, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-6759-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-6759-2013, 2013
N. Keul, G. Langer, L. J. de Nooijer, and J. Bijma
Biogeosciences, 10, 6185–6198, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-6185-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-6185-2013, 2013
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Biogeosciences, 22, 1095–1113, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1095-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1095-2025, 2025
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Babette A.A. Hoogakker, Catherine Davis, Yi Wang, Stephanie Kusch, Katrina Nilsson-Kerr, Dalton S. Hardisty, Allison Jacobel, Dharma Reyes Macaya, Nicolaas Glock, Sha Ni, Julio Sepúlveda, Abby Ren, Alexandra Auderset, Anya V. Hess, Katrin J. Meissner, Jorge Cardich, Robert Anderson, Christine Barras, Chandranath Basak, Harold J. Bradbury, Inda Brinkmann, Alexis Castillo, Madelyn Cook, Kassandra Costa, Constance Choquel, Paula Diz, Jonas Donnenfield, Felix J. Elling, Zeynep Erdem, Helena L. Filipsson, Sebastián Garrido, Julia Gottschalk, Anjaly Govindankutty Menon, Jeroen Groeneveld, Christian Hallmann, Ingrid Hendy, Rick Hennekam, Wanyi Lu, Jean Lynch-Stieglitz, Lélia Matos, Alfredo Martínez-García, Giulia Molina, Práxedes Muñoz, Simone Moretti, Jennifer Morford, Sophie Nuber, Svetlana Radionovskaya, Morgan Reed Raven, Christopher J. Somes, Anja S. Studer, Kazuyo Tachikawa, Raúl Tapia, Martin Tetard, Tyler Vollmer, Xingchen Wang, Shuzhuang Wu, Yan Zhang, Xin-Yuan Zheng, and Yuxin Zhou
Biogeosciences, 22, 863–957, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-863-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-863-2025, 2025
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Paleo-oxygen proxies can extend current records, constrain pre-anthropogenic baselines, provide datasets necessary to test climate models under different boundary conditions, and ultimately understand how ocean oxygenation responds on longer timescales. Here we summarize current proxies used for the reconstruction of Cenozoic seawater oxygen levels. This includes an overview of the proxy's history, how it works, resources required, limitations, and future recommendations.
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Theresa M. King, Brad E. Rosenheim, and Noel P. James
Biogeosciences, 21, 5361–5379, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5361-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5361-2024, 2024
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Corals can record ocean properties such as temperature in their skeletons. These records are useful for where and when we have no instrumental record like in the distant past. However, coral growth must be understood to interpret these records. Here, we analyze slices of a branching deep-sea coral from Antarctica to determine how to best sample these corals for past-climate work. We recommend sampling from the innermost portion of a coral skeleton for accurate temperature reconstructions.
Zita Kelemen, David P. Gillikin, and Steven Bouillon
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2714, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2714, 2024
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We analysed the C and O stable isotope composition (δ13C, δ18O) across the growth axis of museum-archived and recent Chambardia wissmanni shells from the Oubangui River (Congo Basin) covering sections of the past ~120 years. Recent shells showed a much wider range in δ18O values compared to historical specimens, consistent with the suggestion that dry periods in the upper Congo basin are becoming more extreme in recent times; highlighting their potential to reconstruct hydroclimatic conditions.
Alexandra Auderset, Sandi M. Smart, Yeongjun Ryu, Dario Marconi, Haojia Abby Ren, Lena Heins, Hubert Vonhof, Ralf Schiebel, Janne Repschläger, Daniel M. Sigman, Gerald H. Haug, and Alfredo Martínez-García
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2291, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2291, 2024
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This study investigates foraminifera-bound nitrogen isotopes (FB-δ15N) as a tool to study the history of photosymbiosis in planktic foraminifera. By analysing multiple species from the South Atlantic, we found that FB-δ15N differentiates between species with dinoflagellate symbionts and those without, probably due to internal ammonium recycling in the former. Overall, this study provides strong support for FB-δ15N as a tool for exploring the evolution of symbiosis in marine ecosystems.
Allix J. Baxter, Francien Peterse, Dirk Verschuren, Aihemaiti Maitituerdi, Nicolas Waldmann, and Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté
Biogeosciences, 21, 2877–2908, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2877-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2877-2024, 2024
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This study investigates the impact of long-term lake-system evolution on the climate signal recorded by glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs), a popular biomarker in paleoclimate research. It compares downcore changes in GDGTs in the 250 000 year sediment sequence of Lake Chala (Kenya/Tanzania) to independent data for lake mixing and water-column chemistry. These factors influence the GDGT proxies in the earliest depositional phases (before ~180 ka), confounding the climate signal.
Frances A. Procter, Sandra Piazolo, Eleanor H. John, Richard Walshaw, Paul N. Pearson, Caroline H. Lear, and Tracy Aze
Biogeosciences, 21, 1213–1233, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1213-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1213-2024, 2024
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This study uses novel techniques to look at the microstructure of planktonic foraminifera (single-celled marine organisms) fossils, to further our understanding of how they form their hard exterior shells and how the microstructure and chemistry of these shells can change as a result of processes that occur after deposition on the seafloor. Understanding these processes is of critical importance for using planktonic foraminifera for robust climate and environmental reconstructions of the past.
Josie L. Mottram, Anne M. Gothmann, Maria G. Prokopenko, Austin Cordova, Veronica Rollinson, Katie Dobkowski, and Julie Granger
Biogeosciences, 21, 1071–1091, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1071-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1071-2024, 2024
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Knowledge of ancient ocean N cycling can help illuminate past climate change. Using field and lab studies, this work ground-truths a promising proxy for marine N cycling, the N isotope composition of cold-water coral (CWC) skeletons. Our results estimate N turnover in CWC tissue; quantify the isotope effects between CWC tissue, diet, and skeleton; and suggest that CWCs possibly feed mainly on metazoan zooplankton, suggesting that the marine N proxy may be sensitive to the food web structure.
Axelle Gardin, Emmanuelle Pucéat, Géraldine Garcia, Jean-Renaud Boisserie, Adélaïde Euriat, Michael M. Joachimski, Alexis Nutz, Mathieu Schuster, and Olga Otero
Biogeosciences, 21, 437–454, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-437-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-437-2024, 2024
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We introduce a novel approach using stable oxygen isotopes from crocodilian fossil teeth to unravel palaeohydrological changes in past continental contexts. Applying it to the Plio-Pleistocene Ethiopian Shungura Formation, we found a significant increase in δ18O in the last 3 million years, likely due to monsoonal shifts and reduced rainfall, and that the local diversity of waterbodies (lakes, rivers, ponds) became restricted.
Angelica Feurdean, Richard S. Vachula, Diana Hanganu, Astrid Stobbe, and Maren Gumnior
Biogeosciences, 20, 5069–5085, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-5069-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-5069-2023, 2023
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This paper presents novel results of laboratory-produced charcoal forms from various grass, forb and shrub taxa from the Eurasian steppe to facilitate more robust interpretations of fuel sources and fire types in grassland-dominated ecosystems. Advancements in identifying fuel sources and changes in fire types make charcoal analysis relevant to studies of plant evolution and fire management.
Joost Frieling, Linda van Roij, Iris Kleij, Gert-Jan Reichart, and Appy Sluijs
Biogeosciences, 20, 4651–4668, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4651-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4651-2023, 2023
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We present a first species-specific evaluation of marine core-top dinoflagellate cyst carbon isotope fractionation (εp) to assess natural pCO2 dependency on εp and explore its geological deep-time paleo-pCO2 proxy potential. We find that εp differs between genera and species and that in Operculodinium centrocarpum, εp is controlled by pCO2 and nutrients. Our results highlight the added value of δ13C analyses of individual micrometer-scale sedimentary organic carbon particles.
Julia Homann, Niklas Karbach, Stacy A. Carolin, Daniel H. James, David Hodell, Sebastian F. M. Breitenbach, Ola Kwiecien, Mark Brenner, Carlos Peraza Lope, and Thorsten Hoffmann
Biogeosciences, 20, 3249–3260, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3249-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3249-2023, 2023
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Cave stalagmites contain substances that can be used to reconstruct past changes in local and regional environmental conditions. We used two classes of biomarkers (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and monosaccharide anhydrides) to detect the presence of fire and to also explore changes in fire regime (e.g. fire frequency, intensity, and fuel source). We tested our new method on a stalagmite from Mayapan, a large Maya city on the Yucatán Peninsula.
Claudia Voigt, Anne Alexandre, Ilja M. Reiter, Jean-Philippe Orts, Christine Vallet-Coulomb, Clément Piel, Jean-Charles Mazur, Julie C. Aleman, Corinne Sonzogni, Helene Miche, and Jérôme Ogée
Biogeosciences, 20, 2161–2187, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2161-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2161-2023, 2023
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Data on past relative humidity (RH) ARE needed to improve its representation in Earth system models. A novel isotope parameter (17O-excess) of plant silica has been developed to quantify past RH. Using comprehensive monitoring and novel methods, we show how environmental and plant physiological parameters influence the 17O-excess of plant silica and leaf water, i.e. its source water. The insights gained from this study will help to improve estimates of RH from fossil plant silica deposits.
David J. Harning, Brooke Holman, Lineke Woelders, Anne E. Jennings, and Julio Sepúlveda
Biogeosciences, 20, 229–249, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-229-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-229-2023, 2023
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In order to better reconstruct the geologic history of the North Water Polynya, we provide modern validations and calibrations of lipid biomarker proxies in Baffin Bay. We find that sterols, rather than HBIs, most accurately capture the current extent of the North Water Polynya and will be a valuable tool to reconstruct its past presence or absence. Our local temperature calibrations for GDGTs and OH-GDGTs reduce the uncertainty present in global temperature calibrations.
Jessica G. M. Crumpton-Banks, Thomas Tanner, Ivan Hernández Almeida, James W. B. Rae, and Heather Stoll
Biogeosciences, 19, 5633–5644, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5633-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5633-2022, 2022
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Past ocean carbon is reconstructed using proxies, but it is unknown whether preparing ocean sediment for one proxy might damage the data given by another. We have tested whether the extraction of an organic proxy archive from sediment samples impacts the geochemistry of tiny shells also within the sediment. We find no difference in shell geochemistry between samples which come from treated and untreated sediment. This will help us to maximize scientific return from valuable sediment samples.
Pablo Forjanes, María Simonet Roda, Martina Greiner, Erika Griesshaber, Nelson A. Lagos, Sabino Veintemillas-Verdaguer, José Manuel Astilleros, Lurdes Fernández-Díaz, and Wolfgang W. Schmahl
Biogeosciences, 19, 3791–3823, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3791-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3791-2022, 2022
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Aragonitic skeletons are employed to decipher past climate dynamics and environmental change. Unfortunately, the information that these skeletons keep can be destroyed during diagenesis. In this work, we study the first changes undergone by aragonitic skeletons upon hydrothermal alteration. We observe that major changes occur from the very beginning of the alteration, even without mineralogical changes. These results have major implications for the use of these archives to understand the past.
Inga Labuhn, Franziska Tell, Ulrich von Grafenstein, Dan Hammarlund, Henning Kuhnert, and Bénédicte Minster
Biogeosciences, 19, 2759–2777, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2759-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2759-2022, 2022
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This study presents the isotopic composition of recent biogenic carbonates from several lacustrine species which calcify during different times of the year. The authors demonstrate that when biological offsets are corrected, the dominant cause of differences between species is the seasonal variation in temperature-dependent fractionation of oxygen isotopes. Consequently, such carbonates from lake sediments can provide proxy records of seasonal water temperature changes in the past.
Gerard J. M. Versteegh, Karin A. F. Zonneveld, Jens Hefter, Oscar E. Romero, Gerhard Fischer, and Gesine Mollenhauer
Biogeosciences, 19, 1587–1610, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1587-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1587-2022, 2022
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A 5-year record of long-chain mid-chain diol export flux and composition is presented with a 1- to 3-week resolution sediment trap CBeu (in the NW African upwelling). All environmental parameters as well as the diol composition are dominated by the seasonal cycle, albeit with different phase relations for temperature and upwelling. Most diol-based proxies are dominated by upwelling. The long-chain diol index reflects temperatures of the oligotrophic summer sea surface.
Johannes Hepp, Christoph Mayr, Kazimierz Rozanski, Imke Kathrin Schäfer, Mario Tuthorn, Bruno Glaser, Dieter Juchelka, Willibald Stichler, Roland Zech, and Michael Zech
Biogeosciences, 18, 5363–5380, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5363-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5363-2021, 2021
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Deriving more quantitative climate information like relative air humidity is one of the key challenges in paleostudies. Often only qualitative reconstructions can be done when single-biomarker-isotope data are derived from a climate archive. However, the coupling of hemicellulose-derived sugar with leaf-wax-derived n-alkane isotope results has the potential to overcome this limitation and allow a quantitative relative air humidity reconstruction.
Angelica Feurdean
Biogeosciences, 18, 3805–3821, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3805-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3805-2021, 2021
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This study characterized the diversity of laboratory-produced charcoal morphological features of various fuel types from Siberia at different temperatures. The results obtained improve the attribution of charcoal particles to fuel types and fire characteristics. This work also provides recommendations for the application of this information to refine the past wildfire history.
Martin Tetard, Laetitia Licari, Ekaterina Ovsepyan, Kazuyo Tachikawa, and Luc Beaufort
Biogeosciences, 18, 2827–2841, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2827-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2827-2021, 2021
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Oxygen minimum zones are oceanic regions almost devoid of dissolved oxygen and are currently expanding due to global warming. Investigation of their past behaviour will allow better understanding of these areas and better prediction of their future evolution. A new method to estimate past [O2] was developed based on morphometric measurements of benthic foraminifera. This method and two other approaches based on foraminifera assemblages and porosity were calibrated using 45 core tops worldwide.
Maximiliano Rodríguez and Christelle Not
Biogeosciences, 18, 1987–2001, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1987-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1987-2021, 2021
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Mg/Ca in calcium carbonate shells of marine organisms such as foraminifera and ostracods has been used as a proxy to reconstruct water temperature. Here we provide new Mg/Ca–temperature calibrations for two shallow marine species of ostracods. We show that the water temperature in spring produces the best calibrations, which suggests the potential use of ostracod shells to reconstruct this parameter at a seasonal scale.
Hongrui Zhang, Chuanlian Liu, Luz María Mejía, and Heather Stoll
Biogeosciences, 18, 1909–1916, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1909-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1909-2021, 2021
Delphine Dissard, Gert Jan Reichart, Christophe Menkes, Morgan Mangeas, Stephan Frickenhaus, and Jelle Bijma
Biogeosciences, 18, 423–439, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-423-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-423-2021, 2021
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Results from a data set acquired from living foraminifera T. sacculifer collected from surface waters are presented, allowing us to establish a new Mg/Ca–Sr/Ca–temperature equation improving temperature reconstructions. When combining equations, δ18Ow can be reconstructed with a precision of ± 0.5 ‰, while successive reconstructions involving Mg/Ca and δ18Oc preclude salinity reconstruction with a precision better than ± 1.69. A new direct linear fit to reconstruct salinity could be established.
Feng Wang, Dominique Arseneault, Étienne Boucher, Shulong Yu, Steeven Ouellet, Gwenaëlle Chaillou, Ann Delwaide, and Lily Wang
Biogeosciences, 17, 4559–4570, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4559-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4559-2020, 2020
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Wood stain is challenging the use of the blue intensity technique for dendroclimatic reconstructions. Using stained subfossil trees from eastern Canadian lakes, we compared chemical destaining approaches with the
delta bluemathematical correction of blue intensity data. Although no chemical treatment was completely efficient, the delta blue method is unaffected by the staining problem and thus is promising for climate reconstructions based on lake subfossil material.
Dulcinea V. Groff, David G. Williams, and Jacquelyn L. Gill
Biogeosciences, 17, 4545–4557, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4545-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4545-2020, 2020
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Tussock grasses that grow along coastlines of the Falkland Islands are slow to decay and build up thick peat layers over thousands of years. Grass fragments found in ancient peat can be used to reconstruct past climate because grasses can preserve a record of growing conditions in their leaves. We found that modern living tussock grasses in the Falkland Islands reliably record temperature and humidity in their leaves, and the peat they form can be used to understand past climate change.
Maxence Guillermic, Sambuddha Misra, Robert Eagle, Alexandra Villa, Fengming Chang, and Aradhna Tripati
Biogeosciences, 17, 3487–3510, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3487-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3487-2020, 2020
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Boron isotope ratios (δ11B) of foraminifera are a promising proxy for seawater pH and can be used to constrain pCO2. In this study, we derived calibrations for new foraminiferal taxa which extend the application of the boron isotope proxy. We discuss the origin of different δ11B signatures in species and also discuss the potential of using multispecies δ11B analyses to constrain vertical pH and pCO2 gradients in ancient water columns to shed light on biogeochemical carbon cycling in the past.
Zeynep Erdem, Joachim Schönfeld, Anthony E. Rathburn, Maria-Elena Pérez, Jorge Cardich, and Nicolaas Glock
Biogeosciences, 17, 3165–3182, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3165-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3165-2020, 2020
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Recent observations from today’s oceans revealed that oxygen concentrations are decreasing, and oxygen minimum zones are expanding together with current climate change. With the aim of understanding past climatic events and their relationship with oxygen content, we looked at the fossils, called benthic foraminifera, preserved in the sediment archives from the Peruvian margin and quantified the bottom-water oxygen content for the last 22 000 years.
Hannah K. Donald, Gavin L. Foster, Nico Fröhberg, George E. A. Swann, Alex J. Poulton, C. Mark Moore, and Matthew P. Humphreys
Biogeosciences, 17, 2825–2837, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2825-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2825-2020, 2020
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The boron isotope pH proxy is increasingly being used to reconstruct ocean pH in the past. Here we detail a novel analytical methodology for measuring the boron isotopic composition (δ11B) of diatom opal and apply this to the study of the diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii grown in culture over a range of pH. To our knowledge this is the first study of its kind and provides unique insights into the way in which diatoms incorporate boron and their potential as archives of palaeoclimate records.
Eleonora Fossile, Maria Pia Nardelli, Arbia Jouini, Bruno Lansard, Antonio Pusceddu, Davide Moccia, Elisabeth Michel, Olivier Péron, Hélène Howa, and Meryem Mojtahid
Biogeosciences, 17, 1933–1953, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1933-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1933-2020, 2020
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This study focuses on benthic foraminiferal distribution in an Arctic fjord characterised by continuous sea ice production during winter and the consequent cascading of salty and corrosive waters (brine) to the seabed. The inner fjord is dominated by calcareous species (C). In the central deep basins, where brines are persistent, calcareous foraminifera are dissolved and agglutinated (A) dominate. The high A/C ratio is suggested as a proxy for brine persistence and sea ice production.
Johannes Hepp, Imke Kathrin Schäfer, Verena Lanny, Jörg Franke, Marcel Bliedtner, Kazimierz Rozanski, Bruno Glaser, Michael Zech, Timothy Ian Eglinton, and Roland Zech
Biogeosciences, 17, 741–756, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-741-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-741-2020, 2020
Julian Struck, Marcel Bliedtner, Paul Strobel, Jens Schumacher, Enkhtuya Bazarradnaa, and Roland Zech
Biogeosciences, 17, 567–580, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-567-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-567-2020, 2020
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We present leaf wax n-alkanes and their compound-specific (CS) δ13C isotopes from semi-arid and/or arid Mongolia to test their potential for paleoenvironmental reconstructions. Plants and topsoils were analysed and checked for climatic control. Chain-length variations are distinct between grasses and Caragana, which are not biased by climate. However CS δ13C is strongly correlated to climate, so n-alkanes and their CS δ13C show great potential for paleoenvironmental reconstruction in Mongolia.
Elena Lo Giudice Cappelli, Jessica Louise Clarke, Craig Smeaton, Keith Davidson, and William Edward Newns Austin
Biogeosciences, 16, 4183–4199, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4183-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4183-2019, 2019
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Fjords are known sinks of organic carbon (OC); however, little is known about the long-term fate of the OC stored in these sediments. The reason for this knowledge gap is the post-depositional degradation of OC. This study uses benthic foraminifera (microorganisms with calcite shells) to discriminate between post-depositional OC degradation and actual OC burial and accumulation in fjordic sediments, as foraminifera would only preserve the latter information in their assemblage composition.
Sara K. E. Goulden, Naohiko Ohkouchi, Katherine H. Freeman, Yoshito Chikaraishi, Nanako O. Ogawa, Hisami Suga, Oliver Chadwick, and Benjamin Z. Houlton
Biogeosciences, 16, 3869–3882, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3869-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3869-2019, 2019
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We investigate whether soil organic compounds preserve information about nitrogen availability to plants. We isolate chlorophyll degradation products in leaves, litter, and soil and explore possible species and climate effects on preservation and interpretation. We find that compound-specific nitrogen isotope measurements in soil have potential as a new tool to reconstruct changes in nitrogen cycling on a landscape over time, avoiding issues that have limited other proxies.
Nicolai Schleinkofer, Jacek Raddatz, André Freiwald, David Evans, Lydia Beuck, Andres Rüggeberg, and Volker Liebetrau
Biogeosciences, 16, 3565–3582, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3565-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3565-2019, 2019
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In this study we tried to correlate Na / Ca ratios from cold-water corals with environmental parameters such as salinity, temperature and pH. We do not observe a correlation between Na / Ca ratios and seawater salinity, but we do observe a strong correlation with temperature. Na / Ca data from warm-water corals (Porites spp.) and bivalves (Mytilus edulis) support this correlation, indicating that similar controls on the incorporation of sodium exist in these aragonitic organisms.
Mattia Greco, Lukas Jonkers, Kerstin Kretschmer, Jelle Bijma, and Michal Kucera
Biogeosciences, 16, 3425–3437, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3425-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3425-2019, 2019
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To be able to interpret the paleoecological signal contained in N. pachyderma's shells, its habitat depth must be known. Our investigation on 104 density profiles of this species from the Arctic and North Atlantic shows that specimens reside closer to the surface when sea-ice and/or surface chlorophyll concentrations are high. This is in contrast with previous investigations that pointed at the position of the deep chlorophyll maximum as the main driver of N. pachyderma vertical distribution.
Anna Mikis, Katharine R. Hendry, Jennifer Pike, Daniela N. Schmidt, Kirsty M. Edgar, Victoria Peck, Frank J. C. Peeters, Melanie J. Leng, Michael P. Meredith, Chloe L. C. Jones, Sharon Stammerjohn, and Hugh Ducklow
Biogeosciences, 16, 3267–3282, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3267-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3267-2019, 2019
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Antarctic marine calcifying organisms are threatened by regional climate change and ocean acidification. Future projections of regional carbonate production are challenging due to the lack of historical data combined with complex climate variability. We present a 6-year record of flux, morphology and geochemistry of an Antarctic planktonic foraminifera, which shows that their growth is most sensitive to sea ice dynamics and is linked with the El Niño–Southern Oscillation.
Eunmi Park, Jens Hefter, Gerhard Fischer, Morten Hvitfeldt Iversen, Simon Ramondenc, Eva-Maria Nöthig, and Gesine Mollenhauer
Biogeosciences, 16, 2247–2268, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2247-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2247-2019, 2019
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We analyzed GDGT-based proxy temperatures in the polar oceans. In the eastern Fram Strait (79° N), the nutrient distribution may determine the depth habit of Thaumarchaeota and thus the proxy temperature. In the Antarctic Polar Front (50° S), the contribution of Euryarchaeota or the nonlinear correlation between the proxy values and temperatures may cause the warm biases of the proxy temperatures relative to SSTs.
Marijke W. de Bar, Jenny E. Ullgren, Robert C. Thunnell, Stuart G. Wakeham, Geert-Jan A. Brummer, Jan-Berend W. Stuut, Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté, and Stefan Schouten
Biogeosciences, 16, 1705–1727, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1705-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1705-2019, 2019
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We analyzed sediment traps from the Cariaco Basin, the tropical Atlantic and the Mozambique Channel to evaluate seasonal imprints in the concentrations and fluxes of long-chain diols (LDIs), in addition to the long-chain diol index proxy (sea surface temperature proxy) and the diol index (upwelling indicator). Despite significant degradation, LDI-derived temperatures were very similar for the sediment traps and seafloor sediments, and corresponded to annual mean sea surface temperatures.
Jens Zinke, Juan P. D'Olivo, Christoph J. Gey, Malcolm T. McCulloch, J. Henrich Bruggemann, Janice M. Lough, and Mireille M. M. Guillaume
Biogeosciences, 16, 695–712, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-695-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-695-2019, 2019
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Here we report seasonally resolved sea surface temperature (SST) reconstructions for the southern Mozambique Channel in the SW Indian Ocean, a region located along the thermohaline ocean surface circulation route, based on multi-trace-element temperature proxy records preserved in two Porites sp. coral cores for the past 42 years. Particularly, we show the suitability of both separate and combined Sr / Ca and Li / Mg proxies for improved multielement SST reconstructions.
Hilde Pracht, Brett Metcalfe, and Frank J. C. Peeters
Biogeosciences, 16, 643–661, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-643-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-643-2019, 2019
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In palaeoceanography the shells of single-celled foraminifera are routinely used as proxies to reconstruct the temperature, salinity and circulation of the ocean in the past. Traditionally a number of specimens were pooled for a single stable isotope measurement; however, technical advances now mean that a single shell or chamber of a shell can be measured individually. Three different hypotheses regarding foraminiferal biology and ecology were tested using this approach.
Anna Jentzen, Dirk Nürnberg, Ed C. Hathorne, and Joachim Schönfeld
Biogeosciences, 15, 7077–7095, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-7077-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-7077-2018, 2018
Shauna Ní Fhlaithearta, Christophe Fontanier, Frans Jorissen, Aurélia Mouret, Adriana Dueñas-Bohórquez, Pierre Anschutz, Mattias B. Fricker, Detlef Günther, Gert J. de Lange, and Gert-Jan Reichart
Biogeosciences, 15, 6315–6328, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6315-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6315-2018, 2018
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This study looks at how foraminifera interact with their geochemical environment in the seabed. We focus on the incorporation of the trace metal manganese (Mn), with the aim of developing a tool to reconstruct past pore water profiles. Manganese concentrations in foraminifera are investigated relative to their ecological preferences and geochemical environment. This study demonstrates that Mn in foraminiferal tests is a promising tool to reconstruct oxygen conditions in the seabed.
Siobhan Williams, Walter Adey, Jochen Halfar, Andreas Kronz, Patrick Gagnon, David Bélanger, and Merinda Nash
Biogeosciences, 15, 5745–5759, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5745-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5745-2018, 2018
Robert Frei, Cora Paulukat, Sylvie Bruggmann, and Robert M. Klaebe
Biogeosciences, 15, 4905–4922, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-4905-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-4905-2018, 2018
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The reconstruction of paleo-redox conditions of seawater has the potential to link to climatic changes on land and therefore to contribute to our understanding of past climate change. The redox-sensitive chromium isotope system is applied to marine calcifiers in order to characterize isotope offsets that result from vital processes during calcification processes and which can be eventually used in fossil equivalents to reconstruct past seawater compositions.
Thomas M. DeCarlo, Michael Holcomb, and Malcolm T. McCulloch
Biogeosciences, 15, 2819–2834, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2819-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2819-2018, 2018
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Understanding the mechanisms of coral calcification is limited by the isolation of the calcifying environment. The boron systematics (B / Ca and δ11B) of aragonite have recently been developed as a proxy for the carbonate chemistry of the calcifying fluid, but a variety of approaches have been utilized. We assess the available experimental B / Ca partitioning data and present a computer code for deriving calcifying fluid carbonate chemistry from the boron systematics of coral skeletons.
Manuel Bringué, Robert C. Thunell, Vera Pospelova, James L. Pinckney, Oscar E. Romero, and Eric J. Tappa
Biogeosciences, 15, 2325–2348, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2325-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2325-2018, 2018
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We document 2.5 yr of dinoflagellate cyst production in the Cariaco Basin using a sediment trap record. Each species' production pattern is interpreted in the context of the physico-chemical (e.g., temperature, nutrients) and biological (other planktonic groups) environment. Most species respond positively to upwelling, but seem to be negatively impacted by an El Niño event with a 1-year lag. This work helps understanding dinoflagellate ecology and interpreting fossil assemblages in sediments.
Gabriella M. Weiss, Eva Y. Pfannerstill, Stefan Schouten, Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté, and Marcel T. J. van der Meer
Biogeosciences, 14, 5693–5704, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5693-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5693-2017, 2017
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Algal-derived compounds allow us to make assumptions about environmental conditions in the past. In order to better understand how organisms record environmental conditions, we grew microscopic marine algae at different light intensities, salinities, and alkalinities in a temperature-controlled environment. We determined how these environmental parameters affected specific algal-derived compounds, especially their relative deuterium content, which seems to be mainly affected by salinity.
S. Nemiah Ladd, Nathalie Dubois, and Carsten J. Schubert
Biogeosciences, 14, 3979–3994, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3979-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3979-2017, 2017
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Hydrogen isotopes of lipids provide valuable information about microbial activity, climate, and environmental stress. We show that heavy hydrogen in fatty acids declines from spring to summer in a nutrient-rich and a nutrient-poor lake and that the effect is nearly 3 times as big in the former. This effect is likely a combination of increased biomass from algae, warmer temperatures, and higher algal growth rates.
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Short summary
Culture experiments based on a decoupled pH and CO32- chemistry indicate that the δ11B of the test of A. lessonii is related to pH whereas the B/Ca of the foraminiferal shells show a positive correlation with B(OH)4-/HCO3-. The latter observation suggests a competition between B(OH)4- and HCO3- of the culture media for B uptake into the test.
Culture experiments based on a decoupled pH and CO32- chemistry indicate that the δ11B of the...
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