Articles | Volume 12, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-2207-2015
© 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-12-2207-2015
© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
15 Apr 2015
Research article |
| 15 Apr 2015
Global analysis of seasonality in the shell flux of extant planktonic Foraminifera
School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Cardiff University, Main building, Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, Wales, UK
M. Kučera
MARUM & Fachbereich Geowissenschaften, Universität Bremen, Leobener Strasse, 28359 Bremen, Germany
Related authors
Lukas Jonkers, Tonke Strack, Montserrat Alonso-Garcia, Simon D'haenens, Robert Huber, Michal Kucera, Iván Hernández-Almeida, Chloe L. C. Jones, Brett Metcalfe, Rajeev Saraswat, Lóránd Silye, Sanjay K. Verma, Muhamad Naim Abd Malek, Gerald Auer, Cátia F. Barbosa, Maria A. Barcena, Karl-Heinz Baumann, Flavia Boscolo-Galazzo, Joeven Austine S. Calvelo, Lucilla Capotondi, Martina Caratelli, Jorge Cardich, Humberto Carvajal-Chitty, Markéta Chroustová, Helen K. Coxall, Renata M. de Mello, Anne de Vernal, Paula Diz, Kirsty M. Edgar, Helena L. Filipsson, Ángela Fraguas, Heather L. Furlong, Giacomo Galli, Natalia L. García Chapori, Robyn Granger, Jeroen Groeneveld, Adil Imam, Rebecca Jackson, David Lazarus, Julie Meilland, Marína Molčan Matejová, Raphael Morard, Caterina Morigi, Sven N. Nielsen, Diana Ochoa, Maria Rose Petrizzo, Andrés S. Rigual-Hernández, Marina C. Rillo, Matthew L. Staitis, Gamze Tanık, Raúl Tapia, Nishant Vats, Bridget S. Wade, and Anna E. Weinmann
J. Micropalaeontol., 44, 145–168, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-44-145-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-44-145-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Our study provides guidelines improving the reuse of marine microfossil assemblage data, which are valuable for understanding past ecosystems and environmental change. Based on a survey of 113 researchers, we identified key data attributes required for effective reuse. Analysis of a selection of datasets available online reveals a gap between the attributes scientists consider essential and the data currently available, highlighting the need for clearer data documentation and sharing practices.
Jean-Philippe Baudouin, Nils Weitzel, Maximilian May, Lukas Jonkers, Andrew M. Dolman, and Kira Rehfeld
Clim. Past, 21, 381–403, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-381-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-381-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Earth's past temperature reconstructions are critical for understanding climate change. We test the ability of these reconstructions using climate simulations. Uncertainties, mainly from past temperature measurement methods and age determination, impact reconstructions over time. While more data enhance accuracy for long-term trends, high-quality data are more important for short-term precision. Our study lays the groundwork for better reconstructions and suggests avenues for improvement.
Nils Weitzel, Heather Andres, Jean-Philippe Baudouin, Marie-Luise Kapsch, Uwe Mikolajewicz, Lukas Jonkers, Oliver Bothe, Elisa Ziegler, Thomas Kleinen, André Paul, and Kira Rehfeld
Clim. Past, 20, 865–890, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-865-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-865-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The ability of climate models to faithfully reproduce past warming episodes is a valuable test considering potentially large future warming. We develop a new method to compare simulations of the last deglaciation with temperature reconstructions. We find that reconstructions differ more between regions than simulations, potentially due to deficiencies in the simulation design, models, or reconstructions. Our work is a promising step towards benchmarking simulations of past climate transitions.
Xiaoxu Shi, Alexandre Cauquoin, Gerrit Lohmann, Lukas Jonkers, Qiang Wang, Hu Yang, Yuchen Sun, and Martin Werner
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 5153–5178, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-5153-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-5153-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We developed a new climate model with isotopic capabilities and simulated the pre-industrial and mid-Holocene periods. Despite certain regional model biases, the modeled isotope composition is in good agreement with observations and reconstructions. Based on our analyses, the observed isotope–temperature relationship in polar regions may have a summertime bias. Using daily model outputs, we developed a novel isotope-based approach to determine the onset date of the West African summer monsoon.
Franziska Tell, Lukas Jonkers, Julie Meilland, and Michal Kucera
Biogeosciences, 19, 4903–4927, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4903-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4903-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study analyses the production of calcite shells formed by one of the main Arctic pelagic calcifiers, the foraminifera N. pachyderma. Using vertically resolved profiles of shell concentration, size and weight, we show that calcification occurs throughout the upper 300 m with an average production flux below the calcification zone of 8 mg CaCO3 m−2 d−1 representing 23 % of the total pelagic biogenic carbonate production. The production flux is attenuated in the twilight zone by dissolution.
Lukas Jonkers, Geert-Jan A. Brummer, Julie Meilland, Jeroen Groeneveld, and Michal Kucera
Clim. Past, 18, 89–101, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-89-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-89-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The variability in the geochemistry among individual foraminifera is used to reconstruct seasonal to interannual climate variability. This method requires that each foraminifera shell accurately records environmental conditions, which we test here using a sediment trap time series. Even in the absence of environmental variability, planktonic foraminifera display variability in their stable isotope ratios that needs to be considered in the interpretation of individual foraminifera data.
Lukas Jonkers, Oliver Bothe, and Michal Kucera
Clim. Past, 17, 2577–2581, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2577-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2577-2021, 2021
Bronwen L. Konecky, Nicholas P. McKay, Olga V. Churakova (Sidorova), Laia Comas-Bru, Emilie P. Dassié, Kristine L. DeLong, Georgina M. Falster, Matt J. Fischer, Matthew D. Jones, Lukas Jonkers, Darrell S. Kaufman, Guillaume Leduc, Shreyas R. Managave, Belen Martrat, Thomas Opel, Anais J. Orsi, Judson W. Partin, Hussein R. Sayani, Elizabeth K. Thomas, Diane M. Thompson, Jonathan J. Tyler, Nerilie J. Abram, Alyssa R. Atwood, Olivier Cartapanis, Jessica L. Conroy, Mark A. Curran, Sylvia G. Dee, Michael Deininger, Dmitry V. Divine, Zoltán Kern, Trevor J. Porter, Samantha L. Stevenson, Lucien von Gunten, and Iso2k Project Members
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 12, 2261–2288, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-2261-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-2261-2020, 2020
Douglas Lessa, Raphaël Morard, Lukas Jonkers, Igor M. Venancio, Runa Reuter, Adrian Baumeister, Ana Luiza Albuquerque, and Michal Kucera
Biogeosciences, 17, 4313–4342, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4313-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4313-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We observed that living planktonic foraminifera had distinct vertically distributed communities across the Subtropical South Atlantic. In addition, a hierarchic alternation of environmental parameters was measured to control the distribution of planktonic foraminifer's species depending on the water depth. This implies that not only temperature but also productivity and subsurface processes are signed in fossil assemblages, which could be used to perform paleoceanographic reconstructions.
Lukas Jonkers, Olivier Cartapanis, Michael Langner, Nick McKay, Stefan Mulitza, Anne Strack, and Michal Kucera
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 12, 1053–1081, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-1053-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-1053-2020, 2020
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
Short summary
Short summary
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.
Andreia Rebotim, Antje Helga Luise Voelker, Lukas Jonkers, Joanna J. Waniek, Michael Schulz, and Michal Kucera
J. Micropalaeontol., 38, 113–131, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-38-113-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-38-113-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
To reconstruct subsurface water conditions using deep-dwelling planktonic foraminifera, we must fully understand how the oxygen isotope signal incorporates into their shell. We report δ18O in four species sampled in the eastern North Atlantic with plankton tows. We assess the size and crust effect on the isotopic δ18O and compared them with predictions from two equations. We reveal different patterns of calcite addition with depth, highlighting the need to perform species-specific calibrations.
Lukas Jonkers and Michal Kučera
Clim. Past, 15, 881–891, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-881-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-881-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Fossil plankton assemblages have been widely used to reconstruct SST. In such approaches, full taxonomic resolution is often used. We assess whether this is required for reliable reconstructions as some species may not respond to SST. We find that only a few species are needed for low reconstruction errors but that species selection has a pronounced effect on reconstructions. We suggest that the sensitivity of a reconstruction to species pruning can be used as a measure of its robustness.
Kerstin Kretschmer, Lukas Jonkers, Michal Kucera, and Michael Schulz
Biogeosciences, 15, 4405–4429, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-4405-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-4405-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The fossil shells of planktonic foraminifera are widely used to reconstruct past climate conditions. To do so, information about their seasonal and vertical habitat is needed. Here we present an updated version of a planktonic foraminifera model to better understand species-specific habitat dynamics under climate change. This model produces spatially and temporally coherent distribution patterns, which agree well with available observations, and can thus aid the interpretation of proxy records.
Lukas Jonkers and Michal Kučera
Clim. Past, 13, 573–586, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-573-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-573-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Planktonic foraminifera – the most important proxy carriers in palaeoceanography – adjust their seasonal and vertical habitat. They are thought to do so in a way that minimises the change in their environment, implying that proxy records based on these organisms may not capture the full amplitude of past climate change. Here we demonstrate that they indeed track a particular thermal habitat and suggest that this could lead to a 40 % underestimation of reconstructed temperature change.
Andreia Rebotim, Antje H. L. Voelker, Lukas Jonkers, Joanna J. Waniek, Helge Meggers, Ralf Schiebel, Igaratza Fraile, Michael Schulz, and Michal Kucera
Biogeosciences, 14, 827–859, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-827-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-827-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Planktonic foraminifera species depth habitat remains poorly constrained and the existing conceptual models are not sufficiently tested by observational data. Here we present a synthesis of living planktonic foraminifera abundance data in the subtropical eastern North Atlantic from vertical plankton tows. We also test potential environmental factors influencing the species depth habitat and investigate yearly or lunar migration cycles. These findings may impact paleoceanographic studies.
L. Jonkers, C. E. Reynolds, J. Richey, and I. R. Hall
Biogeosciences, 12, 3061–3070, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-3061-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-3061-2015, 2015
Lukas Jonkers, Tonke Strack, Montserrat Alonso-Garcia, Simon D'haenens, Robert Huber, Michal Kucera, Iván Hernández-Almeida, Chloe L. C. Jones, Brett Metcalfe, Rajeev Saraswat, Lóránd Silye, Sanjay K. Verma, Muhamad Naim Abd Malek, Gerald Auer, Cátia F. Barbosa, Maria A. Barcena, Karl-Heinz Baumann, Flavia Boscolo-Galazzo, Joeven Austine S. Calvelo, Lucilla Capotondi, Martina Caratelli, Jorge Cardich, Humberto Carvajal-Chitty, Markéta Chroustová, Helen K. Coxall, Renata M. de Mello, Anne de Vernal, Paula Diz, Kirsty M. Edgar, Helena L. Filipsson, Ángela Fraguas, Heather L. Furlong, Giacomo Galli, Natalia L. García Chapori, Robyn Granger, Jeroen Groeneveld, Adil Imam, Rebecca Jackson, David Lazarus, Julie Meilland, Marína Molčan Matejová, Raphael Morard, Caterina Morigi, Sven N. Nielsen, Diana Ochoa, Maria Rose Petrizzo, Andrés S. Rigual-Hernández, Marina C. Rillo, Matthew L. Staitis, Gamze Tanık, Raúl Tapia, Nishant Vats, Bridget S. Wade, and Anna E. Weinmann
J. Micropalaeontol., 44, 145–168, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-44-145-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-44-145-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Our study provides guidelines improving the reuse of marine microfossil assemblage data, which are valuable for understanding past ecosystems and environmental change. Based on a survey of 113 researchers, we identified key data attributes required for effective reuse. Analysis of a selection of datasets available online reveals a gap between the attributes scientists consider essential and the data currently available, highlighting the need for clearer data documentation and sharing practices.
Jean-Philippe Baudouin, Nils Weitzel, Maximilian May, Lukas Jonkers, Andrew M. Dolman, and Kira Rehfeld
Clim. Past, 21, 381–403, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-381-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-381-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Earth's past temperature reconstructions are critical for understanding climate change. We test the ability of these reconstructions using climate simulations. Uncertainties, mainly from past temperature measurement methods and age determination, impact reconstructions over time. While more data enhance accuracy for long-term trends, high-quality data are more important for short-term precision. Our study lays the groundwork for better reconstructions and suggests avenues for improvement.
Pauline Cornuault, Luc Beaufort, Heiko Pälike, Torsten Bickert, Karl-Heinz Baumann, and Michal Kucera
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-198, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-198, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Biogeosciences (BG).
Short summary
Short summary
We present new high-resolution data of the relative contribution of the two main pelagic carbonate producers (coccoliths and foraminifera) to the total pelagic carbonate production from the tropical Atlantic in past warm periods since the Miocene. Our findings suggests that the two groups responded differently to orbital forcing and oceanic changes in tropical ocean, but their proportion changes did not drive the changes in overall pelagic carbonate deposition.
Nils Weitzel, Heather Andres, Jean-Philippe Baudouin, Marie-Luise Kapsch, Uwe Mikolajewicz, Lukas Jonkers, Oliver Bothe, Elisa Ziegler, Thomas Kleinen, André Paul, and Kira Rehfeld
Clim. Past, 20, 865–890, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-865-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-865-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The ability of climate models to faithfully reproduce past warming episodes is a valuable test considering potentially large future warming. We develop a new method to compare simulations of the last deglaciation with temperature reconstructions. We find that reconstructions differ more between regions than simulations, potentially due to deficiencies in the simulation design, models, or reconstructions. Our work is a promising step towards benchmarking simulations of past climate transitions.
Sabrina Hohmann, Michal Kucera, and Anne de Vernal
Clim. Past, 19, 2027–2051, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-2027-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-2027-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Drivers for dinocyst assemblage compositions differ regionally and through time. Shifts in the assemblages can sometimes only be interpreted robustly by locally and sometimes globally calibrated transfer functions, questioning the reliability of environmental reconstructions. We suggest the necessity of a thorough evaluation of transfer function performance and significance for downcore applications to disclose the drivers for present and fossil dinocyst assemblages in a studied core location.
Xiaoxu Shi, Alexandre Cauquoin, Gerrit Lohmann, Lukas Jonkers, Qiang Wang, Hu Yang, Yuchen Sun, and Martin Werner
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 5153–5178, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-5153-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-5153-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We developed a new climate model with isotopic capabilities and simulated the pre-industrial and mid-Holocene periods. Despite certain regional model biases, the modeled isotope composition is in good agreement with observations and reconstructions. Based on our analyses, the observed isotope–temperature relationship in polar regions may have a summertime bias. Using daily model outputs, we developed a novel isotope-based approach to determine the onset date of the West African summer monsoon.
Michal Kučera and Geert-Jan A. Brummer
J. Micropalaeontol., 42, 33–34, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-42-33-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-42-33-2023, 2023
Pauline Cornuault, Thomas Westerhold, Heiko Pälike, Torsten Bickert, Karl-Heinz Baumann, and Michal Kucera
Biogeosciences, 20, 597–618, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-597-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-597-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We generated high-resolution records of carbonate accumulation rate from the Miocene to the Quaternary in the tropical Atlantic Ocean to characterize the variability in pelagic carbonate production during warm climates. It follows orbital cycles, responding to local changes in tropical conditions, as well as to long-term shifts in climate and ocean chemistry. These changes were sufficiently large to play a role in the carbon cycle and global climate evolution.
Franziska Tell, Lukas Jonkers, Julie Meilland, and Michal Kucera
Biogeosciences, 19, 4903–4927, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4903-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4903-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study analyses the production of calcite shells formed by one of the main Arctic pelagic calcifiers, the foraminifera N. pachyderma. Using vertically resolved profiles of shell concentration, size and weight, we show that calcification occurs throughout the upper 300 m with an average production flux below the calcification zone of 8 mg CaCO3 m−2 d−1 representing 23 % of the total pelagic biogenic carbonate production. The production flux is attenuated in the twilight zone by dissolution.
Geert-Jan A. Brummer and Michal Kučera
J. Micropalaeontol., 41, 29–74, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-41-29-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-41-29-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
To aid researchers working with living planktonic foraminifera, we provide a comprehensive review of names that we consider appropriate for extant species. We discuss the reasons for the decisions we made and provide a list of species and genus-level names as well as other names that have been used in the past but are considered inappropriate for living taxa, stating the reasons.
Lukas Jonkers, Geert-Jan A. Brummer, Julie Meilland, Jeroen Groeneveld, and Michal Kucera
Clim. Past, 18, 89–101, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-89-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-89-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The variability in the geochemistry among individual foraminifera is used to reconstruct seasonal to interannual climate variability. This method requires that each foraminifera shell accurately records environmental conditions, which we test here using a sediment trap time series. Even in the absence of environmental variability, planktonic foraminifera display variability in their stable isotope ratios that needs to be considered in the interpretation of individual foraminifera data.
Lukas Jonkers, Oliver Bothe, and Michal Kucera
Clim. Past, 17, 2577–2581, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2577-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2577-2021, 2021
Julie Meilland, Michael Siccha, Maike Kaffenberger, Jelle Bijma, and Michal Kucera
Biogeosciences, 18, 5789–5809, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5789-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5789-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
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.
Markus Raitzsch, Jelle Bijma, Torsten Bickert, Michael Schulz, Ann Holbourn, and Michal Kučera
Clim. Past, 17, 703–719, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-703-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-703-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
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.
Catarina Cavaleiro, Antje H. L. Voelker, Heather Stoll, Karl-Heinz Baumann, and Michal Kucera
Clim. Past, 16, 2017–2037, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-2017-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-2017-2020, 2020
Bronwen L. Konecky, Nicholas P. McKay, Olga V. Churakova (Sidorova), Laia Comas-Bru, Emilie P. Dassié, Kristine L. DeLong, Georgina M. Falster, Matt J. Fischer, Matthew D. Jones, Lukas Jonkers, Darrell S. Kaufman, Guillaume Leduc, Shreyas R. Managave, Belen Martrat, Thomas Opel, Anais J. Orsi, Judson W. Partin, Hussein R. Sayani, Elizabeth K. Thomas, Diane M. Thompson, Jonathan J. Tyler, Nerilie J. Abram, Alyssa R. Atwood, Olivier Cartapanis, Jessica L. Conroy, Mark A. Curran, Sylvia G. Dee, Michael Deininger, Dmitry V. Divine, Zoltán Kern, Trevor J. Porter, Samantha L. Stevenson, Lucien von Gunten, and Iso2k Project Members
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 12, 2261–2288, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-2261-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-2261-2020, 2020
Douglas Lessa, Raphaël Morard, Lukas Jonkers, Igor M. Venancio, Runa Reuter, Adrian Baumeister, Ana Luiza Albuquerque, and Michal Kucera
Biogeosciences, 17, 4313–4342, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4313-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4313-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We observed that living planktonic foraminifera had distinct vertically distributed communities across the Subtropical South Atlantic. In addition, a hierarchic alternation of environmental parameters was measured to control the distribution of planktonic foraminifer's species depending on the water depth. This implies that not only temperature but also productivity and subsurface processes are signed in fossil assemblages, which could be used to perform paleoceanographic reconstructions.
Lukas Jonkers, Olivier Cartapanis, Michael Langner, Nick McKay, Stefan Mulitza, Anne Strack, and Michal Kucera
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 12, 1053–1081, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-1053-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-1053-2020, 2020
Anna Jentzen, Joachim Schönfeld, Agnes K. M. Weiner, Manuel F. G. Weinkauf, Dirk Nürnberg, and Michal Kučera
J. Micropalaeontol., 38, 231–247, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-38-231-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-38-231-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The study assessed the population dynamics of living planktic foraminifers on a weekly, seasonal, and interannual timescale off the coast of Puerto Rico to improve our understanding of short- and long-term variations. The results indicate a seasonal change of the faunal composition, and over the last decades. Lower standing stocks and lower stable carbon isotope values of foraminifers in shallow waters can be linked to the hurricane Sandy, which passed the Greater Antilles during autumn 2012.
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
Short summary
Short summary
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.
Haruka Takagi, Katsunori Kimoto, Tetsuichi Fujiki, Hiroaki Saito, Christiane Schmidt, Michal Kucera, and Kazuyoshi Moriya
Biogeosciences, 16, 3377–3396, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3377-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3377-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Photosymbiosis (endosymbiosis with algae) is an evolutionary important ecology for many marine organisms but has poorly been identified among planktonic foraminifera. In this study, we identified and characterized photosymbiosis of various species of planktonic foraminifera by focusing on their photosynthesis–related features. We finally proposed a new framework showing a potential strength of photosymbiosis, which will serve as a basis for future ecological studies of planktonic foraminifera.
Andreia Rebotim, Antje Helga Luise Voelker, Lukas Jonkers, Joanna J. Waniek, Michael Schulz, and Michal Kucera
J. Micropalaeontol., 38, 113–131, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-38-113-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-38-113-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
To reconstruct subsurface water conditions using deep-dwelling planktonic foraminifera, we must fully understand how the oxygen isotope signal incorporates into their shell. We report δ18O in four species sampled in the eastern North Atlantic with plankton tows. We assess the size and crust effect on the isotopic δ18O and compared them with predictions from two equations. We reveal different patterns of calcite addition with depth, highlighting the need to perform species-specific calibrations.
Lukas Jonkers and Michal Kučera
Clim. Past, 15, 881–891, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-881-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-881-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Fossil plankton assemblages have been widely used to reconstruct SST. In such approaches, full taxonomic resolution is often used. We assess whether this is required for reliable reconstructions as some species may not respond to SST. We find that only a few species are needed for low reconstruction errors but that species selection has a pronounced effect on reconstructions. We suggest that the sensitivity of a reconstruction to species pruning can be used as a measure of its robustness.
Nadia Al-Sabouni, Isabel S. Fenton, Richard J. Telford, and Michal Kučera
J. Micropalaeontol., 37, 519–534, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-37-519-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-37-519-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
In this study we investigate consistency in species-level identifications and whether disagreements are predictable. Overall, 21 researchers from across the globe identified sets of 300 specimens or digital images of planktonic foraminifera. Digital identifications tended to be more disparate. Participants trained by the same person often had more similar identifications. Disagreements hardly affected transfer-function temperature estimates but produced larger differences in diversity metrics.
Kerstin Kretschmer, Lukas Jonkers, Michal Kucera, and Michael Schulz
Biogeosciences, 15, 4405–4429, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-4405-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-4405-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The fossil shells of planktonic foraminifera are widely used to reconstruct past climate conditions. To do so, information about their seasonal and vertical habitat is needed. Here we present an updated version of a planktonic foraminifera model to better understand species-specific habitat dynamics under climate change. This model produces spatially and temporally coherent distribution patterns, which agree well with available observations, and can thus aid the interpretation of proxy records.
Raphaël Morard, Franck Lejzerowicz, Kate F. Darling, Béatrice Lecroq-Bennet, Mikkel Winther Pedersen, Ludovic Orlando, Jan Pawlowski, Stefan Mulitza, Colomban de Vargas, and Michal Kucera
Biogeosciences, 14, 2741–2754, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2741-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2741-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
The exploitation of deep-sea sedimentary archive relies on the recovery of mineralized skeletons of pelagic organisms. Planktonic groups leaving preserved remains represent only a fraction of the total marine diversity. Environmental DNA left by non-fossil organisms is a promising source of information for paleo-reconstructions. Here we show how planktonic-derived environmental DNA preserves ecological structure of planktonic communities. We use planktonic foraminifera as a case study.
Lukas Jonkers and Michal Kučera
Clim. Past, 13, 573–586, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-573-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-573-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Planktonic foraminifera – the most important proxy carriers in palaeoceanography – adjust their seasonal and vertical habitat. They are thought to do so in a way that minimises the change in their environment, implying that proxy records based on these organisms may not capture the full amplitude of past climate change. Here we demonstrate that they indeed track a particular thermal habitat and suggest that this could lead to a 40 % underestimation of reconstructed temperature change.
Philipp M. Munz, Stephan Steinke, Anna Böll, Andreas Lückge, Jeroen Groeneveld, Michal Kucera, and Hartmut Schulz
Clim. Past, 13, 491–509, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-491-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-491-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We present the results of several independent proxies of summer SST and upwelling SST from the Oman margin indicative of monsoon strength during the early Holocene. In combination with indices of carbonate preservation and bottom water redox conditions, we demonstrate that a persistent solar influence was modulating summer monsoon intensity. Furthermore, bottom water conditions are linked to atmospheric forcing, rather than changes of intermediate water masses.
Andreia Rebotim, Antje H. L. Voelker, Lukas Jonkers, Joanna J. Waniek, Helge Meggers, Ralf Schiebel, Igaratza Fraile, Michael Schulz, and Michal Kucera
Biogeosciences, 14, 827–859, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-827-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-827-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Planktonic foraminifera species depth habitat remains poorly constrained and the existing conceptual models are not sufficiently tested by observational data. Here we present a synthesis of living planktonic foraminifera abundance data in the subtropical eastern North Atlantic from vertical plankton tows. We also test potential environmental factors influencing the species depth habitat and investigate yearly or lunar migration cycles. These findings may impact paleoceanographic studies.
L. Jonkers, C. E. Reynolds, J. Richey, and I. R. Hall
Biogeosciences, 12, 3061–3070, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-3061-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-3061-2015, 2015
I. Hessler, S. P. Harrison, M. Kucera, C. Waelbroeck, M.-T. Chen, C. Anderson, A. de Vernal, B. Fréchette, A. Cloke-Hayes, G. Leduc, and L. Londeix
Clim. Past, 10, 2237–2252, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-2237-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-2237-2014, 2014
A. J. Enge, U. Witte, M. Kucera, and P. Heinz
Biogeosciences, 11, 2017–2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-2017-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-2017-2014, 2014
M. F. G. Weinkauf, T. Moller, M. C. Koch, and M. Kučera
Biogeosciences, 10, 6639–6655, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-6639-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-6639-2013, 2013
Y. Milker, R. Rachmayani, M. F. G. Weinkauf, M. Prange, M. Raitzsch, M. Schulz, and M. Kučera
Clim. Past, 9, 2231–2252, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-2231-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-2231-2013, 2013
R. J. Telford, C. Li, and M. Kucera
Clim. Past, 9, 859–870, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-859-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-859-2013, 2013
Related subject area
Paleobiogeoscience: Proxy use, Development & Validation
Effects of photosymbiosis and related processes on planktic foraminifera-bound nitrogen isotopes in South Atlantic sediments
Exploring macroevolutionary links in multi-species planktonic foraminiferal Mg∕Ca and δ18O from 15 Ma to recent
Reviews and syntheses: Review of proxies for low-oxygen paleoceanographic reconstructions
A long-term drought reconstruction based on oxygen isotope tree ring data for central and eastern parts of Europe (Romania)
Deep-sea stylasterid δ18O and δ13C maps inform sampling scheme for paleotemperature reconstructions
Phylogeochemistry: exploring evolutionary constraints on belemnite rostrum element composition
Reconstructing Central African hydro-climate over the past century using freshwater bivalve shell geochemistry
Disentangling influences of climate variability and lake-system evolution on climate proxies derived from isoprenoid and branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs): the 250 kyr Lake Chala record
Electron backscatter diffraction analysis unveils foraminiferal calcite microstructure and processes of diagenetic alteration
Quantifying the δ15N trophic offset in a cold-water scleractinian coral (CWC): implications for the CWC diet and coral δ15N as a marine N cycle proxy
Stable oxygen isotopes of crocodilian tooth enamel allow tracking Plio-Pleistocene evolution of freshwater environments and climate in the Shungura Formation (Turkana Depression, Ethiopia)
Charcoal morphologies and morphometrics of a Eurasian grass-dominated system for robust interpretation of past fuel and fire type
Single-species dinoflagellate cyst carbon isotope fractionation in core-top sediments: environmental controls, CO2 dependency and proxy potential
Past fire dynamics inferred from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and monosaccharide anhydrides in a stalagmite from the archaeological site of Mayapan, Mexico
Examination of the parameters controlling the triple oxygen isotope composition of grass leaf water and phytoliths at a Mediterranean site: a model–data approach
Biomarker characterization of the North Water Polynya, Baffin Bay: implications for local sea ice and temperature proxies
Technical note: No impact of alkenone extraction on foraminiferal stable isotope, trace element and boron isotope geochemistry
Experimental burial diagenesis of aragonitic biocarbonates: from organic matter loss to abiogenic calcite formation
A modern snapshot of the isotopic composition of lacustrine biogenic carbonates – records of seasonal water temperature variability
Performance of temperature and productivity proxies based on long-chain alkane-1, mid-chain diols at test: a 5-year sediment trap record from the Mauritanian upwelling
Validation of a coupled δ2Hn-alkane–δ18Osugar paleohygrometer approach based on a climate chamber experiment
Experimental production of charcoal morphologies to discriminate fuel source and fire type: an example from Siberian taiga
Toward a global calibration for quantifying past oxygenation in oxygen minimum zones using benthic Foraminifera
Calibration of Mg ∕ Ca and Sr ∕ Ca in coastal marine ostracods as a proxy for temperature
Technical note: Accelerate coccolith size separation via repeated centrifugation
Mg∕Ca, Sr∕Ca and stable isotopes from the planktonic foraminifera T. sacculifer: testing a multi-proxy approach for inferring paleotemperature and paleosalinity
Chemical destaining and the delta correction for blue intensity measurements of stained lake subfossil trees
Modern calibration of Poa flabellata (tussac grass) as a new paleoclimate proxy in the South Atlantic
Seawater pH reconstruction using boron isotopes in multiple planktonic foraminifera species with different depth habitats and their potential to constrain pH and pCO2 gradients
Bottom-water deoxygenation at the Peruvian margin during the last deglaciation recorded by benthic foraminifera
The pH dependency of the boron isotopic composition of diatom opal (Thalassiosira weissflogii)
Benthic foraminifera as tracers of brine production in the Storfjorden “sea ice factory”
Evaluation of bacterial glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether and 2H–18O biomarker proxies along a central European topsoil transect
Leaf wax n-alkane patterns and compound-specific δ13C of plants and topsoils from semi-arid and arid Mongolia
Organic-carbon-rich sediments: benthic foraminifera as bio-indicators of depositional environments
Strong correspondence between nitrogen isotope composition of foliage and chlorin across a rainfall gradient: implications for paleo-reconstruction of the nitrogen cycle
Environmental and biological controls on Na∕Ca ratios in scleractinian cold-water corals
Depth habitat of the planktonic foraminifera Neogloboquadrina pachyderma in the northern high latitudes explained by sea-ice and chlorophyll concentrations
Temporal variability in foraminiferal morphology and geochemistry at the West Antarctic Peninsula: a sediment trap study
Seasonality of archaeal lipid flux and GDGT-based thermometry in sinking particles of high-latitude oceans: Fram Strait (79° N) and Antarctic Polar Front (50° S)
Long-chain diols in settling particles in tropical oceans: insights into sources, seasonality and proxies
Multi-trace-element sea surface temperature coral reconstruction for the southern Mozambique Channel reveals teleconnections with the tropical Atlantic
Oxygen isotope composition of the final chamber of planktic foraminifera provides evidence of vertical migration and depth-integrated growth
Mg ∕ Ca and δ18O in living planktic foraminifers from the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Florida Straits
Manganese incorporation in living (stained) benthic foraminiferal shells: a bathymetric and in-sediment study in the Gulf of Lions (NW Mediterranean)
Effects of light and temperature on Mg uptake, growth, and calcification in the proxy climate archive Clathromorphum compactum
A systematic look at chromium isotopes in modern shells – implications for paleo-environmental reconstructions
Reviews and syntheses: Revisiting the boron systematics of aragonite and their application to coral calcification
Physico-chemical and biological factors influencing dinoflagellate cyst production in the Cariaco Basin
Effects of alkalinity and salinity at low and high light intensity on hydrogen isotope fractionation of long-chain alkenones produced by Emiliania huxleyi
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
Biogeosciences, 22, 1887–1905, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1887-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1887-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study uses foraminifera-bound nitrogen isotopes (FB-δ15N) to investigate photosymbiosis in planktic foraminifera. The analysis of South Atlantic shells, compared to a global dataset, shows that FB-δ15N distinguishes species with certain algal symbionts (dinoflagellates), likely due to internal ammonium recycling. However, the studied site stands out with its larger-than-expected FB-δ15N offsets, highlighting influences on FB-δ15N signatures in regions with strong environmental gradients.
Flavia Boscolo-Galazzo, David Evans, Elaine M. Mawbey, William R. Gray, Paul N. Pearson, and Bridget S. Wade
Biogeosciences, 22, 1095–1113, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1095-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1095-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Here we compare the Mg / Ca and oxygen isotope signatures for 57 recent to fossil species of planktonic foraminifera for the last 15 Myr. We find the occurrence of lineage-specific offsets in Mg / Ca conservative between ancestor-descendent species. Taking into account species kinship significantly improves temperature reconstructions, and we suggest that the occurrence of Mg / Ca offsets in modern species results from their evolution when ocean properties were different from today's.
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
Short summary
Short summary
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.
Viorica Nagavciuc, Gerhard Helle, Maria Rădoane, Cătălin-Constantin Roibu, Mihai-Gabriel Cotos, and Monica Ionita
Biogeosciences, 22, 55–69, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-55-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-55-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We reconstructed drought conditions for the past 200 years for central and eastern parts of Europe (Romania) using δ18O in oak tree ring cellulose from Romania, revealing periods of both extreme wetness (e.g., 1905–1915) and dryness (e.g., 1818–1835). The most severe droughts occurred in the 19th and 21st centuries, likely linked to large-scale atmospheric circulation. This research highlights the potential of tree rings to improve our understanding of long-term climate variability in Europe.
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
Short summary
Short summary
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.
Alexander Pohle, Kevin Stevens, René Hoffmann, and Adrian Immenhauser
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3383, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3383, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The belemnite rostrum geochemistry is used as proxy in paleoceanography. Evolutionary patterns in element ratios (Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca, Mn/Ca and Fe/Ca) from belemnite rostra based on a literature dataset are assessed. These proxy data reflect a complex interplay between evolutionary, ontogenetic, environmental, kinetic and diagenetic effects. We coin the new term ‘phylogeochemistry’ for this interdisciplinary research field.
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
Short summary
Short summary
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.
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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.
Cited articles
Alderman, S. E.: Planktonic Foraminifera in the Sea of Okhotsk: Population and Stable Isotopic Analysis from a Sediment Trap, M.Sc., MIT/WHOI, Cambridge, MS, 99 pp., 1996.
Anand, P., Elderfield, H., and Conte, M. H.: Calibration of Mg/Ca thermometry in planktonic foraminifera from a sediment trap time series, Paleoceanography, 18, 1050, https://doi.org/10.1029/2002pa000846, 2003.
Asahi, H. and Takahashi, K.: A 9-year time-series of planktonic foraminifer fluxes and environmental change in the Bering sea and the central subarctic Pacific Ocean, 1990–1999, Progr. Oceanogr., 72, 343–363, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2006.03.021, 2007.
Batchelet, E.: Circular Statistics in Biology, Academic Press, London, 371 pp., 1981.
Bé, A. W. H.: Ecology of Recent planktonic foraminifera – Part 2, Bathymetric and seasonal distributions in the Sargasso Sea off Bermuda, Micropaleontology, 6, 373–392, 1960.
Bé, A. W. H. and Tolderlund, D. S.: Distribution and ecology of living planktonic foraminifera in surface waters of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, The Micropaleontology of Oceans, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 105–149, 1971.
Bell, K. N. I., Cowley, P. D., and Whitfield, A. K.: Seasonality in Frequency of Marine Access to an Intermittently Open Estuary: Implications for Recruitment Strategies, Estuarine, Coast. Shelf Sci., 52, 327–337, https://doi.org/10.1006/ecss.2000.0709, 2001.
Berger, W. H.: Ecologic patterns of living planktonic Foraminifera, Deep-Sea Res., 16, 1–24, https://doi.org/10.1016/0011-7471(69)90047-3, 1969.
Bijma, J., Faber, W. W., and Hemleben, C.: Temperature and salinity limits for growth and survival of some planktonic foraminifers in laboratory cultures, J. Foramin. Res., 20, 95–116, 1990.
Curry, W. B., Ostermann, D. R., Guptha, M. V. S., and Ittekkot, V.: Foraminiferal production and monsoonal upwelling in the Arabian Sea: evidence from sediment traps, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 64, 93–106, https://doi.org/10.1144/gsl.sp.1992.064.01.06, 1992.
Darling, K. F., Kucera, M., Wade, C. M., von Langen, P., and Pak, D.: Seasonal distribution of genetic types of planktonic foraminifer morphospecies in the Santa Barbara Channel and its paleoceanographic implications, Paleoceanography, 18, 1032, https://doi.org/10.1029/2001pa000723, 2003.
Darling, K. F., Kucera, M., and Wade, C. M.: Global molecular phylogeography reveals persistent Arctic circumpolar isolation in a marine planktonic protist, P. Natl. Acad. Sci., 104, 5002–5007, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0700520104, 2007.
deBruyn, A. M. H. and Meeuwig, J. J.: Detecting lunar cycles in marine ecology: periodic regression versus categorical ANOVA, Mar. Ecol.-Prog. Ser., 214, 307–310, https://doi.org/10.3354/meps214307, 2001.
Deuser, W. G. and Ross, E. H.: Seasonally abundant planktonic foraminifera of the Sargasso Sea; succession, deep-water fluxes, isotopic compositions, and paleoceanographic implications, J. Foramin. Res., 19, 268–293, 1989.
Deuser, W. G., Ross, E. H., Hemleben, C., and Spindler, M.: Seasonal changes in species composition, numbers, mass, size, and isotopic composition of planktonic foraminifera settling into the deep sargasso sea, Palaeogeogr. Palaeocl., 33, 103–127, https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-0182(81)90034-1, 1981.
Donner, B. and Wefer, G.: Flux and stable isotope composition of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma and other planktonic foraminifers in the Southern Ocean (Atlantic sector), Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 41, 1733–1743, https://doi.org/10.1016/0967-0637(94)90070-1, 1994.
Drolet, D. and Barbeau, M. A.: Diel and Semi-Lunar Cycles in the Swimming Activity of the Intertidal, Benthic Amphipod in the Upper Bay of Fundy, Canada, 29, 51–56, https://doi.org/10.1651/08-3010.1, 2009.
Edwards, M. and Richardson, A. J.: Impact of climate change on marine pelagic phenology and trophic mismatch, Nature, 430, 881–884, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature02808, 2004.
Fallet, U., Brummer, G.-J., Zinke, J., Vogels, S., and Ridderinkhof, H.: Contrasting seasonal fluxes of planktonic foraminifera and impacts on paleothermometry in the Mozambique Channel upstream of the Agulhas Current, Paleoceanography, 25, PA4223, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010pa001942, 2010.
Fallet, U., Ullgren, J. E., Castañeda, I. S., van Aken, H. M., Schouten, S., Ridderinkhof, H., and Brummer, G.-J. A.: Contrasting variability in foraminiferal and organic paleotemperature proxies in sedimenting particles of the Mozambique Channel (SW Indian Ocean), Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 75, 5834–5848, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2011.08.009, 2011.
Field, D. B.: Variability in vertical distributions of planktonic foraminifera in the California Current: Relationships to vertical ocean structure, Paleoceanography, 19, PA2014, https://doi.org/10.1029/2003pa000970, 2004.
Fischer, G., Donner, B., Ratmeyer, V., Davenport, R., and Wefer, G.: Distinct year-to-year particle flux variations off Cape Blanc during 1988–1991: Relation to delta18O-deduced sea-surface temperatures and trade winds, J. Mar. Res., 54, 73–98, https://doi.org/10.1357/0022240963213484, 1996.
Fraile, I., Schulz, M., Mulitza, S., and Kucera, M.: Predicting the global distribution of planktonic foraminifera using a dynamic ecosystem model, Biogeosciences, 5, 891–911, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-5-891-2008, 2008.
Fraile, I., Mulitza, S., and Schulz, M.: Modeling planktonic foraminiferal seasonality: Implications for sea-surface temperature reconstructions, Mar. Micropaleontol., 72, 1–9, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marmicro.2009.01.003, 2009a.
Fraile, I., Schulz, M., Mulitza, S., Merkel, U., Prange, M., and Paul, A.: Modeling the seasonal distribution of planktonic foraminifera during the Last Glacial Maximum, Paleoceanography, 24, PA2216, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008PA001686, 2009b.
Gastrich, M. D.: Ultrastructure of a new intracellular symbiotic alga found within planktonic foraminifera, J. Phycol., 23, 623–632, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1529-8817.1987.tb04215.x, 1987.
Gerritsen, H.: Data visualisation on maps (mapplots R package), version 1.2, 2012.
Hecht, A. D.: An ecologic model for test size variation in Recent planktonic foraminifera; applications to the fossil record, J. Foramin. Res., 6, 295–311, https://doi.org/10.2113/gsjfr.6.4.295, 1976.
Hemleben, C., Spindler, M., and Anderson, O. R.: Modern Planktonic Foraminifera, Springer Verlag, Berlin, 363 pp., 1989.
Henson, S. A., Dunne, J. P., and Sarmiento, J. L.: Decadal variability in North Atlantic phytoplankton blooms, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 114, C04013, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008jc005139, 2009.
Hönisch, B., Allen, K. A., Lea, D. W., Spero, H. J., Eggins, S. M., Arbuszewski, J., deMenocal, P., Rosenthal, Y., Russell, A. D., and Elderfield, H.: The influence of salinity on Mg/Ca in planktic foraminifers – Evidence from cultures, core-top sediments and complementary $\delta ^18$O, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 121, 196–213, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2013.07.028, 2013.
Jensen, S.: Planktische Foraminiferen im Europäischen Nordmeer: Verbreitung und Vertikalfluss sowie ihre Verbreitung während der letzten 15000 Jahre, Berichte Sonderforschungsbereich, 313, 75, 1–105, 1998.
Jonkers, L., Brummer, G.-J. A., Peeters, F. J. C., van Aken, H. M., and De Jong, M. F.: Seasonal stratification, shell flux, and oxygen isotope dynamics of left-coiling N. pachyderma and T. quinqueloba in the western subpolar North Atlantic, Paleoceanography, 25, PA2204, https://doi.org/10.1002/palo.20018, 2010.
Jonkers, L., van Heuven, S., Zahn, R., and Peeters, F. J. C.: Seasonal patterns of shell flux, δ18O and δ13C of small and large N. pachyderma (s) and G. bulloides in the subpolar North Atlantic, Paleoceanography, 28, 164–174, https://doi.org/10.1002/palo.20018, 2013.
Kincaid, E., Thunell, R. C., Le, J., Lange, C. B., Weinheimer, A. L., and Reid, F. M. H.: Planktonic foraminiferal fluxes in the Santa Barbara Basin: response to seasonal and interannual hydrographic changes, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 47, 1157–1176, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0967-0645(99)00140-X, 2000.
King, A. L. and Howard, W. R.: Planktonic foraminiferal flux seasonality in Subantarctic sediment traps: A test for paleoclimate reconstructions, Paleoceanography, 18, 1019, https://doi.org/10.1029/2002pa000839, 2003.
King, A. L. and Howard, W. R.: δ18O seasonality of planktonic foraminifera from Southern Ocean sediment traps: Latitudinal gradients and implications for paleoclimate reconstructions, Mar. Micropaleontol., 56, 1–24, 2005.
Kuroyanagi, A., Kawahata, H., Nishi, H., and Honda, M. C.: Seasonal changes in planktonic foraminifera in the northwestern North Pacific Ocean: sediment trap experiments from subarctic and subtropical gyres, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 49, 5627–5645, https://doi.org/10.1016/s0967-0645(02)00202-3, 2002.
Laepple, T. and Huybers, P.: Reconciling discrepancies between Uk37 and Mg/Ca reconstructions of Holocene marine temperature variability, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 375, 418–429, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2013.06.006, 2013.
Leduc, G., Schneider, R., Kim, J. H., and Lohmann, G.: Holocene and Eemian sea surface temperature trends as revealed by alkenone and Mg/Ca paleothermometry, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 29, 989–1004, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2010.01.004, 2010.
Locarnini, R. A., Mishonov, A. V., Antonov, J. I., Boyer, T. P., Garcia, H. E., Baranova, O. K., Zweng, M. M., and Johnson, D. R.: World Ocean Atlas 2009, Volume 1: Temperature, in: NOAA Atlas NESDIS 68, edited by: Levitus, S., U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 184 pp., 2010.
Lohmann, G., Pfeiffer, M., Laepple, T., Leduc, G., and Kim, J.-H.: A model-data comparison of the Holocene global sea surface temperature evolution, Clim. Past, 9, 1807–1839, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-1807-2013, 2013.
Lombard, F., Labeyrie, L., Michel, E., Bopp, L., Cortijo, E., Retailleau, S., Howa, H., and Jorissen, F.: Modelling planktic foraminifer growth and distribution using an ecophysiological multi-species approach, Biogeosciences, 8, 853–873, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-8-853-2011, 2011.
Loncaric, N., Peeters, F. J. C., Kroon, D., and Brummer, G. J. A.: Oxygen isotope ecology of recent planktic foraminifera at the central Walvis Ridge (SE Atlantic), Paleoceanography, 21, PA3009, https://doi.org/10.1029/2005PA001207, 2006.
Mackas, D. L., Greve, W., Edwards, M., Chiba, S., Tadokoro, K., Eloire, D., Mazzocchi, M. G., Batten, S., Richardson, A. J., Johnson, C., Head, E., Conversi, A., and Peluso, T.: Changing zooplankton seasonality in a changing ocean: Comparing time series of zooplankton phenology, Progr. Oceanogr., 97–100, 31–62, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2011.11.005, 2012.
Marchant, M., Hebbeln, D., and Wefer, G.: Seasonal flux patterns of planktic foraminifera in the Peru-Chile current, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 45, 1161–1185, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0967-0637(98)00009-0, 1998.
Marchant, M., Hebbeln, D., Giglio, S., Coloma, C., and González, H. E.: Seasonal and interannual variability in the flux of planktic foraminifera in the Humboldt Current System off central Chile (30° S), Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 51, 2441–2455, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2004.08.013, 2004.
MARGO project: Constraints on the magnitude and patterns of ocean cooling at the Last Glacial Maximum, Nat. Geosci., 2, 127–132, 2009.
Mohiuddin, M. M., Nishimura, A., Tanaka, Y., and Shimamoto, A.: Regional and interannual productivity of biogenic components and planktonic foraminiferal fluxes in the northwestern Pacific Basin, Mar. Micropaleontol., 45, 57–82, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0377-8398(01)00045-7, 2002.
Mohiuddin, M. M., Nishimura, A., Tanaka, Y., and Shimamoto, A.: Seasonality of biogenic particle and planktonic foraminifera fluxes: response to hydrographic variability in the Kuroshio Extension, northwestern Pacific Ocean, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 51, 1659–1683, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2004.06.002, 2004.
Mohiuddin, M. M., Nishimura, A., and Tanaka, Y.: Seasonal succession, vertical distribution, and dissolution of planktonic foraminifera along the Subarctic Front: Implications for paleoceanographic reconstruction in the northwestern Pacific, Mar. Micropaleontol., 55, 129–156, 2005.
Mohtadi, M., Steinke, S., Groeneveld, J., Fink, H. G., Rixen, T., Hebbeln, D., Donner, B., and Herunadi, B.: Low-latitude control on seasonal and interannual changes in planktonic foraminiferal flux and shell geochemistry off south Java: A sediment trap study, Paleoceanography, 24, PA1201, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008PA001636, 2009.
Morey, A. E., Mix, A. C., and Pisias, N. G.: Planktonic foraminiferal assemblages preserved in surface sediments correspond to multiple environment variables, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 24, 925–950, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2003.09.011, 2005.
Northcote, L. C. and Neil, H. L.: Seasonal variations in foraminiferal flux in the Southern Ocean, Campbell Plateau, New Zealand, Mar. Micropaleontol., 56, 122–137, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marmicro.2005.05.001, 2005.
Ortiz, J. D. and Mix, A. C.: The spatial distribution and seasonal succession of planktonic foraminifera in the California Current off Oregon, September 1987–September 1988, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 64, 197–213, https://doi.org/10.1144/gsl.sp.1992.064.01.13, 1992.
Ortiz, J. D., Mix, A. C., and Collier, R. W.: Environmental Control of Living Symbiotic and Asymbiotic Foraminifera of the California Current, Paleoceanography, 10, 987–1009, 1995.
Poore, R. Z., Tedesco, K. A., and Spear, J. W.: Seasonal Flux and Assemblage Composition of Planktic Foraminifers from a Sediment-Trap Study in the Northern Gulf of Mexico, J. Coast. Res., 63, 6–19, https://doi.org/10.2112/si63-002.1, 2013.
R core team: R: A language and environment for statistical computing, 2013.
Reynolds, C. E., Richey, J. N., and Poore, R. Z.: Seasonal flux and assemblage composition of planktic foraminifera from the northern Gulf of Mexico, 2008–2012, Reston, Virginia, 13, 13 pp., 2013.
Richardson, A. J.: In hot water: zooplankton and climate change, ICES J. Mar. Sci., 65, 279–295, https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsn028, 2008.
Rigual-Hernández, A. S., Sierro, F. J., Bárcena, M. A., Flores, J. A., and Heussner, S.: Seasonal and interannual changes of planktic foraminiferal fluxes in the Gulf of Lions (NW Mediterranean) and their implications for paleoceanographic studies: Two 12-year sediment trap records, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 66, 26–40, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2012.03.011, 2012.
Saher, M. H., Peeters, F. J. C., and Kroon, D.: Sea surface temperatures during the SW and NE monsoon seasons in the western Arabian Sea over the past 20 000 years, Palaeogeogr. Palaeocl., 249, 216–228, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2007.01.014, 2007.
Sautter, L. R. and Thunell, R. C.: Seasonal succession of planktonic foraminifera, results from a four-year time-series sediment trap experiment in the Northeast Pacific, J. Foramin. Res., 19, 253–267, https://doi.org/10.2113/gsjfr.19.4.253, 1989.
Schiebel, R.: Planktic foraminiferal sedimentation and the marine calcite budget, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 16, 1065, https://doi.org/10.1029/2001gb001459, 2002.
Schiebel, R., Bijma, J., and Hemleben, C.: Population dynamics of the planktic foraminifer Globigerina bulloides from the eastern North Atlantic, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 44, 1701–1713, https://doi.org/10.1016/s0967-0637(97)00036-8, 1997.
Schneider, B., Leduc, G., and Park, W.: Disentangling seasonal signals in Holocene climate trends by satellite-model-proxy integration, Paleoceanography, 25, PA4217, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009pa001893, 2010.
Spero, H. J. and Parker, S. L.: Photosynthesis in the symbiotic planktonic foraminifer Orbulina universa, and its potential contribution to oceanic primary productivity, J. Foramin. Res., 15, 273–281, https://doi.org/10.2113/gsjfr.15.4.273, 1985.
Spindler, M. and Hemleben, C.: Symbionts in planktonic foraminifera (Protozoa), Endocytobiology, Endosymbiosis and Cell Biology, New York: Walter de Gruyter & Co, 133–140, 1980.
Spindler, M., Hemleben, C., Bayer, U., Bé, A., and Anderson, O.: Lunar periodicity of reproduction in the planktonic foraminifer Hastigerina pelagica, Mar. Ecol.-Prog. Ser., 1, 61–64, 1979.
Storz, D., Schulz, H., Waniek, J. J., Schulz-Bull, D. E., and Kučera, M.: Seasonal and interannual variability of the planktic foraminiferal flux in the vicinity of the Azores Current, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 56, 107–124, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2008.08.009, 2009.
Takahashi, K. and Bé, A. W. H.: Planktonic foraminifera: factors controlling sinking speeds, Deep-Sea Res., 31, 1477–1500, https://doi.org/10.1016/0198-0149(84)90083-9, 1984.
Tedesco, K. A. and Thunell, R. C.: Seasonal and interannual variations in planktonic foraminiferal flux and assemblage composition in the Cariaco Basin, Venezuela, J. Foramin. Res., 33, 192–210, https://doi.org/10.2113/33.3.192, 2003.
Thunell, R. C. and Reynolds, L. A.: Sedimentation of planktonic foraminifera; seasonal changes in species flux in the Panama Basin, Micropaleontology, 30, 243–262, 1984.
Thunell, R. C., Curry, W. B., and Honjo, S.: Seasonal variation in the flux of planktonic foraminifera: time series sediment trap results from the Panama Basin, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 64, 44–55, https://doi.org/10.1016/0012-821x(83)90051-1, 1983.
Tolderlund, D. S. and Bé, A. W. H.: Seasonal distribution of planktonic foraminifera in the western North Atlantic, Micropaleontology, 17, 297–329, 1971.
Von Gyldenfeldt, A.-B., Carstens, J., and Meincke, J.: Estimation of the catchment area of a sediment trap by means of current meters and foraminiferal tests, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 47, 1701–1717, 2000.
Wan, S., Jian, Z., Cheng, X., Qiao, P., and Wang, R.: Seasonal variations in planktonic foraminiferal flux and the chemical properties of their shells in the southern South China Sea, Sci. China Earth Sci., 53, 1176–1187, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-010-4039-3, 2010.
Wolfteich, C. M.: Sattelite-derived sea surface temperature, mesoscale variability, and foraminiferal production in the North Atlantic, M.Sc., MIT and WHOI, Cambridge, MS, 91 pp., 1994.
Žarić, S., Donner, B., Fischer, G., Mulitza, S., and Wefer, G.: Sensitivity of planktic foraminifera to sea surface temperature and export production as derived from sediment trap data, Mar. Micropaleontol., 55, 75–105, 2005.
Žarić, S., Schulz, M., and Mulitza, S.: Global prediction of planktic foraminiferal fluxes from hydrographic and productivity data, Biogeosciences, 3, 187–207, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-3-187-2006, 2006.
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint