Controls on Sr/Ca in benthic foraminifera and implications for seawater Sr/Ca during the late Pleistocene
Controls on Sr/Ca in benthic foraminifera and implications for seawater Sr/Ca during the late Pleistocene
Changes in the Sr to Ca ratio of sea water have important implications for the interpretation of past climate. It has proven difficult to interpret Sr/Ca of foraminiferal calcite as a measure of seawater Sr/Ca or as reflecting the influence of deep water carbonate ion saturation (Δ[CO32-]) on the incorporation of Sr into benthic foraminiferal carbonate. Here, we address this issue by measurements of paired benthic foraminiferal Sr/Ca and B/Ca (a proxy for deep water Δ[CO32-]) for core-tops from the global ocean and three down cores at different settings during the Last Glacial–interglacial cycle. These new data suggest a significant control of deep water Δ[CO32-] on benthic foraminiferal Sr/Ca, and that down-core shell Sr/Ca variations can be largely accounted for by past deep water Δ[CO32-] changes. We conclude that seawater Sr/Ca has likely remained near-constant on glacial–interglacial timescales during the late Pleistocene, in agreement with model results. With due caution, benthic Sr/Ca may be used as an auxiliary proxy for deep water Δ[CO32-] if seawater Sr/Ca is constant.
Sr/Ca, Carbonate ion saturation, Benthic foraminifera, Deep ocean, Pleistocene
1-6
Yu, Jimin
9558e475-ac9f-44d3-8c1a-b0540e3b7c3d
Elderfield, Henry
f16b0e78-6878-4cf8-8e48-a449f9b84879
Jin, Zhangdong
6866d31f-3f81-47c8-998d-0a2afe9f2a92
Tomascak, Paul
d50b38d2-f962-4469-a775-e796fad7e492
Rohling, Eelco J.
a2a27ef2-fcce-4c71-907b-e692b5ecc685
15 August 2014
Yu, Jimin
9558e475-ac9f-44d3-8c1a-b0540e3b7c3d
Elderfield, Henry
f16b0e78-6878-4cf8-8e48-a449f9b84879
Jin, Zhangdong
6866d31f-3f81-47c8-998d-0a2afe9f2a92
Tomascak, Paul
d50b38d2-f962-4469-a775-e796fad7e492
Rohling, Eelco J.
a2a27ef2-fcce-4c71-907b-e692b5ecc685
Yu, Jimin, Elderfield, Henry, Jin, Zhangdong, Tomascak, Paul and Rohling, Eelco J.
(2014)
Controls on Sr/Ca in benthic foraminifera and implications for seawater Sr/Ca during the late Pleistocene.
Quaternary Science Reviews, 98, .
(doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.05.018).
Abstract
Changes in the Sr to Ca ratio of sea water have important implications for the interpretation of past climate. It has proven difficult to interpret Sr/Ca of foraminiferal calcite as a measure of seawater Sr/Ca or as reflecting the influence of deep water carbonate ion saturation (Δ[CO32-]) on the incorporation of Sr into benthic foraminiferal carbonate. Here, we address this issue by measurements of paired benthic foraminiferal Sr/Ca and B/Ca (a proxy for deep water Δ[CO32-]) for core-tops from the global ocean and three down cores at different settings during the Last Glacial–interglacial cycle. These new data suggest a significant control of deep water Δ[CO32-] on benthic foraminiferal Sr/Ca, and that down-core shell Sr/Ca variations can be largely accounted for by past deep water Δ[CO32-] changes. We conclude that seawater Sr/Ca has likely remained near-constant on glacial–interglacial timescales during the late Pleistocene, in agreement with model results. With due caution, benthic Sr/Ca may be used as an auxiliary proxy for deep water Δ[CO32-] if seawater Sr/Ca is constant.
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More information
Published date: 15 August 2014
Keywords:
Sr/Ca, Carbonate ion saturation, Benthic foraminifera, Deep ocean, Pleistocene
Organisations:
Paleooceanography & Palaeoclimate
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 365774
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/365774
ISSN: 0277-3791
PURE UUID: 27ba9072-f11f-42e3-a431-ebcc29d474b0
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Date deposited: 16 Jun 2014 09:24
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 02:47
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Contributors
Author:
Jimin Yu
Author:
Henry Elderfield
Author:
Zhangdong Jin
Author:
Paul Tomascak
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