Planktic foraminifers as recorders of seawater Ba/Ca

Date

2011

Authors

Hönisch, Bärbel
Allen, Katherine A.
Russell, Ann
Eggins, Stephen
Bijma, Jelle
Spero, Howard
Lea, David W
Yu, Jimin

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Elsevier

Abstract

Recent studies have used the Ba/Ca ratio of planktic foraminifer shells as a proxy for river run-off at oceanic sites near estuaries. Such studies assume that the Ba/Ca ratio in planktic foraminifer shells is primarily controlled by the Ba/Ca concentration of seawater and that other parameters such as salinity, temperature and pH do not compromise the primary Ba concentration relationship. Here we provide new insights from culture experiments and review published studies to confirm that environmental parameters including pH, temperature, salinity, and symbiont photosynthesis do not affect Ba substitution into planktic foraminiferal calcite. The partition coefficient for Ba in spinose planktic foraminifers is estimated as DBa=0.15±0.05 (95% confidence limits). The same factor also seems applicable to the non-spinose genus Neogloboquadrina but not to specimens of the non-spinose genus Globorotalia.

Description

Keywords

Keywords: biostratigraphy; calcite; fossil record; micropaleontology; paleoecology; pH; photosynthesis; planktonic foraminifera; runoff; sea surface salinity; sea surface temperature; seawater; shell; symbiont; Foraminifera; Globorotalia; Neogloboquadrina Culturing; DBa; PH; Planktic foraminifers; Salinity; Temperature

Citation

Source

Marine Micropaleontology

Type

Journal article

Book Title

Entity type

Access Statement

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Restricted until

2037-12-31