Planktonic foraminifera and their proxies for the reconstruction of surface ocean climate parameters

Planktonic foraminifera are useful organisms to assess the surface ocean's role in climate change, due to their upper water column habitat, calcium carbonate mineral structure, and preservation in the deep-sea sedimentary record. Carbonate sediments rich in the calcitic shells of foraminifera a...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Mortyn, P. Graham|||0000-0002-9473-4309, Martínez Botí, M. A.
Formato: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2008
País:España
Recursos:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:118004
Acesso em linha:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/118004
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.2436/20.7010.01.14
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Foraminífers planctònics
Superficie oceànica
Geoquímica marina
Proxys climàtiques
Planktonic foraminifera
Surface ocean
Marine geochemistry
Climate proxies
Descrição
Resumo:Planktonic foraminifera are useful organisms to assess the surface ocean's role in climate change, due to their upper water column habitat, calcium carbonate mineral structure, and preservation in the deep-sea sedimentary record. Carbonate sediments rich in the calcitic shells of foraminifera are abundant in both space and time, which allows their use in an array of paleoceanographic studies over time scales ranging from decadal to glacial-interglacial, as well as beyond and between. Here we review the most important “proxy” methods to reconstruct surface-ocean climatic variables using planktonic foraminifera. These methods include assemblage-based and geochemical-based (both isotopic and elemental) approaches. The natural emphasis is on temperature, the most important climatic parameter of the surface ocean, although related physical, chemical, and biological properties are addressed as well, such as salinity, productivity, nutrient utilization, weathering, circulation, and oceanic C-system properties including alkalinity, pH, and [CO3 2-]. In our systematic evaluation of each foraminiferal proxy, we provide the basis for each method, brief examples, and a glimpse into the future, when current research needs will hopefully be met.