Open AccessDeep‐sea foraminifera shell isotopes unaffected by recrystallization
Author(s) -
Schultz Colin
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1002/2013eo460017
Subject(s) - foraminifera , isotopes of oxygen , seawater , recrystallization (geology) , isotopes of carbon , geology , carbon fibers , oxygen isotope ratio cycle , oxygen , deep sea , oceanography , isotope , paleontology , mineralogy , geochemistry , chemistry , total organic carbon , environmental chemistry , materials science , physics , composite material , benthic zone , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , composite number
Measuring isotopes preserved in the shells of ancient single‐celled foraminifera—specifically, tracking two sets of isotope ratios, carbon‐13 to carbon‐12 and oxygen‐18 to oxygen‐16—is a key way that paleoceanographers reconstruct the temperature of the ancient ocean and past global carbon cycling. Foraminifera build their shells from the carbon and oxygen in the seawater, and the relative uptakes of these isotopes change with temperature.