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Bulk organic δ 13 C and C/N ratios as palaeosalinity indicators within a Scottish isolation basin
Author(s) -
Mackie Elizabeth A. V.,
Leng Melanie J.,
Lloyd Jeremy M.,
Arrowsmith Carol
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of quaternary science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.142
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1099-1417
pISSN - 0267-8179
DOI - 10.1002/jqs.919
Subject(s) - structural basin , organic matter , salinity , holocene , sediment , total organic carbon , diatom , radiocarbon dating , δ13c , geology , proxy (statistics) , environmental science , oceanography , hydrology (agriculture) , environmental chemistry , paleontology , stable isotope ratio , ecology , chemistry , biology , physics , geotechnical engineering , quantum mechanics , machine learning , computer science
Microfossils in isolation basin sediments are frequently used to reconstruct sea‐level change, but preservation problems and non‐analogue situations can limit their usefulness. Here we investigate the potential of stable carbon isotopes (δ 13 C) and C/N ratios from bulk organic matter, as an alternative proxy of salinity within isolation basin sediments from a basin in northwest Scotland. Within the Holocene sediment δ 13 C and C/N are determined largely by the mean weighted values of the predominant source of the organic material. Analysis of modern materials and comparison with the diatom record shows that the marine parts of the sequence are dominated by high δ 13 C and variable C/N. In the fresh water sequences the organic material is a mixture of both freshwater aquatic and terrestrial plant input that have relatively low δ 13 C and high C/N. The application of δ 13 C and C/N ratios in the studied basin in general follow the environmental change recorded by the diatoms and shows the potential of bulk organic matter in the investigation of salinity change in isolation basins. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.