Open AccessAlkenone distributions in the North Atlantic and Nordic sea surface waters
Author(s) -
Sicre MarieAlexandrine,
Bard Edouard,
Ezat Ullah,
Rostek Frauke
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
geochemistry, geophysics, geosystems
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.928
H-Index - 136
ISSN - 1525-2027
DOI - 10.1029/2001gc000159
Subject(s) - alkenone , salinity , oceanography , mediterranean sea , temperature salinity diagrams , geology , water column , sea surface temperature , range (aeronautics) , particulates , mediterranean climate , surface water , environmental science , geography , chemistry , materials science , archaeology , composite material , organic chemistry , environmental engineering
The C 37 –C 39 alkenones were quantified in suspended particulate matter obtained from the surface waters of the North Atlantic, including the Nordic seas, over a temperature range of 4°–20°C. U 37 K′ values were linearly correlated to temperature over the entire range covered by our data set, i.e., 4°–20°C (U 37 K′ = 0.027 T + 0.036, r 2 = 0.97). The compilation of water column data from the Atlantic, Pacific, and Southern Ocean and Mediterranean Sea suggests that the linear model may not be the best function for fitting U 37 K′ and in situ temperature values. It also shows that suspended matter data from warm waters ( T > 20°C) are still needed to constrain the equation of the global curve. High abundances of C 37:4 were found in the coldest polar waters. Around 4°C, %C 37:4 represented up to 35%, a value that dropped to zero at temperatures above 10°C. Values of %C 37:4 were linearly correlated to temperature (%C 37:4 = −3.7 T + 43.7, r 2 = 0.50) and salinity (%C 37:4 = −48.1 S ‰ + 1691, r 2 = 0.78). Further investigations from other oceanic basins are necessary to confirm these findings.