Open AccessProcess length variation in cysts of the dinoflagellate Protoceratium reticulatum , from surface sediments of the Baltic–Kattegat–Skagerrak estuarine system: a regional salinity proxy
Author(s) -
MERTENS KENNETH NEIL,
DALE BARRIE,
ELLEGAARD MARIANNE,
JANSSON IDAMARIA,
GODHE ANNA,
KREMP ANKE,
LOUWYE STEPHEN
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
boreas
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.95
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1502-3885
pISSN - 0300-9483
DOI - 10.1111/j.1502-3885.2010.00193.x
Subject(s) - estuary , salinity , geology , oceanography , proxy (statistics) , dinoflagellate , variation (astronomy) , baltic sea , machine learning , computer science , physics , astrophysics
Mertens, K. N., Dale, B., Ellegaard, M., Jansson, I.‐M., Godhe, A., Kremp, A. & Louwye, S. 2010: Process length variation in cysts of the dinoflagellate Protoceratium reticulatum , from surface sediments of the Baltic–Kattegat–Skagerrak estuarine system: a regional salinity proxy. Boreas , 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2010.00193.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. Results are presented from a regional comparison of average process length variation in cysts of Protoceratium reticulatum and Lingulodinium polyedrum , extracted from surface sediments in the Skagerrak–Kattegat–Baltic estuarine system, with the environmental variables of seawater temperature and salinity. Although too few cysts of Lingulodinium polyedrum were recovered from the sediments to make reliable correlations, cysts of Protoceratium reticulatum were well represented, and average process length was correlated significantly with both salinity and temperature. Owing to dominant summer surface production, and regional covariation between salinity and density, we propose the use of the significant correlation with summer sea surface salinity (SSS summer ) by the equation SSS summer =3.16 × average process length −0.84 ( R 2 =0.8). Application of this equation down‐core in Limfjord (northern Denmark) shows its usefulness as a regional palaeosalinity proxy.