Alkenone distributions in the North Atlantic and Nordic sea surface waters

Type Article
Date 2002-02-16
Language English
Author(s) Sicre Ma1, Bard E2, Ezat U1, Rostek F2
Affiliation(s) 1 : CNRS, Lab Sci Climat & Environ, SDU, UMR 1572, F-91191 Gif Sur Yvette, France.
2 : Univ Aix Marseille 3, CEREGE, CNRS, UMR 6635,Europole Arbois, F-13545 Aix En Provence 4, France.
Source Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems (1525-2027) (Amer Geophysical Union), 2002-02-16 , Vol. 3 , N. 2 , P. 1.13-13.13
DOI 10.1029/2001GC000159
WOS© Times Cited 61
Keyword(s) alkenones, paleotemperature, calibration, Atlantic Ocean, plankton, geochemistry, marine geochemistry, global change, biogeochemical processes (4805), oceanography, paleoceanography
Abstract 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 4degrees20 C. U(37)(K') values were linearly correlated to temperature over the entire range covered by our data set, i.e., 420 C (U(37)(K') = 0.027T + 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 >20degreesC) 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 4degreesC, %C(37:4) represented up to 35%, a value that dropped to zero at temperatures above 10degreesC. Values of %C(37:4) were linearly correlated to temperature (%C(37:4) = 3.7T + 43.7, r(2) = 0.50) and salinity (%C(37:4) = 48.1S% + 1691, r(2) = 0.78). Further investigations from other oceanic basins are necessary to confirm these findings.
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