Sensitivity of clumped isotope temperatures in fossil benthic and planktic foraminifera to diagenetic alteration

Type Article
Date 2019-07
Language English
Author(s) Leutert Thomas J.1, Sexton Philip F.2, Tripati Aradhna3, 4, 5, Piasecki Alison1, 6, Ling Ho Sze1, 7, Nele Meckler A.1
Affiliation(s) 1 : Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research and Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen, 5007 Bergen, Norway
2 : School of Environment, Earth & Ecosystem Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK
3 : Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, Center for Diverse Leadership in Science, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
4 : European Institute of Marine Sciences (IUEM), Université de Brest, UMR 6538, Domaines Océaniques, Rue Dumont D’Urville, and IFREMER, Laboratoire Géophysique et enregistrement Sédimentaire, 29280 Plouzané, France
5 : European Institute of Marine Sciences (IUEM), Université de Brest, UMR 6538, Domaines Océaniques, Rue Dumont D’Urville, and IFREMER, Laboratoire Géophysique et enregistrement Sédimentaire, 29280 Plouzané, France
6 : Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
7 : Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, 10617 Taipei, Taiwan
Source Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta (0016-7037) (Elsevier BV), 2019-07 , Vol. 257 , P. 354-372
DOI 10.1016/j.gca.2019.05.005
WOS© Times Cited 24
Keyword(s) Clumped isotopes, Foraminifera, Diagenesis, Eocene, Stable-isotope geochemistry, Preservation
Abstract

Applying the clumped isotope (Δ47) thermometer to foraminifer microfossils offers the potential to significantly improve paleoclimate reconstructions, owing to its insensitivity to the isotopic composition of seawater (unlike traditional oxygen isotope (δ18O) analyses). However, the extent to which primary Δ47 signatures of foraminiferal calcites can be overprinted during diagenesis is not well known. Here, we present Δ47 data as well as high-resolution (∼10 kyr) δ18O and δ13C middle Eocene time series, measured on benthic and planktic foraminifera from ODP/IODP Sites 1408, 1409, 1410, 1050, 1260 and 1263 in the Atlantic Ocean. The sites examined span various oceanographic regimes, including the western tropical to mid-latitude North Atlantic, and the eastern mid-latitude South Atlantic. Comparing data from contemporaneous foraminifera with different preservation states, we test the effects of diagenetic alteration on paleotemperature reconstructions for the deep and surface ocean. We find that overall, primary Δ47 signatures appear similarly sensitive to diagenetic overprinting as δ18O, with differences in sensitivity depending on pore fluid chemistry and the amount of secondary calcite. Where planktic foraminifera are significantly altered, sea surface temperatures derived from Δ47 and δ18O values are biased towards cool temperatures. In comparison, Δ47 and δ18O values of benthic and well preserved planktic foraminifera are less affected by diagenesis and thus likely to yield robust foraminiferal calcification temperatures. With independent estimates of diagenetic calcite fractions, secondary overprints could be corrected for, using end-member modeling and Δ47-based temperatures from benthic foraminifera.

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How to cite 

Leutert Thomas J., Sexton Philip F., Tripati Aradhna, Piasecki Alison, Ling Ho Sze, Nele Meckler A. (2019). Sensitivity of clumped isotope temperatures in fossil benthic and planktic foraminifera to diagenetic alteration. Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta, 257, 354-372. Publisher's official version : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2019.05.005 , Open Access version : https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00495/60683/