Stable Isotopic Composition of Coccoliths

Authors

Walter C. Dudley, University of Hawaii at Hilo
Patricia Blackwelder, Nova UniversityFollow
Larry Brand, University of Miami
J. C. Duplessy, Centre des Faibles Radioactivites CNRS-CEA - France

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-1986

Publication Title

Marine Micropaleontology

ISSN

0377-8398

Volume

10

Issue/No.

1-3

First Page

1

Last Page

8

Abstract

Oxygen isotope analyses of coccoliths from eight coccolithophore species grown in laboratory culture indicate that biological fractionation occurs during the formation of calcium carbonate. Cultures of coccolithophores, including species not previously grown in the laboratory were maintained at various temperatures ranging from 12–28°C. Over this range of temperature, oxygen isotope values for Emiliania huxleyi, Gephyrocapsa oceanica, and Crenalithus sessilis are found to be 1‰ enriched in ¹⁸O relative to calcium carbonate precipitated under equilibrium conditions. Coccoliths of Calcidiscus leptoporus, Umbilicosphaera sibogae, U. hulburtiana, Syracosphaera pulchra, and Cricosphaera carterae were found to be 2.5‰ depleted in ¹⁸O relative to equilibrium. These findings help clarify previously reported equivocal oxygen isotope data derived from sedimentary calcareous nannofossils and reveal the importance of species-specific isotopic fractionation.

Comments

©1986 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V.

Additional Comments

NSF grant #s: OCE-8117653, OCE-7809643, OCE-8214239, OCE-8400542

NSUWorks Citation

Walter C. Dudley, Patricia Blackwelder, Larry Brand, and J. C. Duplessy. 1986. Stable Isotopic Composition of Coccoliths .Marine Micropaleontology , (1-3) : 1 -8. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_facarticles/838.

DOI

10.1016/0377-8398(86)90021-6