Global distribution of modern shallow-water marine carbonate factories: a spatial model based on environmental parameters

Abstract

Prediction of carbonate distributions at a global scale through geological time represents a challenging scientific issue, which is critical for carbonate reservoir studies and the understanding of past and future climate changes. Such prediction is even more challenging because no numerical spatial model allows for the prediction of shallow-water marine carbonates in the Modern. This study proposes to fill this gap by providing for the first time a global quantitative model based on the identification of carbonate factories and associated environmental affinities. The relationships among the four carbonate factories, i.e., “biochemical”, “photozoan-T”, “photo-C” and “heterozoan-C” factories, and sea-surface oceanographic parameters (i.e., temperature, salinity and marine primary productivity) is first studied using spatial analysis. The sea-surface temperature seasonality is shown to be the dominant steering parameter discriminating the carbonate factories. Then, spatial analysis is used to calibrate different carbonate factory functions that predict oceanic zones favorable to specific carbonate factories. Our model allows the mapping of the global distribution of modern carbonate factories with an 82% accuracy. This modeling framework represents a powerful tool that can be adapted and coupled to general circulation models to predict the spatial distribution of past and future shallow-water marine carbonates.

Marine carbonate factories: Review and update

“…Recent studies by Laugié et al . (2019), argued that this factor is less important in driving variations in modern carbonate production than has been repeatedly stressed in the literature.…”

“…Laugié et al . (2019) discussed that the Arabian/Persian Gulf could be classified as special type of carbonate setting deviating from the T‐factory system.…”

“…Global distribution of modern shallow‐water marine carbonate factories after Laugié et al . (2019). Green lines: 18°C isotherm for the coldest winter month.…”

“…The geochemical factory defined by Laugié et al . (2019) for the Arabian/Persian Gulf is characterized by its restricted salinity range but is classified as part of the T‐factory. Background oceanographic map is based on remote‐sensing data of marine primary productivity; absorption classes due to phytoplankton in white, light grey and dark grey.…”

Eolianitos Quaternários do Nordeste do Brasil

“…Distribuição da plataforma de carbonato provém de dados bibliográficos. As quatro fábricas são definidas segundo Michel et al (2018Michel et al ( , 2019, dividindo a as fábricas de Schlager (2005,2000,2003) em "Bioquímicas", "Photozoa-T", "Photozoa-C" e "Heterozoa-C". Extraído de Laugie et al (2019), e modificado com as áreas de eolianitos, enumeradas de 1 a 15, referidas no texto.…”