Pteropods from the Caribbean Sea: variations in calcification as an indicator of past ocean carbonate saturation

Wall-Palmer, Deborah; Hart, Malcolm B.; Smart, Christopher W.; Sparks, R. S. J.; Friant, Anne Le; Boudon, Georges; Deplus, Christine; Komorowski, Jean‐Christophe

doi:10.5194/bg-9-309-2012

Cited by 31 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 49 publications

(51 reference statements)

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“…Because of their mineralogy, pteropod shells are often diagenetically altered, limiting their use in palaeoceanographic studies (Manno et al, 2017). Pteropod preservation in the fossil record is interpreted to be controlled by Ω arag in the surface ocean (Wall-Palmer et al, 2012) and at the sediment-water interface (Berger, 1978;Berner et al, 1976;Gerhardt et al, 2000;Gerhardt & Henrich, 2001). Based on the results of this study, we postulate that the organic matter content of the water column and sediments at the seafloor may have a large influence on the preservation potential of pteropod shells in the fossil record (Almogi-Labin et al, 1986).…”

Section: Fossil Recordmentioning

confidence: 99%

Degradation of Internal Organic Matter is the Main Control on Pteropod Shell Dissolution After Death

Oakes

Peck

Manno

et al. 2019

Global Biogeochemical Cycles

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The potential for preservation of thecosome pteropods is thought to be largely governed by the chemical stability of their delicate aragonitic shells in seawater. However, sediment trap studies have found that significant carbonate dissolution can occur above the carbonate saturation horizon. Here we present the results from experiments conducted on two cruises to the Scotia Sea to directly test whether the breakdown of the organic pteropod body influences shell dissolution. We find that on the timescales of 3 to 13 days, the oxidation of organic matter within the shells of dead pteropods is a stronger driver of shell dissolution than the aragonite saturation state of seawater. Three to four days after death, shells became milky white and nano scanning electron microscope images reveal smoothing of internal surface features and increased shell porosity, both indicative of aragonite dissolution. These findings have implications for the interpretation of the condition of pteropod shells from sediment traps and the fossil record, as well as for understanding the processes controlling particulate carbonate export from the surface ocean.

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Section: Fossil Recordmentioning

confidence: 99%

Degradation of Internal Organic Matter is the Main Control on Pteropod Shell Dissolution After Death

Oakes

Peck

Manno

et al. 2019

Global Biogeochemical Cycles

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“…The Atlantic‐type carbonate preservation signal results mainly from changes in the formation and export of NADW (Broecker & Clark, ; Hodell et al, ; Howard & Prell, ). This is supported by contrasting carbonate preservation signals in the deep and shallow Atlantic: widespread carbonate dissolution occurred in the last glacial in the deep Atlantic, which was occupied by predominantly southern sourced water masses (Bickert & Wefer, ; Gottschalk et al, ; Hodell et al, ; Howard & Prell, ; Yu et al, ), while enhanced carbonate preservation was found at shallower depths that were occupied by Glacial North Atlantic Intermediate Water (GNAIW; Haddad & Droxler, ; Henrich et al, ; Wall‐Palmer et al, ). The coevolution of changes in carbonate dissolution with AMOC variability in the glacial Atlantic underlines its primary association with water mass dynamics (and the evolving geochemical signatures of deep water end‐members) rather than whole‐ocean adjustments to an imbalance in the DIC and alkalinity inventories.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is supported by contrasting carbonate preservation signals in the deep and shallow Atlantic: widespread carbonate dissolution occurred in the last glacial in the deep Atlantic, which was occupied by predominantly southern sourced water masses (Bickert & Wefer, 1996;Gottschalk et al, 2015;Hodell et al, 2001;Howard & Prell, 1994;Yu et al, 2008), while enhanced carbonate preservation ]) in bottom waters in the Southeast Atlantic (Key et al, 2004), thin line tracks the 4-(stippled) and 2-km isobaths (solid); the position of major fronts are shown in dark gray (Polar Front), in gray (Sub-Antarctic Front), and in light gray (Sub-Tropical Front;Orsi et al, 1995;Sokolov & Rintoul, 2009); deep ocean currents are shown after Tucholke and Embley (1984) and Stramma and England (1999 (Key et al, 2004). Circles indicate the was found at shallower depths that were occupied by Glacial North Atlantic Intermediate Water (GNAIW; Haddad & Droxler, 1996;Henrich et al, 2003;Wall-Palmer et al, 2012). The coevolution of changes in carbonate dissolution with AMOC variability in the glacial Atlantic underlines its primary association with water mass dynamics (and the evolving geochemical signatures of deep water end-members) rather than whole-ocean adjustments to an imbalance in the DIC and alkalinity inventories.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Past Carbonate Preservation Events in the Deep Southeast Atlantic Ocean (Cape Basin) and Their Implications for Atlantic Overturning Dynamics and Marine Carbon Cycling

Gottschalk

Hodell

Skinner

et al. 2018

Paleoceanog and Paleoclimatol

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Micropaleontological and geochemical analyses reveal distinct millennial‐scale increases in carbonate preservation in the deep Southeast Atlantic (Cape Basin) during strong and prolonged Greenland interstadials that are superimposed on long‐term (orbital‐scale) changes in carbonate burial. These data suggest carbonate oversaturation of the deep Atlantic and a strengthened Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) during the most intense Greenland interstadials. However, proxy evidence from outside the Cape Basin indicates that AMOC changes also occurred during weaker and shorter Greenland interstadials. Here we revisit the link between AMOC dynamics and carbonate saturation in the deep Cape Basin over the last 400 kyr (sediment cores TN057‐21, TN057‐10, and Ocean Drilling Program Site 1089) by reconstructing centennial changes in carbonate preservation using millimeter‐scale X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) scanning data. We observe close agreement between variations in XRF Ca/Ti, sedimentary carbonate content, and foraminiferal shell fragmentation, reflecting a common control primarily through changing deep water carbonate saturation. We suggest that the high‐frequency (suborbital) component of the XRF Ca/Ti records indicates the fast and recurrent redistribution of carbonate ions in the Atlantic basin via the AMOC during both long/strong and short/weak North Atlantic climate anomalies. In contrast, the low‐frequency (orbital) XRF Ca/Ti component is interpreted to reflect slow adjustments through carbonate compensation and/or changes in the deep ocean respired carbon content. Our findings emphasize the recurrent influence of rapid AMOC variations on the marine carbonate system during past glacial periods, providing a mechanism for transferring the impacts of North Atlantic climate anomalies to the global carbon cycle via the Southern Ocean.

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“…The calibrations established here will be of use to the ocean acidification and paleo-oceanographic community, as the studied species, H . inflatus , occurs in high abundance in sediments worldwide 20 , for instance, in the Central and South Atlantic 21 or the Caribbean Sea 22 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pteropods are excellent recorders of surface temperature and carbonate ion concentration

Keul

Peijnenburg

Andersen

et al. 2017

Sci Rep

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Pteropods are among the first responders to ocean acidification and warming, but have not yet been widely explored as carriers of marine paleoenvironmental signals. In order to characterize the stable isotopic composition of aragonitic pteropod shells and their variation in response to climate change parameters, such as seawater temperature, pteropod shells (Heliconoides inflatus) were collected along a latitudinal transect in the Atlantic Ocean (31° N to 38° S). Comparison of shell oxygen isotopic composition to depth changes in the calculated aragonite equilibrium oxygen isotope values implies shallow calcification depths for H. inflatus (75 m). This species is therefore a good potential proxy carrier for past variations in surface ocean properties. Furthermore, we identified pteropod shells to be excellent recorders of climate change, as carbonate ion concentration and temperature in the upper water column have dominant influences on pteropod shell carbon and oxygen isotopic composition. These results, in combination with a broad distribution and high abundance, make the pteropod species studied here, H. inflatus, a promising new proxy carrier in paleoceanography.

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Pteropods from the Caribbean Sea: variations in calcification as an indicator of past ocean carbonate saturation

Cited by 31 publications

References 49 publications

Degradation of Internal Organic Matter is the Main Control on Pteropod Shell Dissolution After Death

Degradation of Internal Organic Matter is the Main Control on Pteropod Shell Dissolution After Death

Past Carbonate Preservation Events in the Deep Southeast Atlantic Ocean (Cape Basin) and Their Implications for Atlantic Overturning Dynamics and Marine Carbon Cycling

Pteropods are excellent recorders of surface temperature and carbonate ion concentration

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