Abstract
Knowledge of the species composition is essential for the isotopic record of polyspecific coccolith assemblages in deep-sea sediments to be interpreted properly. We have determined the carbon and oxygen isotopic composition as well as the relative abundance of coccolith species on the 3–25 µm fractions of the Caribbean core P6304-4. The dominant taxon in all samples is well-preserved Gephyrocapsa spp. Oxygen isotope variations clearly define glacial–interglacial oscillations. Except in the upper part of the core, carbon isotopic compositions are not related to the oxygen isotope stratigraphy. The occurrence of three coccolith datum levels in the core correlates almost exactly with globally-synchronous horizons1. The amplitude of the coccolith δ18O record (2.4‰) is significantly greater than that for the planktonic foraminifera Globigerinoides sacculifer in P6304-4 and adjacent cores2–4. We suggest here that selective dissolution or deep calcification during interglacials reduced the amplitudes of G. sacculifer in these cores and that the coccolith record is a more reliable indicator of temperature and δ18O changes in surface seawater.
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Anderson, T., Steinmetz, J. Isotopic and biostratigraphical records of calcareous nannofossils in a Pleistocene core. Nature 294, 741–744 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1038/294741a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/294741a0
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