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Water chemistry control of cadmium content in Recent benthic foraminifera

Nature volume 298, pages 260–262 (1982)Cite this article

Abstract

The micropalaeontology and isotopic chemistry of foraminifera and other fossils have provided a detailed picture of the surface ocean environment during glaciation1,2. Less is known about climate-related changes in the deep ocean, although Weyl3 and Newell4 have proposed significant variations on theoretical grounds. It is clear that significant variations in the population assemblages and δ13C of benthic foraminifera occur5,6 but these changes do not yet constrain a unique hydrographical solution. Adsorption of phosphate onto calcite and unfavourable solid solution behaviour7,8 preclude direct palaeonutrient determination. Because CdCO3 and CaCO3 form a continuous solid-solution series9 it has been suggested that the trace cadmium variability in foraminifera may provide an additional tool for probing changes in deep ocean circulation10. Here we demonstrate that certain benthic foraminifera, Uvigerina spp. and C. kullenbergi, show a consistent relationship between the Cd/Ca of the bottom water and of their calcite shells.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 021139, USA

    K. Hester & E. Boyle

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  1. K. Hester
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  2. E. Boyle
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Hester, K., Boyle, E. Water chemistry control of cadmium content in Recent benthic foraminifera. Nature 298, 260–262 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1038/298260a0

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