Glacial-interglacial relationship between carbonate components and sediment reflectance in the North Atlantic

A high-resolution composite sediment record from intermediate water depths in the North Atlantic, dating back to marine isotope stage (MIS) 13, was investigated in order to determine the relationship between sediment reflectance (gray level%) and carbonate content (weight%). For this purpose, a detailed analysis of the coarse (>20 µm) and fine (<20 µm) carbonate components was carried out to assess which of the two carbonate components drives glacial-interglacial changes in sediment gray level. The results indicate that the bulk carbonate component is clearly dominated by the fine carbonate fraction, regardless of glacial or interglacial climatic mode, suggesting that the sediment gray level is usually controlled by fluctuations of the fine carbonate content. However, a comparison of MIS 1 and 5.5 indicates that, besides this difference in the contents of the two carbonate size fractions, changing modes in carbonate preservation, i.e., the preservational state of planktonic Foraminifera, may also have a profound influence on total sediment reflectance.