Identification and characterisation of a novel mono-unsaturated highly branched isoprenoid (HBI) alkene in ancient Arctic sediments

The occurrence of a novel C₂₅ highly branched isoprenoid (HBI) mono-unsaturated hydrocarbon in Arctic marine sediments from the Fram Strait is described. The structure was determined following synthesis from a closely related diene and NMR spectroscopic analysis. The position of the double bond was confirmed by oxidation (RuO₄) and comparison of the mass spectrum of the resulting C₁₉ ketone with that of an authentic sample synthesised previously. The same C₁₉ ketone was also present following oxidation of the Fram Strait sediment extracts. The source of the novel HBI monoene biomarker is not known, but is believed to be certain marine diatoms on the basis of structural similarities with other HBIs from such sources. It does not, however, appear to be biosynthesised by Arctic sea ice diatoms, unlike its regio isomer, IP₂₅, an established proxy for Arctic sea ice. Alternatively, it may represent a diagenetic product of the sea ice diatom biomarker IP₂₅; this seems unlikely, however, on the basis of their respective structures. Since the new HBI monoene and IP₂₅ possess similar gas chromatographic and mass spectral properties, but probably have contrasting sources, we suggest that future paleo sea ice reconstruction studies based on the occurrence of IP₂₅ should pay further attention to the rigorous assignment of this biomarker in marine sediment extracts. Some suggestions for achieving this, based on analytical purification and mass spectrometric measurements, are provided.     

Biomarker proxy shows potential for studying the entire Quaternary Arctic sea ice history

A novel and promising biomarker proxy for reconstruction of Arctic sea ice conditions was developed and is based on the determination of a highly branched isoprenoid with 25 carbons (IP₂₅). IP₂₅ records have been restricted to the last 150 kyr BP. We present a biomarker record from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 912, going back to the Pliocene–Pleistocene boundary and indicating that sea ice of variable extent occurred in the Fram Strait/southern Yermak Plateau area at least since about 2.2 Ma. Furthermore, our data support the idea that a combination of IP₂₅ and open water, phytoplankton biomarker data (“PIP₂₅ index”) may give a more reliable and quantitative estimate of past sea ice cover (at least for the study area). The study reveals that the novel IP₂₅/PIP₂₅ biomarker approach has potential for semi-quantitative paleo-sea ice studies covering the entire Quaternary and could motivate further detailed high resolution research on ODP/IODP material using this proxy.     

Holocene palaeoceanographic changes in Barrow Strait,Canadian Arctic: foraminiferal evidence

Holocene changes in the benthic and planktic foraminiferal fauna (>63 µm) from a marine sediment core (ARC‐3 Canadian Arctic Archipelago, 74° 16.050′ N, 91° 06.380′ W, water depth 347 m) show that significant environmental and palaeoceanographic variations occurred during the last 10 ka. Foraminiferal assemblages are restricted to the ca. 4.5–10 ka interval as younger samples are mostly barren of foraminifera due to intense carbonate dissolution after ca. 4.5 ka. Foraminiferal assemblages in the ca. 4.5–10 ka interval are dominated by the benthic species Islandiella helenae and Cassidulina reniforme (57% of total), with Elphidium clavatum, Cibicides lobatulus and Buccella frigida also being common in this interval. The dominance of these species indicates a seasonal sea ice regime which is consistent with the occurrence of the sea ice diatom‐derived organic geochemical biomarker IP₂₅ throughout the core. The abundances of C. reniforme and E. clavatum decline upcore; consistent with more frequent mixing of the Barrow Strait water column during the early Holocene. It is likely that the influence of CO₂‐rich Arctic surface water masses have caused an increase in bottom water corrosivity after ca. 8.5 ka, and dissolution has been further enhanced by sea ice‐related processes after ca. 6 ka, concomitant with increased IP₂₅ fluxes. Dissolution is strongest when IP₂₅ fluxes are highest, suggesting a link between the sea ice and benthic systems. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sea ice variations in the central Canadian Arctic Archipelago during the Holocene

A sea ice record for Barrow Strait in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA) is presented for the interval 10.0–0.4 cal. kyr BP. This Holocene record is based primarily on the occurrence of a sea ice biomarker chemical, IP₂₅, isolated from a marine sediment core obtained from Barrow Strait in 2005. A core chronology is based on ¹⁴C AMS dating of mollusc shells obtained from ten horizons within the core. The primary IP₂₅ data are compared with complementary proxy data obtained from analysis of other organic biomarkers, stable isotope composition of bulk organic matter, benthic foraminifera, particle size distributions and ratios of inorganic elements. The combined proxy data show that the palaeo-sea ice record can be grouped according to four intervals, and these can be contextualised further with respect to the Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM). Spring sea ice occurrence was lowest during the early–mid Holocene (10.0–6.0 cal. kyr BP) and this was followed by a second phase (6.0–4.0 cal. kyr BP) where spring sea ice occurrence showed a small increase. Between 4.0 and 3.0 cal. kyr BP, spring sea ice occurrence increased abruptly to above the median and we associate this interval with the termination of the HTM. Elevated spring sea ice occurrences continued from 3.0 to 0.4 cal. kyr BP, although they were more variable on shorter timescales. Within this fourth interval, we also provide evidence for slightly lower and subsequently higher spring sea ice occurrence during the Mediaeval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age respectively. Comparisons are made between our proxy data with those obtained from other palaeo-climate and sea ice studies for the CAA.     

Occurrence of gorgosterol in diatoms of the genus Delphineis

The presence of the C₃₀ sterol gorgosterol (22,23-methylene-23,24-dimethylcholest-5-en-3ß-ol) and its analogues in some marine and freshwater environments is generally associated with invertebrate animals or dinoflagellates since there have been no reports of them in other microalgal classes. Here we show that two unialgal cultures of different species of the marine diatom Delphineis contain gorgosterol in addition to sterols more commonly found in diatoms. Our findings suggest that some reports of gorgosterol in seawater and marine sediments may well have an origin, at least in part, from diatoms.     

Visible light induced photo-oxidation of highly branched isoprenoid (HBI) alkenes: Significant dependence on the number and nature of double bonds

Visible light induced, type II (i.e. involving singlet oxygen, ¹O₂) photosensitized oxidation of mono-, di-, tri- and tetraunsaturated C₂₅ highly branched (HBI) alkenes in solution was investigated. The photodegradation rate was shown to be dependent on the number and nature of the double bonds, especially the number of trisubstituted ones. HBI alkenes with at least one trisubstituted double bond were photodegraded at similar or higher rates than some other lipids (e.g. vitamin E) known to be very reactive towards ¹O₂. The ¹O₂ mediated photo-oxidation of HBI alkenes likely involves direct reaction of ¹O₂ with the trisubstituted double bond via a concerted ‘ene’ addition, leading to formation of a hydroperoxide at each carbon of the original double bond. The enhanced photoreactivity of HBI alkenes with at least one trisubstituted double bond was confirmed in dead cells of the diatom Haslea ostrearia. In addition, since HBI alkenes with such double bonds were photodegraded at similar or higher rates compared to polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamin E and chlorophyll a, they should be significantly photochemically altered within the euphotic zone of the ocean. In contrast, HBIs with only di- and monosubstituted double bonds seem to be relatively inert with respect to type II photoprocesses. The results support the apparent good preservation of the monoene IP₂₅ in sediments, while the interpretation of sedimentary occurrences of HBI trienes may need further consideration.     

基于海冰分析图获取北极固定冰分布的方法研究

对北极沿岸地区固定冰的分析研究,将有助于更全面认识北极海冰的变化趋势,并为进一步探索北极航道的开发利用提供数据支撑。基于美国国家冰中心发布的2008-2018年逐周/逐两周海冰分析图发展了一个数据转化处理方法,准确提取了全北极逐周的固定冰分布格点数据。分析该时间序列发现,北极平均固定冰范围为（9.0±6.3）×10⁵ km²,呈现出（-1.0±3.9）×10³ km²·a^-1的减小趋势;4月份固定冰范围最大,多年平均值为1.6×10⁶ km²,处于北极冬季的1-6月份的范围均高于百万平方公里,而7-10月份为北半球夏季,几乎无固定冰存在。将MODIS图像作为基准数据对不同月份的七组结果进行对比验证,结果显示：结冰末期和融冰前期的平均偏差较小,如2012年3月12日的固定冰外缘线平均偏差为-0.8 km;而融冰末期的偏差较大,如2009年9月14日的固定冰外缘线平均偏差为-9.4 km;但所有月份的验证误差都小于格点网格的大小（25 km）,因此认为该方法是可行的,得到的格点数据可以代表固定冰的真实分布情况。     

Late Cretaceous seasonal palaeoclimatology and diatom palaeoecology from laminated sediments

Laminated diatom-rich marine sediments from California and the Arctic Ocean provide a window into the seasonal climate and oceanography of the mid- and high-latitude Late Cretaceous. These remarkable shallow-buried sediments constitute palaeo-sediment traps that record exceptionally well-preserved sequential biogenic and lithogenic flux events. Many of the diatom laminae are composed of a few dominant taxa, and we use a species-based approach for palaeoecological interpretation. Contrary to many earlier interpretations, results indicate that both sites preserve a major flux of taxa adapted to exploit a strongly stratified ocean. The uppermost Maastrichtian Marca Shale of California records a seasonal cycle initiated with a spring bloom flux of diatom resting spores followed by a summer lithogenic sediment input likely driven by monsoonal storms providing river runoff and aeolian input. This is followed by a dominant diatom flux of species that thrived in the summer stratification in deep chlorophyll maxima and were sedimented in the fall when this stratification broke down. Dominant taxa comprising this group include Hemiaulus, Stephanopyxis, Stellarima and Rhizosolenia. The uppermost Campanian CESAR 6 core from the Arctic Alpha Ridge, records a spring bloom flux of resting spores followed by a more dominant summer and fall flux of diatom vegetative cells which were likely concentrated in subsurface summer blooms that generated a “summer export pulse” and by the breakdown of stratification in the fall that gave massive flux of deep chlorophyll maxima species in the fall dump. The dominance and diversity of Hemiaulus in the CESAR 6 core together with widespread evidence of N₂-fixation may indicate that some diatom blooms were powered by intracellular N₂-fixing cyanobacteria as in the modern oligotrophic ocean. Thin lenses of fine lithogenic sediment that occur mostly in the spring layer represent rafting by winter sea ice and support other evidence that suggests intermittent winter freezing in the Late Cretaceous Arctic.     

Diatoms as a source for 4-desmethyl-23,24-dimethyl steroids in sediments and petroleum

Analysis of the sterol composition of more than 100 diatom cultures, representing all major marine diatom orders, indicates that this group of algae may be an important source for 4-desmethyl-23,24-dimethyl steroids in sediments and petroleum, as their precursors, i.e. 4-desmethyl-23,24-dimethyl sterols, were present in 22 of the cultures. The phylogenetic positions of diatom species that produce 4-desmethyl-23,24-dimethyl sterols show that, within the centric diatoms, only a specific group of diatoms is able to produce these sterols, while within the pennate diatoms, a phylogenetic relationship between 4-desmethyl-23,24-dimethyl sterol-producing diatoms is less apparent. Based on the phylogenetic relationship, it is suggested that diatoms inherited the ability of producing these sterols from a single common ancestor, which originated between 150 and 100 Ma ago. Co-injection of an authentic 23R,24R-dimethyl-5α-cholestane standard with extracts confirmed its presence in sediments. We also tentatively identified three other 4-desmethyl-23,24-dimethyl sterane isomers having different side-chain stereo-configurations and observed that some of the isomers co-elute with other steranes including 24-ethyl-5α-cholestane.     

基于FY-3 MWRI数据的北极海冰密集度反演研究

以ASI算法（ARTIST sea ice algorithm）为基础, 得到基于风云3C气象卫星（FY-3C）微波辐射计（MWRI）数据的纯水与纯冰系点值, 利用插值方法确定基于FY-3 MWRI数据的ASI海冰密集度计算公式, 采用大津法（Otsu算法）得到基于MWRI数据的天气滤波器阈值。以2016年1月数据为例, 对北极海冰密集度进行反演, 并与美国国家冰雪数据中心（NSIDC）以及德国不莱梅大学提供的海冰密集度产品进行对比验证。结果表明： 基于MWRI数据得到的1月平均海冰面积以及平均密集度均介于二者之间, 其中平均密集度与不莱梅产品更接近, 仅相差1.310%。与风云卫星空间分辨率为250 m的中分辨率光谱成像仪（MERSI）数据得到的结果进行对比, 发现二者的海冰外缘线基本一致, MERSI数据得到的海冰密集度以及海冰面积比MWRI数据得到的结果分别高出5.029%、 9.318%。因此, 应用该方法可有效推进MWRI数据反演北极海冰密集度, 进而监测北极海冰分布和变化。     

Experimental evidence for carbonate precipitation and CO2 degassing during sea ice formation

Chemical and stable carbon isotopic modifications during the freezing of artificial seawater were measured in four 4 m³ tank incubations. Three of the four incubations were inoculated with a nonaxenic Antarctic diatom culture. The 18 days of freezing resulted in 25 to 27 cm thick ice sheets overlying the residual seawater. The ice phase was characterized by a decrease in temperature from −1.9 to −2.2°C in the under-ice seawater down to −6.7°C in the upper 4 cm of the ice sheet, with a concurrent increase in the salinity of the under-ice seawater and brine inclusions of the ice sheet as a result of physical concentration of major dissolved salts by expulsion from the solid ice matrix. Measurements of pH, total dissolved inorganic carbon (C_T) and its stable isotopic composition (δ¹³C_T) all exhibited changes, which suggest minimal effect by biological activity during the experiment. A systematic drop in pH and salinity-normalized C_T by up to 0.37 pH_SWS units and 376 μmol C kg⁻¹ respectively at the lowest temperature and highest salinity part of the ice sheet were coupled with an equally systematic ¹³C enrichment of the C_T. Calculations based on the direct pH and C_T measurements indicated a steady increase in the in situ concentration of dissolved carbon dioxide (CO₂(aq)) with time and increasing salinity within the ice sheet, partly due to changes in the dissociation constants of carbonic acid in the low temperature-high salinity range within sea ice. The combined effects of temperature and salinity on the solubility of CO₂ over the range of conditions encountered during this study was a slight net decrease in the equilibrium CO₂(aq) concentration as a result of the salting-out overriding the increase in solubility with decreasing temperature. Hence, the increase in the in situ CO₂(aq) concentration lead to saturation or supersaturation of the brine inclusions in the ice sheet with respect to atmospheric pCO₂ (≈3.5 × 10⁻⁴ atm). When all physico-chemical processes are considered, we expect CO₂ degassing and carbonate mineral precipitation from the brine inclusions of the ice sheet, which were saturated or highly supersaturated with respect to both the anhydrous (calcite, aragonite, vaterite) and hydrated (ikaite) carbonate minerals.     

Sources of neutral lipids in a temperate intertidal sediment

The compositions of sterol, alcohol and ketone fractions from an oxic intertidal surface sediment from Corner Inlet. Victoria, Australia, have been examined by capillary gas chromatographymass spectrometry and related to the lipids of diatoms cultured from the sediment and to lipids of the sea-grass Zostera muelleri. Of the more than thirty sterols in the sediment most appear to derive from diatoms, including the major sterol 24-methylcholesta-5.22E-dien-3β-ol. Small amounts of 24-ethylcholesterol probably derive from Zostera, with a minor diatom contribution. 5α-stanols, both fully saturated and with a side-chain double bond, represented ca. 14% of the total sterols: a significant proportion of these are probably derived from marine invertebrates. These organisms also contribute C₂₆ sterols. most of the cholesterol and possibly small amounts of Δ-sterols. The data suggest that in situ biohydrogenation of stenols was not a major process in sterol transformation in the surface oxic sediment. Alcohols ranged from C₁₂ to C₃₀ and showed an unusual abundance of unsaturated components with Δ⁹-16:1 being the major constituent. The long-chain alcohols probably originate largely from Zostera but the shorter-chain. C₁₂-C₂₀. alcohols are at least partly derived from wax esters of unknown origin. Diatoms do not contribute significant amounts of alcohols. Ketones were not major constituents of the sediment and consisted mainly of 6.10.14-trimethylpentadecan-2-one and a series of n-alkan-2-ones ranging from C₁₆ to C₃₃. The latter showed a similar distribution to that of the n-alkanes but the correspondence was not sufficient to substantiate a product-precursor relationship. Very long-chain C₃- C₃₉ unsaturated methyl and ethyl ketones, which may originate from the marine unicellular alga Emiliania huxleyi. were present in low concentration.     

Evolution in sea ice from 1978 to 2012

In this paper, the intra-annual and interannual variability of the sea ice is analysed over the period 1979–2012 from the data and images facilitated by the “National Snow and Ice dates Center”. These data are related to the annual average temperature. The annual average of the marine ice surface area (1979–2012) is very similar in both poles, although its temporary evolution is opposed in both hemispheres. In the Arctic Ocean there is an abrupt reduction of the surface area of the ice during this period. As opposed to it, the marine seas surrounding the Antarctic show an increase of the extension of the ice, especially in the last 15 years, with a maximum value in 2012. With respect to the total of the marine ice over the period 1979–2012, there is an overall deficit balance, because the reduction of the Arctic ice is greater than the increase of the Antarctic ice.     

Quantitative relationship between surface sedimentary diatoms and water depth in North-Central Bohai Bay,China

To study the quantitative relationship between surface sedimentary diatoms and water depth, 67 surface samples were collected for diatom analysis on eight profiles with water depth variation from the muddy intertidal zone to the shallow sea area in North-Central Bohai Bay, China. The results showed that the distribution of diatoms changed significantly in response to the change in water depth. Furthermore, the quantitative relationship between the distribution of dominant diatom species, their a...     

基于CryoSat-2卫星测高数据分析南极海冰厚度的时空变化

利用卫星测高数据能够获取大尺度、长时序的海冰厚度信息。相较于北极,目前南极海冰厚度特别是近期变化信息仍很缺乏。基于2013-2018年的CryoSat-2卫星测高数据,采用最低点高程法和静力平衡方程模型反演了近6年逐月平均海冰厚度并分析其时空变化规律。结果表明：2013-2018年南极海冰厚度整体呈现先上升后下降的趋势,其中,2014-2017年年平均海冰厚度表现为快速变薄。南极较厚的海冰集中在威德尔海西南海域,最大值出现在该海域2014年的7月（6.27 m）。年平均海冰厚度在2017年达到最低值。南极海冰厚度的时空变化研究可为深入研究海冰变化与全球变化的关系提供参考。     

长时间序列北极海冰密集度遥感数据的比较评估

基于空间分辨率和精度更高的BLM海冰密集度数据集, 评估了两种时间跨度较长、 应用广泛的25 km分辨率海冰密集度遥感数据集——NSIDC数据集和SICCI数据集。两种数据集与BLM数据集的海冰面积变化趋势相同, 但均低于基于BLM数据集得到的海冰面积, 其中基于SICCI数据集得到的海冰面积更接近BLM数据集。相比于NSIDC数据集, SICCI数据集的年、 月平均和日海冰面积偏差分别低81.88%、 80.90%、 81.44%, 且其海冰密集度平均偏差为-3.28%, 低于NSIDC数据的4.36%, 因此在进行北极地区整体海冰面积及海冰密集度分析时应选用SICCI数据集。按纬度、 海冰密集度值分情况对两种数据进行比较, 发现NSIDC数据集对开阔水域和浮冰区的区分效果较差, 其在低纬度和低密集度区域的平均偏差分别为10.11%和13.13%, 而SICCI数据集的平均偏差达到0.05%和0.44%, 是研究低纬度和中低海冰密集度区域的首选数据。与之相对, NSIDC数据集对中高纬度高海冰密集区域, 特别是近北极点区域的反映能力优于SICCI数据集, 平均偏差为1.08%, 均方根偏差为7.76%, 因此进行中高纬度高海冰密集度区域分析时首选NSIDC数据集。对两类数据集在北极东北航道上的分段评估结果发现, 低纬度海冰边缘地带或中低海冰密集度区域占比较高的航段区, SICCI数据集更接近BLM数据集, 这些航段应使用SICCI数据集进行分析; 而在中高纬度高海冰密集度区域占比较高的航段区, NSIDC数据集更加贴合, 应为首选数据集。     

The C20 highly branched isoprenoid biomarker – A new diatom-sourced proxy for summer trophic conditions?

The exact biological source of the C₂₀ highly branched isoprenoid (HBI) present in sediments from aquatic systems is unclear. We therefore examined the relationship between the distribution of fossil diatoms and the concentration of the C₂₀ HBI in a Late Glacial sedimentary record from the Hässeldala Port paleolake in southern Sweden. Using Bayesian multiple linear regression analysis, we show that its concentration is linked primarily to the production of the diatom taxon Gomphonema acuminatum, which accounts for the largest proportion of the temporal variability in the biomarker. By analogy with modern observations, we argue that an increasing amount of G. acuminatum biomass in our sedimentary record reflects increasing oligotrophy in the paleolake during the summer growing season, especially at times defined by subdued hydrologic flow. Our conclusions are corroborated by the δ¹³C composition of the C₂₀ HBI biomarker, which points to a negative photosynthetic fractionation between atmospheric CO₂ and the pool of dissolved inorganic carbon during diatom bloom, a distinct phenomenon at times of inhibited hydrological flow. Accordingly, we suggest that the C₂₀ HBI biomarker can be effectively used to reconstruct the trophic state of the paleolake at Hässeldala Port, while its stable isotope composition can provide physicochemical information about the lake conditions during the dry summer season.Moreover, we note that the major hydrological shifts recorded in the G. acuminatum-C₂₀ HBI stratigraphy do not coincide with the pollen zone boundaries. We thus infer that aquatic and terrestrial environmental responses to climate change are substantially decoupled through the hydrological system, which highlights the necessity for multi-proxy investigations to decipher past climate events.     

Molar gas ratios of air entrapped in ice: A new tool to determine the origin of relict massive ground ice bodies in permafrost

The molar ratios of atmospheric gases change during dissolution in water due to differences in their relative solubilities. We exploited this characteristic to develop a tool to clarify the origin of ice formations in permafrost regions. Extracted from ice, molar gas ratios can distinguish buried glacier ice from intrasedimental ground ice formed by freezing groundwaters. An extraction line was built to isolate gases from ice by melting and trapping with liquid He, followed by analysis of N₂, O_2,, Ar, ¹⁸O_O2 and ¹⁵N_N2, by continuous flow mass spectrometry. The method was tested using glacier ice, aufeis ice (river icing) and intrasedimental ground ice from sites in the Canadian Arctic. O₂/Ar and N₂/Ar ratios clearly distinguish between atmospheric gas in glacial ice and gases from intrasedimental ground ice, which are exsolved from freezing water. δ¹⁵N_N2 and δ¹⁸O_O2 in glacier ice, aufeis ice and intrasedimental ground ice do not show clear distinguishing trends as they are affected by various physical processes during formation such as gravitational settling, excess air addition, mixing with snow pack, and respiration.     

Depositional processes beneath coastal multi‐year sea ice

The extent of multi‐year sea ice impacts climate processes worldwide, such as ocean–atmosphere carbon dioxide exchange and deep ocean current formation. Reconstructing these processes in the past, and assessing the distribution of ecologically and climatically significant features, such as polynas, requires recognition of sediments deposited under multi‐year sea ice, but little is known about their characteristics. Textural analysis of subaerial and sea floor sediment in Explorers Cove, McMurdo Sound, at the mouth of Taylor Valley, Antarctica, augmented with observations of sedimentary structures and faunal components, elucidates how sediment is transported to the sea floor and allows characterization of the deposits. Comparison of grain‐size characteristics of subaerial (moraine, delta and sea‐ice surface) sediment and sea floor sediment from short cores taken at depths of 7 to 25 m indicates that the likely source of the moderately to poorly sorted sea floor sand is deltaic sediment; small glacial meltwater streams have built deltas since Taylor Valley became ice‐free ca 7000 years ago. Windblown sediment accumulating on the multi‐year sea ice close to the coast typically is coarser grained than sediment on the sea floor; this suggests that the transport of sediment through the ice to the sea floor is not the predominant mode of sediment transfer. However, supra‐sea‐ice sediment does move to the sea floor through local fractures. The rate of sedimentation under multi‐year sea ice is low because of limited stream flow and biogenic sedimentation; the ice cover inhibits primary productivity and dampens waves, precluding physical re‐suspension. The upper centimetres of sea floor sediment are churned by epifaunal scallops and brittle stars that leave no telltale biogenic structures and whose calcite ossicles and shells may be poorly preserved. The resulting deposits under multi‐year sea ice are poorly sorted, massive sand that provides little evidence of the bioturbators that have masked the indicators of the original physical depositional processes.     

Variations in distributions of C25 highly branched isoprenoid (HBI) alkenes in the diatom, Haslea ostrearia: influence of salinity

C₂₅ HBI alkenes of the diatom, Haslea ostrearia, have been examined in experiments in which the algae were cultured for up to 10 days at 14–15°C at nine different salinities (15 to 40 per mil). H. ostrearia proved to be an osmotolerant organism and growth was observed at all salinities. After 10 days growth at the lowest and highest salinities of 15 and 40 per mil, the concentrations of 2,10,14-trimethyl-6-methylene-7-(3-methylpent-1-enyl)pentadec-9-ene, which was the only HBI present in any of the samples, averaged 1.2±0.7 and 2.1±0.7 pg cell⁻¹, respectively. These were slightly lower than the HBI concentrations at 25 to 35 per mil (2.8±0.5 pg cell⁻¹). The data indicate that although salinity has an influence on HBI production in H. ostrearia, factors other than salinity are probably more important in controlling the large variations of HBI alkene concentrations and distributions found in sedimentary environments.