南海神狐海域含水合物层底栖有孔虫群落结构与同位素组成

为评价水合物甲烷对底栖有孔虫群落结构和同位素的影响,对南海北部神狐海域获取天然气水合物的钻孔BY3岩心,进行底栖有孔虫群落结构和稳定同位素分析,发现含水合物层底栖有孔虫丰度、分异度下降,群落中以内生种占绝对优势,有孔虫破碎率增加;与不含水合物层中的底栖有孔虫相比,含水合物层的底栖有孔虫碳同位素值出现较明显的负偏移。含水合物层中的Uvigerinaspp.、Cibicidesspp.和Oridorsalisspp.的δ13C平均值分别为-1.61‰、-0.79‰和-1.80‰,而在不含水合物层它们的δ13C平均值分别为-0.88‰、-0.27‰和-1.04‰;其中Uvigerinaspp.和Oridorsalisspp.的δ13C最轻值均出现在含水合物层,分别为-1.83‰和-2.29‰。这些说明底栖有孔虫在生长和埋藏过程中可能受到沉积物中甲烷水合物形成和演化的影响。     

南海北部晚渐新世与早中新世之交T60构造运动的古水深响应

本文采用国际大洋发现计划(IODP)第368航次U1501站位井深264.0～331.1 m的样品,通过有孔虫壳体氧同位素地层和锶同位素定年,得出该段井深年龄为晚渐新世-早中新世20.3～32.0 Ma(地震反射不整合面T60的底部年龄在28～30.5 Ma左右).T60构造运动之后,岩芯沉积物中有机碳含量、底栖有孔虫...     

中更新世气候转型期西太平洋暖池的表层海水温度和氧同位素变化

通过对大洋钻探(ODP)第130航次807站A孔井深12.54～16.38m沉积物中浮游和底栖有孔虫的稳定同位素δ18 O以及浮游有孔虫壳体的Mg/Ca测试,揭示了中更新世气候转型期(800～1 000kaBP)西太平洋暖池表层海水温度和氧同位素的变化。研究发现,中更新世时期ODP 807站的表层海水温度在25.1～30.9℃之间浮动,平均为28.4℃,接近现代暖池区实测温度值,冰期/间冰期之间的温度差值在1.5～5℃左右,与晚第四纪时的温差相近;同时,表层海水温度和底栖有孔虫氧同位素呈现同步变化的趋势,没有明显的超前或滞后的相位关系,区别于前人在暖池区的研究结果。间冰期时,表层海水温度上升伴随着温跃层变深、盐度降低,与现代西太平洋暖池La Ni珘na状态类似;冰期时则类似于El Ni珘no状态。中更新世气候转型期,西太平洋暖池的表层海水温度、温跃层深度变化受低纬热带驱动影响,都显示出强烈的岁差周期(16.8ka),而底层水氧同位素更多受到高纬的影响。     

南海北部陆坡ZSQD196PC柱状样末次间冰期以来的古海洋学记录：氧同位素、有孔虫和硅藻

为了解南海北部陆坡末次间冰期以来的古海洋沉积环境演化特征,对研究区ZSQD196PC柱状样有孔虫、硅藻及有孔虫氧同位素资料开展了分析。依据沉积有孔虫、硅藻主要属种的百分含量、丰度及组合特征,将有孔虫划分为3个组合,分别对应于氧同位素MIS1、2、3~4期;将硅藻划分为4个组合,大致对应于MIS1~4期。MIS1期有孔虫以暖水种占优势,Pulleniatina obliquiloculata百分含量显著升高;硅藻丰度低且以热性种占优势,其中冷期出现大量沿岸种,反映相对温暖的气候条件。MIS2~4期有孔虫以冷水种占优势,温跃层种含量相对较高;硅藻丰度高且以广布种占优势,出现沿岸种含量的升高,反映较冷的气候条件。通过对比浮游有孔虫氧同位素,分析讨论了末次盛冰期、Blling—Allerd暖期和新仙女木事件在ZSQD196PC柱状样的沉积响应,揭示了末次冰期中的气候波动。     

天然气水合物赋存区甲烷渗漏活动的地球化学响应特征

综述了天然气水合物赋存区甲烷渗漏活动的地球化学响应指标的研究进展,分析了应用单一指标识别甲烷渗漏活动各自所存在的问题,包括浅表层沉积物孔隙水中CH_4、SO_4~(2–)、Cl~–等离子浓度随深度的变化;浅层沉积物全岩W_(TOC)(W表示质量分数,TOC表示总有机碳)和W_(TS)(TS表示总硫)之间的相关性及比值;自生碳酸盐岩δ~(13)C和δ~(18)O;自生矿物重晶石、黄铁矿、自生石膏的δ~(34)S;有孔虫壳体和生物标志化合物的δ~(13)C等。结果表明孔隙水中的CH_4、SO4_~(2–)浓度及溶解无机碳的碳同位素组成可以用来识别目前正在发生的甲烷渗漏活动;而沉积物中的WTS、自生矿物的δ~(34)S、钡含量及其异常峰值和生物标志化合物的δ~(13)C等指标的联合使用可以更真实准确地反映地质历史时期天然气水合物赋存区的甲烷渗漏活动。因此,在实际研究过程中,可将孔隙水和沉积物两种介质的多种指标相结合。随着非传统稳定同位素(Fe、Ca、Mg等)和沉积物氧化还原敏感元素(Mo、V、U等)等研究的发展,甲烷渗漏活动地球化学响应指标的研究也将得到拓展,而多种地球化学指标的联合使用将为天然气水合物勘探及其形成分解过程识别研究提供重要的科学依据。     

Comparison of benthic foraminifera inside and outside a sulphur-oxidizing bacterial mat from the present oxygen-minimum zone off Pakistan (NE Arabian Sea)

Assemblages of live (Rose-Bengal-stained) and dead benthic foraminifera and stable oxygen and carbon isotopic composition of live benthic foraminifera were studied in and outside a bacterial mat composed of the large sulphur-oxidizing bacteria Thioploca and Beggiatoa from the oxygen-minimum zone off Pakistan (NE Arabian Sea). Two cores from the same Multicorer retrieved a bacterial mat and ambient sediment. The dominant species (Globobulimina affinis, G. turgida, Bolivina pacifica, B. pseudopunctata, Uvigerina peregrina and Buliminella tenuata) in both cores are characteristic for dysoxic oxygen minimum zone conditions. The most significant difference between the two cores is the reduced number of stained benthic foraminifera (SBF) in the top 0.5 cm of the bacterial mat. Faunal densities of stained species are more than four times higher in the sediment surface sample (0–0.5 cm) outside the bacterial mat, at a distance of only 1.5 m. All stained species, however, observed outside the Beggiatoa/Thioploca mat were also observed in the core with the mat. Two species, Virgulinella fragilis and Bolivina dilatata, occur exclusively in the core with the bacterial mat. The diversity within the bacterial mat core is thus slightly higher than outside. Furthermore, the abundances of the species Buliminella morgani, B. tenuata and Alliatina primitiva are substantially higher in the bacterial mat than outside. Globobuliminids, on the other hand, seem to prefer the conditions outside the bacterial mat and are five times more frequent in the core taken outside the bacterial mat. Benthic foraminifers inhabit a broader microhabitat range outside the bacterial mat (∼5 cm) than within (3.5 cm). A marked decrease in SBF abundances was observed at the level of a black sulphur-rich layer which is interpreted to mark the shallow redox front below the bacterial mat. Stable carbon isotope analyses on live benthic foraminifera do not support a relation of the investigated Beggiatoa/Thioploca mat to a constant or seasonal seepage of methane at the continental slope off Pakistan. Surprisingly, however, stable oxygen isotope values of many species and especially of U. peregrina decrease with depth, which calls into question the suitability of U. peregrina as a recorder of bottom-water δ¹⁸O.     

桂林洞穴滴水对应CaCO3沉积物的稳定同位素特征与环境意义

桂林地区降水及茅茅头大岩滴水滴速和现代碳酸盐的碳氧同位素研究表明:(1)滴水沉积的δ18O达到了同位素沉积平衡,洞穴滴水的δ18O与同期降雨的δ18O值呈正相关关系;(2)在旱季和湿季交替时,滴水δ18O值滞后于降雨δ18O,受活塞效应的影响;(3)δ13C难以达到同位素沉积平衡,主要受滴水动力学影响;(4)同一洞穴不同滴水对环境的响应不同,如果洞穴顶板覆盖较厚,水分在土壤和岩层中滞留时间较长,滴水则反映受到平滑作用的降雨,反之则波动较大.     

A preliminary study on benthos food web structure of tidal zone in the Laoshan Bay by using stable carbon isotopes

By analyses of carbon isotopic composition(δ¹³C values) of the benthos collected in the Laoshan Bay in August 1993 and February and May 1994, it is found that the main food sources of the benthos can be divided into four groups in terms of carbon isotope composition: Particulate Organic Matter (POM),benthic diatoms, benthic macroalgae and the organic matter in sediments.The results show that the carbon isotopic composition of the benthic animals has a close relation with that of the food they take in.The carbon isotopic compositions of benthos may be useful in elucidating their food sources.The carbon isotopic data have confirmed that POM is the main food source of the benthic filter feeders such as bivalves; crustaceans have a wide range of δ¹³C values, showing their food source has diversity; benthic diatoms are an important fraction of the food for most of gastropods.A preliminary investigation of the benthic-pelagic coupling in that region using the stable carbon isotopic tracers has confirmed the importance of POM as a food source for benthos in this region,but the organic matter in sediments and benthic diatoms are also relatively important for a lot of benthic animals.The benthic-pelagic coupling in the Laoshan Bay temperate ecosystem is not so tight as that in ecosystems at higher latitudes such as north-eastern water polynya.     

Phosphatized calcareous conglomerate from the Kara Sea floor

Trawling of the bottom in the northeastern Kara Sea during cruise 125 of the R/V Professor Shtokman in 2013 recovered a block of cavernous, partly phosphatized carbonate rock consisting of biogenic carbonate material and partly crystallized diagenetic calcite. The fauna remains are mainly Oligocene–Pliocene planktonic and benthic foraminifers, with less common Oligocene–Miocene coccoliths and single wormlike organisms. Part of the phosphatized material in caverns is impregnated by manganese and iron oxides and enriched in heavy and trace metals. According to the oxygen isotopic composition, this rock formed under moderate temperature conditions. In terms of morphology, mineralogy, and the abundance of organic remains, the block is comparable to methanogenic carbonates found in other parts of the ocean, but shows no isotopically light carbon signatures typical of methane activity. This indicates the diversity of the carbon isotope composition of the Arctic carbonates.     

Late Miocene stable isotope stratigraphy of SE Atlantic ODP Site 1085: Relation to Messinian events

High-resolution benthic oxygen isotope and XRF (Fe and Ca) records from Site 1085 drilled in the Mid-Cape basin (ODP Leg 175) are used to investigate global climate changes during the Late Miocene in relation to Messinian geological events. The cyclic fluctuations of the time series at Site 1085 enable us to establish a reliable chronology for the time interval 7.3–4.7 Ma. Spectral analysis of the δ¹⁸O record indicates that the 41-kyr period of orbital obliquity dominates the Late Miocene record. A global climate record was extracted from the oxygen isotopic composition of benthic foraminifera. Both long- and short-term variabilities in the climate record are discussed in terms of sea-level and deep-water temperature changes. The time interval 7.3–6.25 Ma characterized by low-amplitude δ¹⁸O variations is followed by a period marked by maximum in the δ¹⁸O values (6.25–5.57 Ma). At about 5.56 Ma, a rapid decrease in δ¹⁸O values is documented that may reflect a warming of deep-water temperature associated with a global warming period. Comparison between the timing of the oceanic isotope events and the chronology of the Mediterranean Salinity Crisis suggest that global eustatic processes were not essential in the Mediterranean Salinity Crisis history. From our data, we infer that the global warmth documented in the Early/mid-Pliocene probably started during the Late Miocene (at 5.55 Ma). At the same time, the onset of evaporite deposition in the central basin of the Mediterranean Sea took place. Sharp changes in the sedimentation rates, mainly driven by terrigenous input at this site, are observed during the Messinian Stage.     

Carbon isotopes in mollusk shell carbonates

Mollusk shells contain many isotopic clues about calcification physiology and environmental conditions at the time of shell formation. In this review, we use both published and unpublished data to discuss carbon isotopes in both bivalve and gastropod shell carbonates. Land snails construct their shells mainly from respired CO₂, and shell δ¹³C reflects the local mix of C3 and C4 plants consumed. Shell δ¹³C is typically >10‰ heavier than diet, probably because respiratory gas exchange discards CO₂, and retains the isotopically heavier HCO₃ ^?. Respired CO₂ contributes less to the shells of aquatic mollusks, because CO₂/O₂ ratios are usually higher in water than in air, leading to more replacement of respired CO₂ by environmental CO₂. Fluid exchange with the environment also brings additional dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) into the calcification site. Shell δ¹³C is typically a few ‰ lower than ambient DIC, and often decreases with age. Shell δ¹³C retains clues about processes such as ecosystem metabolism and estuarine mixing. Ca²⁺ ATPase-based models of calcification physiology developed for corals and algae likely apply to mollusks, too, but lower pH and carbonic anhydrase at the calcification site probably suppress kinetic isotope effects. Carbon isotopes in biogenic carbonates are clearly complex, but cautious interpretation can provide a wealth of information, especially after vital effects are better understood.     

Tracing seafloor methane emissions with benthic foraminifera: Results from the Ana submarine landslide (Eivissa Channel,Western Mediterranean Sea)

The hypothesis that benthic foraminifera are useful proxies of local methane emissions from the seafloor has been verified on sediment core KS16 from the headwall of the Ana submarine landslide in the Eivissa Channel, Western Mediterranean Sea. The core MS312 from a nearby location with no known methane emissions is utilised as control. The core was analysed for biostratigraphy, benthic foraminiferal assemblages, Hyalinea balthica and Uvigerina peregrina carbon and oxygen stable isotope composition, and sedimentary structures. The upper part of the core records post-landslide deglacial and Holocene normal marine hemipelagic sediments with highly abundant benthic foraminifera species that are typical of outer neritic to upper bathyal environment. In this interval, the δ¹³C composition of benthic foraminifera indicates normal marine environment analogous to those found in the control core. Below the sedimentary hiatus caused by the emplacement of the slide, the foraminiferal assemblages are characterised by lower density and higher Shannon Index. Markedly negative δ¹³C shifts in benthic foraminifera are attributed to the release of methane through the seabed. The mean values of the ¹³C anomaly in U. peregrina are ? 0.951 ± 0.208 in the pre-landslide sediments, and ? 0.269 ± 0.152 in post-slide reworked sediments deposited immediately above the hiatus. The δ¹³C anomaly in Hyalinea balthica is ? 2.497 ± 0.080 and ? 2.153 ± 0.087, respectively. To discard the diagenetic effects on the δ¹³C anomaly, which could have been induced by Ca–Mg replacement and authigenic carbonate overgrowth on foraminifera tests, a benthic foraminifera subsample has been treated following an oxidative and reductive cleaning protocol. The cleaning has resulted, only in some cases, in a slight reduction of the anomaly by 0.95% for δ¹³C and < 0.80% for δ¹⁸O. Therefore, the first conclusion is that the diagenetic alteration is minor and it does not alter significantly the overall carbon isotopic anomaly in the core. Consequently, the pre-landslide sediments have been subject to pervasive methane emissions during a time interval of several thousand years. Methane emissions continued during and immediately after the occurrence of Ana Slide at about 61.5 ka. Subsequently, methane emissions decreased and definitely ceased during the last deglaciation and the Holocene.     

氢和氧稳定同位素示踪湖泊蒸发的对比研究

氢氧稳定同位素被广泛用于水文循环过程的研究。本文观测了2015年太湖湖水H~2HO和H_2~(18)O组分,分析了它们的时空变化规律及其控制因子,探讨亚热带大型浅水湖泊的同位素富集机制;基于稳定同位素质量守恒法计算太湖蒸发量;评价了动力分馏学系数的传统湖泊算法与海洋算法的适用性;重点分析了H~2HO和H_2~(18)O示踪湖泊蒸发的效果,对比二者之间的差异。研究结果表明,在空间上,太湖湖水和河水的氢氧同位素在南部特别是东南部较为富集但在北部区域较为贫化,这主要是受水流方向的控制,东南部湖水经历的蒸发时间较长,因此湖水中同位素累积较多;在季节上,冬季湖水同位素较贫化、春夏季较富集。对于2015年太湖的年蒸发量,用氢同位素示踪的结果与观测值较一致,为880mm;氧同位素的示踪结果略低,为690mm。使用传统湖泊研究中对动力学分馏系数的取值,会导致蒸发被显著低估,而氧稳定同位素的示踪结果对动力学分馏系数的取值更为敏感,同时氢稳定同位素在同位素分馏过程中主要是平衡分馏效应占主导,因此H~2HO在动力学分馏系数的参数化方案中影响较小,在实际应用中更为稳定。本文的研究结果表明了稳定同位素水文学研究中使用合适的动力学分馏系数的重要性。     

Pristine or altered: low-Mg calcite shells survived from massive dolomitization? A case study from Miocene carbonates

Low-Mg calcite shells have been widely used to reconstruct the chemistry of ancient seawater. There is always a question: are the shells chemically pristine? This paper presents the isotope and elemental geochemistry of low-Mg calcite bivalve shells in late Miocene platform carbonates, SE Spain. The platform carbonates were extensively dolomitized, and limestone is restricted to older stratal units, and to units mainly in topographically higher and more landward strata. Low-Mg calcite oyster shells were completely dissolved out in the basinward dolomite, but are well preserved in the limestone. These shells appear to retain the original growth microstructures, based on hand samples. Under the microscope, however, dissolution and recrystallization, as well as pristine growth lines are all present. Sr isotopes in these shells range from that of normal Miocene seawater to radiogenic values. δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C values, and Mg, Sr, and Na concentrations in these shells are rather variable. The high end members are consistent with the typical values of modern/late Miocene normal-seawater low-Mg calcite shells, whereas the low end members are close to those of diagenetic calcite cements, which have low δ¹⁸O, δ¹³C, Sr and Na values, and radiogenic Sr. The Nijar shells were altered physically and chemically to different degrees by diagenesis, although these shells are consistent with some “criteria” of unalteration. The isotopic and trace-element data collected in altered and pristine (or less altered) portions coexisting in the same shells are clearly differentiable. Quantitative simulation of covariations of geochemical pairs indicates that solid mixing of unaltered and altered portions by sampling is consistent with the variations in isotopic and elemental data recorded in the Nijar shells. The geological significance of this study is that ancient fabric-retentive calcite shells may have been altered geochemically although they may appear pristine. Calcite shells that underwent intensive diagenesis should be examined rigorously under the microscope, coupled with investigations of multiple geochemical proxies to assess chemical alteration. Only the data of unaltered shells can be used to reconstruct the chemistry of ancient seawater.     

Late Pleistocene-Holocene Paleoceanography and Ventilation of the Gulf of California

Sediment cores collected in 1990 from the Gulf of California have been studied using stable isotope and radiocarbon techniques to reconstruct the climate and ventilation histories since the last glacial maximum. Benthic foraminiferal δ¹⁸O from core tops in a water depth range of 145 to 1442 m increases by about 2% with increasing depth. This is consistent with a composite temperature profile constructed from several hydrocasts in the various gulf basins. However, the δ¹⁸O water/salinity relationship is not sufficiently linear in gulf locations or in nearby open Pacific Geochemical Ocean Sections Study (GEOSECS) stations to be useful in solving paleotemperature equations. Of the most common benthic foraminifera, only Planulina ariminensis has δ¹³C that is consistent with the measured δ¹³C of ΣCO₂. Several cores in the depth range 500 to 900 m have the laminated Holocene and Bolling/Allerod sediments, and the nonlaminated glacial age and Younger Dryas sediments that are typical of the gulf and other locations such as Santa Barbara Basin. The best of those, Jumbo Piston Core (JPC) 56 from 818 m water depth on the western margin of Guaymas Basin, was sampled for intensive study. Oxygen isotope ratios in benthic and planktonic foraminifera show little evidence for deglacial temperature oscillations. Carbon isotope ratios are generally lower during warm epochs, but the most striking result is strongly lowered benthic and planktonic δ¹³C about 9500 years ago. This may reflect water column oxidation of locally released methane. Neither benthic δ¹³C in depth section nor paired benthic and planktonic ¹⁴C data in JPC56 are consistent with increased intermediate water ventilation during the glacial maximum and Younger Dryas. Likewise, ¹⁴C data from 5 pairs of foraminifera from the Okhotsk Sea fail to support better ventilation in that basin during the last glacial maximum. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

冲绳海槽表层沉积物中浮游有孔虫壳体的氧同位素分布特征及其影响因素

选择冲绳海槽的3个剖面A、B、C上的现代表层沉积物样品，对浮游有孔虫Globigerinoides ruber、Glo-bigerinoides sacculifer和Neogloboquadrina dutertrei进行了氧同位素分析，结果表明，几乎所有样品从G.ruber到G.sacculifer到N.dutertrei其氧同位素值均由轻变重，表明3种有孔虫其生活水层依次由浅到深，进一步证实了这3个种的生态生活习性在冲绳海槽区域与开放大洋同样一致，在槽穿海槽的A、C两个剖面上，G.ruber和N.dutertrei的氧同位素有相似的变化，从西向东氧内闰素值依次由轻变重，然后又变轻，表明剖面西侧站位有孔虫壳体氧同位素因受冲淡水影响较强而变轻，而在东侧站位受高温黑潮的影响氧同位素同样有变轻的趋势，沿海槽轴向展布的剖面B上的氧同位素变化主要受冲淡水的影响，表层水体在剖面中部和南端冲淡水影响相对较大，而次表层水只在剖面南端受冲淡水影响相对较强，剖面A、C上的N.dutertrei和G.ruber的氧同位素差值有着相反的变化趋势，在剖面A上，氧同位素差值从近陆端向近岛弧端逐渐由小变大，而在剖面C上，则逐渐由大变小，上述变化可能表明了磁部区域黑潮支流对表层水体的影响要大于次表层水体，而在南部海槽区域，黑潮暖流对次表层水体有相对较强的影响。     

底栖有孔虫(Florilus decors)壳体微量元素/钙比值的LA-ICP-MS原位微区分析方法及应用——以长江口外海域为例

深海沉积物中有孔虫壳体的微量元素、同位素测试技术已较为成熟,而河口近海沉积物中有孔虫壳体元素微区测试却鲜有报道。本文报道了一种利用激光剥蚀电感耦合等离子体质谱（LA-ICP-MS）分析法测试取自长江口外沉积物中的有孔虫壳体元素/钙比值的技术,研究了氦气载气流量、能量密度、束斑大小、激光剥蚀频率等参数对测试结果的影响,优化了活体有孔虫原位分析方法。应用确定的测试条件对2016年7月取自长江口外的底栖有孔虫优美花朵虫样品（Florilus decors）进行测试,发现Mg、Sr等元素/钙比值在壳体不同位置上无显著差异,而Mn的数据较为离散,可能与有孔虫生长过程中经历的水环境及其变化有关。     

崂山湾潮间带食物网结构的碳稳定同位素初步研究

通过对1993年8月和1994年2和5月在崂山湾潮间带采集的底栖生物碳稳定同位素组成(δ13C值)的分析,发现该区底栖动物的主要食物来源以δ13C值大致可划分为4类:水体中的颗粒有机质(POM)、底栖硅藻、大型底栖藻类和底泥中的有机物质(SOM).研究结果表明,底栖动物的碳稳定同位素组成与其所摄食的食物的碳稳定同位素组成有密切的关系,因此,底栖动物的碳稳定同位素组成可以用于研究其食物来源.碳稳定同位素数据证实,双壳类等滤食性动物的食物来源主要是POM;甲壳动物的δ13C值的范围较大,证明其食物来源的多样性;底栖硅藻是多数腹足类食物来源的相当重要组成部分.用碳稳定同位素示踪剂对该区底栖-水体耦合作用的初步研究表明,水体中的POM是底栖动物的重要食物来源,但底泥中有机质和底栖硅藻也是许多底栖动物食物来源的相当重要的组成部分.     

Observations of contrasted glacial-interglacial dissolution of foraminifera above the lysocline in the Bay of Bengal,northeastern Indian Ocean

Site U1446 (19°50’N, 85°44’E, at water depth 1 430 m) was drilled during Expedition 353 (Indian monsoon rainfall) of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP). It is located in the Mahanadi offshore basin, on the northern Bay of Bengal. Sedimentation rates and contents of biocarbonates are high at this relatively shallow site. Using a micropaleontological approach, we examined planktonic and benthic foraminifera in the upper around 40 m of this site, spanning the last around 190 ka. A striking feature of the foraminiferal record is the occurrence of strong but varying dissolution although the site is located well above the modern lysocline. Such strong dissolution has never been reported in this area. We estimated the flux of foraminifera and quantified the ratio of benthic foraminifera over total foraminifera (benthic/total foraminifera) along with the foraminifer fragmentation index in order to characterize past changes in this above-lysocline dissolution. This study reveals a clear glacial-interglacial contrast, with a stronger dissolution during marine isotope stages (MISs) 1 and 5 than during MISs 2–4 and 6. Such a difference in preservation is likely to have a strong impact on geochemical proxies measured on foraminifera. Our new observations call for an in-depth study of the causes of such above-lysocline dissolution in the region, and an evaluation of its impact on the foraminifera-based proxies used for paleoenvironmental reconstruction.     

Stable isotope composition of modern bryozoan skeletal carbonate from the Otago Shelf,New Zealand

The oxygen (δ¹⁸O) and carbon (δ¹³C) isotope ratios of 10 species of living Bryozoa collected from the Otago Shelf, New Zealand were analysed to assess the extent to which isotopic equilibrium (relative to inorganic equilibrium isotope fractionation) is attained during the precipitation of skeletal calcium carbonate. The data reveal that whereas eight species of Bryozoa synthesise skeletal carbonate in apparent oxygen isotope equilibrium with respect to environmental conditions, two species (Celleporina grandis and Hippomonavella flexuosa) yield δ¹⁸O_calcite values which indicate significant disequilibrium oxygen isotope fractionation during calcification. Sufficient data are available from one species (C. grandis) to demonstrate that disequilibrium is probably related to kinetic factors associated with diffusion‐controlled transport of HCO₃‐ to the site of calcite precipitation. Carbon isotope signatures indicate significant departures from inorganic isotope equilibrium in all but one bryozoan species (Hippomenella vellicata). Although greater uncertainties are associated with estimates of the isotopic composition of total dissolved inorganic carbon (δ¹³C_SDIC), the data suggest that two factors—kinetic fractionation and incorporation of respiratory CO₂—are important in controlling carbon isotope disequilibrium. Where bryozoan species exhibit evidence for disequilibrium in both oxygen and carbon isotope systems (C. grandis, H. flexuosa), it is likely that kinetic factors are primarily responsible for observed departures from carbon isotope equilibrium. In contrast, the probable explanation for those species which display evidence for carbon isotope disequilibrium only, is that skeletal carbonate is precipitated from a DIC pool modified by the incorporation of respiratory CO₂. Differences between the carbon isotope composition of skeletal elements from the same species and co‐existing species living in the same community suggests that significant variations may occur in the extent to which marine DIC and respiratory CO₂ are utilised during calcification. Additional studies of carbon pathways associated with calcification are required to assess the relative effects of kinetic, metabolic, and environmental factors on the carbon isotopic composition of bryozoan skeletal carbonate.