Distribution of the C37 tetra-unsaturated alkenone in Lake Qinghai, China: A potential lake salinity indicator

The alkenone unsaturation index U^K′₃₇ has been applied to reconstruct past temperature changes in both marine and lacustrine systems. However, few studies have addressed whether the relative abundance of the C_37:4 alkenone to the total C₃₇ production (%C_37:4) can reflect surface salinity changes in lacustrine systems. Here we present long-chain C₃₇ alkenone distribution patterns in surface sediments from Lake Qinghai, China. Surface sediments were sampled over a large range of surface salinity changes (1.7-25 g/l) within Lake Qinghai and its surrounding lakes, while temperature differences at these sampling locations should be relatively small. We have found that %C_37:4 varies from 15% to 49% as surface salinity decreases. We tentatively describe this %C_37:4-salinity link with a general linear regression: %C_37:4 = 53.4 (±7.8) − 1.73 (±0.45) × S (n = 28, r² = 0.62), although step-wise %C_37:4 changes in response to salinity variation may exist. U^K′₃₇ values vary between 0.10 and 0.16 at these sites and the inferred range of lake water temperature changes is ∼2-3 °C, suggesting that U^K′₃₇ largely reflects temperature signal across a large salinity range, consistent with previous findings that U^K′₃₇ can indicate temperature changes over a large diversity of environmental settings. We have also found that U^K′₃₇ values are correlated with salinity changes (r² = 0.4), and thus cannot exclude potential temperature effect on %C_37:4 and salinity effect on U^K′₃₇ in this study. However, even extreme estimates of temperature differences within the lake are still unable to explain the observed %C_37:4 changes. We therefore suggest that %C_37:4 could be used to infer past lake salinity changes at a regional scale.     

Controls on alkenone unsaturation ratios along the salinity gradient between the open ocean and the Baltic Sea

Alkenone unsaturation ratios of sedimentary lipids are used as a geochemical proxy for sea surface temperatures, and interest is growing in their potential as indicators of different water masses and possibly of salinity. We analyzed the abundance of unsaturated C₃₇ to C₃₈ ketones in lipid extracts of 57 surface sediment (0-1 cm) samples along a salinity gradient from 8 to 33 psu in the transition from the Skagerrak to the Baltic Sea (NW Europe). In addition to surface sediments, we analyzed alkenones in suspended particulate matter at 13 stations—over a gradient in salinity from 25 to 33 psu—during a bloom of the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi. Alkenones were detected in all samples (suspended matter and sediment) with variable contributions of the tetra-unsaturated C₃₇ alkenone compound (%C_37:4; range from 2 to 10% of total C₃₇ alkenone content). Comparing the alkenone unsaturation index (U₃₇^K′) and %C_37:4 data to climatological sea surface temperature and sea surface salinity data sets revealed that SST estimated from U₃₇^K′ of saline end members (samples from the Skagerrak) is in the general range of modern SST during bloom periods of haptophytes. At salinities below ∼30 psu %C_37:4 increases to above 5% and the unsaturation ratios cease to be related to climatological annual or seasonal sea surface temperatures. On the other hand, the %C_37:4 appears to be inversely and significantly correlated to salinity: Highest C_37:4 proportions in the inner Baltic Sea are caused by an unidentified organism, but in the transition area at salinities down to 10 psu, the producer apparently is E. huxleyi. The suspended matter data together with those from the water column support the hypothesis of changing biosynthesis of alkenones under salt stress by the coccolithophore E. huxleyi, but constrain the maximum of %C_37:4 attributable to salt stress to 10% of all C₃₇ alkenones.     

Evidence for differential degradation of alkenones under contrasting bottom water oxygen conditions: implication for paleotemperature reconstruction

The successful reconstruction of sea surface temperatures using alkenone paleothermometry (U₃₇^k′) has relied on the premise that there is no significant differential degradation of alkenones with different states of unsaturation during diagenetic processes. To test this assumption, we conducted a comparative study of contemporary sediments in oxic and anoxic bottom waters from the Santa Monica Basin, offshore California. Long-chain alkenones were quantified and sea surface temperature were calculated using the calibrated U₃₇^k′–T relationship of Prahl et al. (1988). Our results show that temperature record from the oxic sediments is higher by as much as 4°C compared to those from time-equivalent anoxic sediments as a result of differential degradation of long-chain unsaturated alkenones and bioturbation mixing in the oxic sediments. The differential degradation of C_37:3 vs. C_37:2 alone could account for up to 2.5°C difference between these two records. This finding has significant implication in the interpretation of paleo–sea surface temperature data using alkenone paleothermometry.     

Climatic and environmental controls on the occurrence and distributions of long chain alkenones in lakes of the interior United States

Long chain alkenones (LCA) are temperature-sensitive lipids with great potential for quantitative reconstruction of past continental climate. We conducted the first survey for alkenone biomarkers from 55 different lakes in the Northern Great Plains and Nebraska Sand Hills of the United States. Among those surveyed, we found 13 lakes that contain LCAs in the surface sediments. The highest concentrations of alkenones in sediments are found in cold (mean annual air temperature ∼11 °C versus 17 °C in our warmest sites), brackish to mesosaline (salinity = 8.5-9.7 g/L), and alkaline (pH = 8.4-9.0) lakes with high concentrations of sodium and sulfate. The dynamics of stratification and nutrient availability also appear to play a role in LCA abundance, as early spring mixing promotes a bloom of alkenone-producing haptophytes. Four of the alkenone-containing sites contain the C_37:4 alkenone; however, we discovered an unprecedented lacustrine alkenone distribution in a cluster of lakes, with a total absence of C_37:4 alkenone. We attribute this unusual composition to a different haptophyte species and show that the sulfate:carbonate ratio may control the occurrence of these two distinct populations. We created a new in-situ temperature calibration for lacustrine sites that contain C_37:4 using a water-column calibration from Lake George, ND and show that is linearly correlated to lake water temperature (R² = 0.74), but is not. A number of lakes contain an unidentified compound series that elutes close to the LCAs, highlighting the importance of routine GC-MS examination prior to using lacustrine LCAs for paleotemperature reconstructions.     

Characteristics of alkenones synthesized by a bloom of emiliania huxleyi in the Bering Sea

We investigated the characteristics of the alkenones produced by a bloom of Emiliania huxleyi in the eastern Bering Sea in 2000. Alkenones were detected in surface waters between 57°N and 63°N, where phosphate concentrations were low and the ammonium/nitrate ratio was high. The total alkenone content (C_37:2, C_37:3, and C_37:4) ranged from 22.0 to 349 μg g⁻¹ in suspended particles and from 0.109 to 1.42 μg g⁻¹ in surface sediments. This suggests that a large proportion of the particulate alkenones synthesized in the surface water rapidly degraded within the water column and/or at the water-sediment interface of the Bering Shelf. The change in the stable carbon isotopic composition (δ¹³C) of C_37:3 alkenone could not be explained only by variation in [CO₂(aq)] in the surface water but also depended on the growth rate of E. huxleyi. The alkenone unsaturation index (U^K′₃₇) was converted into an alkenone “temperature” with three equations [Prahl et al 1988], [Sikes et al 1997] and [Müller et al 1998]; Sikes et al.’s (1997) equation gave the best correlation with the observed sea surface temperature (SST) in the eastern Bering Sea. However, some temperatures estimated by Sikes et al.’s (1997) equation from the U^K′₃₇ varied from the observed SST, possibly because of the rapidly changing rate of alkenone synthesis in the logarithmic growth stage or the low rate of alkenone synthesis when nutrients were limiting. Temperatures estimated from U^K′₃₇ in the surface sediments (6.8-8.2°C) matched the observed SST in September (7-8°C) but differed from the annual average SST of 4 to 5°C, suggesting that most of the alkenone in the eastern Bering Sea was synthesized during limited periods, for instance, in September. The relative amounts of C_37:4 alkenone as proportions of the total alkenones (referred to as C_37:4%) were high, ranging from 18.3 to 41.4%. Low-salinity water (<32 psu) within the study area would have contributed to the high C_37:4% because a negative linear relationship between C_37:4% and salinity was found in this study.     

Long-chain alkenone distributions and temperature dependence in lacustrine surface sediments from China

Long-chain alkenones (LCK) of lacustrine surface sediments were analyzed in 37 lakes from China. The results obtained were complemented by published data from 13 other Chinese lakes. These lakes are located across large temperature and precipitation gradients, therefore allowing for an assessment of the distribution pattern of LCK and their temperature dependency. Different distribution patterns of LCK (C₃₇ predominant pattern and C₃₈ predominant pattern) were detected in the surface sediment samples. The ratio of C_37:4 methyl ketone to the sum of C₃₇ alkenones observed in the different lakes is highly variable (5%-96%, with mean value of 55%), and more than that seen in marine systems. The finding that some of the ocean LCK precursor algae (Gephyrocapsa oceanica, Coccolithus pelagicus) were also present in the limnic systems suggested that both systems might have similar biosynthetic sources. Empirical relationships between the alkenone unsaturation index U₃₇^k′ and different temperature sets (mean annual air temperature, mean annual air temperature in different seasons, and lake surface water temperature of July) were tested. The best correlation between U₃₇^k′ and temperature was obtained using mean annual air temperature. A general linear regression of U₃₇^k′ and MAAT can be expressed as U₃₇^k′ = 0.0328 × T + 0.126 (n = 38, r² = 0.83). Although questions such as species-uncertainty and other unknown factors for U₃₇^k′ temperature dependence still remain, the equation might be representative of the average contribution of LCK to sediments for these data over a wide range of surface temperatures, water chemistry and different alkenones-producer algal populations. The general relationship of U₃₇^k′ and mean annual air temperature is consistent with that in marine systems. It supports the suggestion that the biosynthetic pathway of alkenones and the mechanism of their temperature signal may be similar in both marine and limnic systems. LCK might be used as an important paleotemperature proxy in limnic environment.     

Distribution and significance of long-chain alkenones as salinity and temperature indicators in Spanish saline lake sediments

We investigated relationships between sedimentary solvent-extractable long-chain alkenone (LCA) concentration and composition and environmental factors in a suite of endorheic lakes from inland Spain. LCAs were found in 14 of the 54 lakes examined, with concentrations comparable with those from previously published lacustrine settings. The composition of LCAs in our sites, however, contrast from the majority of those previously reported from lake environments; in our study the tri-unsaturated component is the most abundant component at most sites where LCAs are detected, and C_38:3 is the most abundant LCA in the majority of sites. LCA occurrence appears to be restricted to brackish-hypersaline sites and C₃₇ LCAs are absent above a salinity of ∼40 g L⁻¹ suggesting a salinity control on LCA-producing organisms in these sites. Low concentrations of C₃₇ LCA components means and temperature indices are generally not applicable. Instead we find good relationships between C₃₈ components and (in particular mean autumn) temperature and the strongest LCA-temperature relationships are found when using a combination of all C₃₇ and C₃₈ compounds. We propose a new alkenone temperature index for lakes with elevated salinity and where the C₃₈ components dominate the LCA distributions. This is expressed as (r² = 0.80, n = 13). In this paper, we provide the first account of sedimentary LCA distributions from lakes in inland Spain, extending the range of environments within which these compounds have been found and highlighting their significance as indicators of both salinity and temperature in saline, endorheic lake environments. This has important implications for extending the potential role of LCAs as palaeoclimatic indicators in lacustrine environments.     

Temperature and Salinity Effects on Alkenone Ratios Measured in Surface Sediments from the Indian Ocean

We compare alkenone unsaturation ratios measured on recent sediments from the Indian Ocean (20°N–45°S) with modern sea oceanographic parameters. For each of the core sites we estimated average seasonal cycles of sea surface temperature (SST) and salinity, which we then weighted with the seasonal productivity cycle derived from chlorophyll satellite imagery. The unsaturation index (U₃₇^K′) ranges from 0.2 to 1 and correlates with water temperature but not with salinity. TheU₃₇^K′versus SST relationship for Indian Ocean sediments (U₃₇^K′= 0.033 SST + 0.05) is similar to what has been observed for core tops from the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and the Black Sea. A global compilation for core tops givesU₃₇^K′= 0.031 T + 0.084 (R= 0.98), which is close to a previously reported calibration based on particulate organic matter from the water column. For temperatures between 24° and 29°C, however, the slope seems to decrease to about 0.02U₃₇^K′unit/°C. For Indian Ocean core tops, the ratios of total C₃₇alkenones/total C₃₈alkenones and the slope of theU₃₇^K′-SST relationship are similar to those previously observed for cultures ofEmiliania huxleyibut different from those previously published forGephyrocapsa oceanica.EitherE. huxleyiis a major producer of alkenones in the Indian Ocean or strains ofG. oceanicaliving in the northern Indian Ocean behave differently from the one cultured. In contrast with coccolithophorid assemblages, the ratios of C₃₇alkenones to total C₃₈alkenones lack clear geographic pattern in the Indian Ocean.     

Composition and origin of organic matter in surface sediments of Lake Sarbsko: A highly eutrophic and shallow coastal lake (northern Poland)

We present an organic geochemical study of surface sediments of Lake Sarbsko, a shallow coastal lake on the middle Polish Baltic coast. The aim was to provide evidence concerning the origin of the organic matter (OM) and its compositional diversity in surface deposits of this very productive, highly dynamic water body. The content and composition of the OM in the bottom sediments were investigated at 11 sampling stations throughout the lake basin. OM sources were assigned on the basis of bulk indicators [total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), δ¹³C_TOC and δ¹⁵N and extractable OM yield], biomarker composition of extractable OM and compound-specific C isotope signatures. The source characterization of autochthonous compounds was verified via phytoplankton analysis. The distribution of gaseous hydrocarbons in the sediments, as well as temporal changes in lake water pH, the concentration of DIC (dissolved inorganic carbon) and δ¹³C_DIC were used to trace OM decomposition.The sedimentary OM is composed mainly of well preserved phytoplankton compounds and shows minor spatial variability in composition. However, the presence of CH₄ and CO₂ in the bottom deposits provides evidence for microbial degradation of sedimentary OM. The transformation of organic compounds in surface, bottom and pore waters via oxidative processes influences carbonate equilibrium in the lake and seasonally favours precipitation or dissolution of CaCO₃.The data enhance our understanding of the relationships between the composition of sedimentary OM and environmental conditions within coastal ecosystems and shed light on the reliability of OM proxies for environmental reconstruction of coastal lakes.     

Features of acid–saline systems of Southern Australia

The discovery of layered, SO₄-rich sediments on the Meridiani Planum on Mars has focused attention on understanding the formation of acid–saline lakes. Many salt lakes have formed in southern Australia where regional groundwaters are characterized by acidity and high salinity and show features that might be expected in the Meridiani sediments. Many (but not all) of the acid–saline Australian groundwaters are found where underlying Tertiary sediments are sulfide-rich. When waters from the formations come to the surface or interact with oxidised meteoric water, acid groundwaters result. In this paper examples of such waters around Lake Tyrrell, Victoria, and Lake Dey-Dey, South Australia, are reviewed. The acid–saline groundwaters typically have dissolved solids of 30–60 g/L and pH commonly <4.5. Many contain high concentrations of Fe and other metals, leached from local sediments. The combination of acidity and salinity also releases Ra. Around salt-lakes, these acidic waters often emerge at the surface in marginal spring zones where the low density (ρ ∼ 1.04) regional water flows out over the denser (ρ ∼ 1.16) lake brines. In the spring zones examined, large amounts of Fe are commonly precipitated. In a few places minerals of the alunite-jarosite family are formed which can trap many other metals, including Ra. The studied groundwater systems were discovered by U exploration programs following up radiometric anomalies related to this Ra. Evaporation concentrates the lesser soluble salts (gypsum and some halite) on the surface of the lakes. The lake brines contain most of the more soluble salts and form a column within the porous sediments which is held in place by hydrostatic forces around the salt-lake. These brines are near-neutral in pH.     

Unusual C35 and C36 alkenones in a paleoceanographic benchmark strain of Emiliania huxleyi

Our specimen of the cultured Emiliania huxleyi strain (CCMP1742, also known as NEPCC55a) that provides the benchmark for -based paleothermometry has started producing, for reasons yet unclear, major amounts of three new alkenones identified as ω15,22-C₃₅ methyl ketone, ω15,22-C₃₆ ethyl ketone and ω16,23-C₃₆ methyl ketone. Comparison of these structures with those established now by the same OsO₄ derivatization method applied to the di-unsaturated C₃₇, C₃₈ and C₃₉ alkenones typically found in this organism provides insight into the possible pathway for their biosynthesis. Isothermal batch culture experiments also show the content and composition of these new compounds change systematically and quite significantly in cells when subjected to environmental conditions such as nutrient depletion, variation in light availability and prolonged darkness. Alkenones of similarly unusual short-chain length are evident in suspended particulate materials from present day surface waters in the Ligurian Sea (Mediterranean) and in two different Holocene time horizons (Unit I and Unit II deposits) in Black Sea sediments. However, the positions of the double bonds are different from those that we now report in our culture, implying a different biosynthetic sequence. These alkenones are most likely derived from another, as yet unknown, haptophyte species. If this other organism accounts for all documented occurrences of these compounds in natural samples, then either it has a capacity for growth over a remarkably wide salinity range or surface water salinity in the early Holocene Black Sea may not have been as low as is currently believed.     

Pronounced occurrence of long-chain alkenones and dinosterol in a 25,000-year lipid molecular fossil record from Lake Titicaca, South America

Our analysis of lipid molecular fossils from a Lake Titicaca (16° S, 69° W) sediment core reveals distinct changes in the ecology of the lake over an ∼25,000-yr period spanning latest Pleistocene to late Holocene time. Previous investigations have shown that over this time period Lake Titicaca was subject to large changes in lake level in response to regional climatic variability. Our results indicate that lake algal populations were greatly affected by the changing physical and chemical conditions in Lake Titicaca. Hydrocarbons are characterized by a combination of odd-numbered, mid- to long-chain (C₂₁-C₃₁) normal alkanes and alkenes. During periods when lake level was higher (latest Pleistocene, early Holocene, and late Holocene), the C₂₁n-alkane, and the C₂₅ and C₂₇ alkenes dominate hydrocarbon distributions and indicate contribution from an algal source, potentially the freshwater alga Botryococcus braunii. The C₃₀ 4 α-methyl sterol (dinosterol) increases sharply during the mid-Holocene, suggesting a greatly increased dinoflagellate presence at that time. Long-chain alkenones (LCAs) become significant during the early Holocene and are highly abundant in mid-Holocene samples. There are relatively few published records of LCA detection in lake sediments but their occurrence is geographically widespread (Antarctica, Asia, Europe, North America). Lake Titicaca represents the first South American lake and the first low-latitude lake in which LCAs have been reported. LCA abundance and distribution may be related to the temperature-dependent response of an unidentified algal precursor. Although the LCA unsaturation indices cannot be used to determine absolute Lake Titicaca temperatures, we suspect that the published LCA U₃₇^K unsaturation calibrations can be applied to infer relative temperatures for early to mid-Holocene time when LCA concentrations are high. Using these criteria, the U₃₇^K unsaturation indices suggest relatively warmer temperatures in the mid-Holocene. In contrast to previous speculation, lipid analysis provides little evidence of a greatly increased presence of aquatic plants during the mid-Holocene. Instead, it appears that a few algal species were dominant in the lake. Based on the dramatic rise in abundances of LCAs and dinosterol during the early to mid-Holocene, we suspect that the algal producers of these compounds rose in response to a combination of physical and chemical changes in the lake. These include temperature, salinity, and alkalinity changes that occurred as lake level dropped sharply during a multi-millennial drought affecting the Central Andean Altiplano.     

Concurrent purification of sterols,triterpenols and alkenones from sediments for hydrogen isotope analysis using high performance liquid chromatography

Three methods are presented on how to purify acetylated sterols, acetylated triterpenols and individual alkenones for hydrogen isotope analysis from marine and lacustrine sediments using reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The main advantages over previous HPLC methods are reduced operator time, increased automation and the ability to simultaneously purify multiple target compounds from a sample. These gains are achieved primarily by acetylating compounds prior to purification rather than after, and also by using a fraction collector with semi-preparatory rather than analytic configuration. The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated for (i) dinosterol and taraxerol in sediment from the brackish pond Poza del Diablo, Galápagos, (ii) for di- and tri-unsaturated C₃₇ and C₃₈ alkenones in cultured Emiliania huxleyi, (iii) for brassicasterol, and di-, tri- and tetra-unsaturated C₃₇ alkenones in sediment from Manito Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada, and (iv) for brassicasterol, dinosterol and di-, tri- and tetra-unsaturated C₃₇ alkenones in sediment from the Great Salt Lake, Utah. The purification process yields 80–90% recoveries and results in no measurable hydrogen isotope alteration.     

Hydrogen isotopes in individual alkenones from the Chesapeake Bay estuary

Hydrogen isotope ratios of individual alkenones from haptophyte algae were measured in suspended particles and surface sediment from the Chesapeake Bay (CB) estuary, eastern USA, in order to determine their relationship to water δD values and salinity. δD values of four alkenones (MeC_37:2, MeC_37:3, EtC_38:2, EtC_38:3) from particles and sediments were between −165‰ and −221‰ and increased linearly (R² = 0.7-0.9) with water δD values from the head to the mouth of the Bay. Individual alkenones were depleted in deuterium by 156-188‰ relative to water. The MeC₃₇ alkenones were consistently enriched by ∼12‰ relative to the EtC₃₈ alkenones, and the di-unsaturated alkenones of both varieties were consistently enriched by ∼20‰ relative to the tri-unsaturated alkenones. All of the increase in alkenone δD values could be accounted for by the water δD increase. Consequently, no net change in alkenone-water D/H fractionation occurred as a result of the salinity increase from 10 to 29. This observation is at odds with results from culture studies with alkenone-producing marine coccolithophorids, and from two field studies, one with a dinoflagellate sterol in the CB, and one with a wide variety of lipids in saline ponds on Christmas Island, that indicate a decline in D/H fractionation with increasing salinity. Why D/H fractionation in alkenones in the CB showed no dependence on salinity, while D/H fractionation in CB dinsoterol decreased by 1‰ per unit increase in salinity remains to be determined. Two hypotheses we consider to be valid are that (i) the assemblage of alkenone-producing haptophytes changes along the Bay and each species has a different sensitivity to salinity, such that no apparent trend in α_{alkenone-water} occurs along the salinity gradient, and (ii) greater osmoregulation capacity in coastal haptophytes may result in a diminished sensitivity of alkenone-water D/H fractionation to salinity changes.     

Biomarker seasonality study in Lake Van, Turkey

The endorheic Lake Van in eastern Anatolia (Turkey) is the world’s largest soda lake and it is an important site in paleoclimate studies to understand past continental conditions in western Asia. In order to gain further insights into the biomarker signatures in Lake Van’s sediments we have analyzed particulate material in sediment traps deployed between August 2006 and July 2007. The biomarkers used were long chain alkenones (LCAs C₃₇-C₃₉, haptophyte lipids), isoprenoid glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs, Archaea membrane lipids) and pigments (chlorins and fucoxanthin). The biomarker fluxes indicate a strong seasonality in export primary productivity and the phytoplankton community structure. The highest total mass and organic carbon fluxes were found in summer, coupled to strong stratification while the lowest mass fluxes occurred in winter at the time of water column mixing. With increasing temperatures in early spring, phytoplankton export productivity grew, coupled with an increase of total mass flux and organic carbon, which might be associated to enhanced nutrient input from snowmelt runoff. The percentage of C_37:4 shows some correspondence with observed seasonal changes in Lake Van’s stratification structure. We also evaluated the potential applicability of molecular temperature proxies derived from Archaea and haptophyte lipids. The use of the TEX₈₆ proxy was precluded by low GDGT abundances. Estimated LCA temperatures were consistent with temperatures in the photic zone but no seasonality changes were observed despite the wide annual temperature range measured at Lake Van.     

Asynchronous alkenone and foraminifera records from the Benguela Upwelling System

Radiocarbon stratigraphy is an essential tool for high resolution paleoceanographic studies. Age models based on radiocarbon ages of foraminifera are commonly applied to a wide range of geochemical studies, including the investigation of temporal leads and lags. The critical assumption is that temporal coupling between foraminifera and other sediment constituents, including specific molecular organic compounds (biomarkers) of marine phytoplankton, e.g. alkenones, is maintained in the sediments.To test this critical assumption in the Benguela upwelling area, we have determined radiocarbon ages of total C₃₇-C₃₉ alkenones in 20 samples from two gravity cores and three multicorer cores. The cores were retrieved from the continental shelf and slope off Namibia, and samples were taken from Holocene, deglacial and Last Glacial Maximum core sections. The alkenone radiocarbon ages were compared to those of planktic foraminifera, total organic carbon, fatty acids and fine grained carbonates from the same samples. Interestingly, the ages of alkenones were 1000 to 4500 yr older than those of foraminifera in all samples.Such age differences may be the result of different processes: Bioturbation associated with grain size effects, lateral advection of (recycled) material and redeposition of sediment on upper continental slopes due to currents or tidal movement are examples for such processes.Based on the results of this study, the age offsets between foraminifera and alkenones in sediments from the upper continental slope off Namibia most probably do not result from particle-selective bioturbation processes. Resuspension of organic particles in response to tidal movement of bottom waters with velocities up to 25 cm/s recorded near the core sites is the more likely explanation.Our results imply that age control established using radiocarbon measurements of foraminifera may be inadequate for the interpretation of alkenone-based proxy data. Observed temporal leads and lags between foraminifera based data and data derived from alkenone measurements may therefore be secondary signals, i.e. the result of processes associated with particle settling and biological activity.     

Alkenones and coccoliths in ice‐rafted debris during the Last Glacial Maximum in the North Atlantic: implications for the use of UK37′ as a sea surface temperature proxy

The U^K₃₇′ index has proven to be a robust proxy to estimate past sea surface temperatures (SSTs) over a range of time scales, but like any other proxy, it has uncertainties. For instance, in reconstructions of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in the northern North Atlantic, U^K₃₇′ indicates higher temperatures than those derived from foraminiferal proxies. Here we evaluate whether such warm glacial estimates are caused by the advection of reworked alkenones in ice‐rafted debris (IRD) to deep‐sea sediments. We have quantified both coccolith assemblages and alkenones in sediments from glaciogenic debris flows in the continental margins of the northern North Atlantic, and from a deep‐sea core from the Reykjanes Ridge. Certain debris flow deposits in the North Atlantic were generated by the presence of massive ice‐sheets in the past, and their associated ice streams. Such deposits are composed of the same materials that were present in the IRD at the time they were generated. We conclude that ice rafting from some locations was a transport pathway to the deep sea floor of reworked alkenones and pre‐Quaternary coccolith species during glacial stages, but that not all of the IRD contained alkenones, even when reworked coccoliths were present. We speculate that the ratio of reworked coccoliths to alkenone concentration might be useful to infer whether significant reworked alkenone inputs from IRD did occur at a particular site in the glacial North Atlantic. We also observe that alkenones in some of the debris flows contain a colder signal than estimated for LGM sediments in the northern North Atlantic. This is also clear in the deep‐sea core studied where the warmest intervals do not correspond to the intervals with large inputs of reworked coccoliths or IRD. We conclude that any possible bias to U^K₃₇′ estimates associated with reworked alkenones is not necessarily towards higher values, and that the high SST anomalies for the LGM are unlikely to be the result of a bias caused by IRD inputs. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of sediment provenance at drift sites using hydrogen isotopes and unsaturation ratios in alkenones

The large (∼20‰) hydrogen isotopic gradient in surface waters of the northwest Atlantic Ocean is exploited to track changes in the source of alkenones to the Bermuda Rise sediment drift. Cultures of the predominant alkenone-producing coccolithophorid, E. huxleyi, were grown in deuterium-enriched seawater and shown to possess alkenones with a D/H ratio that closely tracked the water D/H ratio (r² = 0.999, n = 5 isotopic enrichments) with a fractionation factor (α) between 0.732 and 0.775. A hydrogen isotopic depletion of -193 ± 3‰ (n = 9) was measured in alkenones from suspended particles relative to seawater in the subpolar and subtropical northwest Atlantic Ocean. This value was used to calculate the water δD values in which alkenones from Bermuda Rise sediment were synthesized, and by extension, the water mass in which they were produced. Applying this technique we find that 60% to 100% of the alkenones in late Holocene Bermuda Rise sediment were produced in deuterium-depleted subpolar water to the northwest of the drift. To reconcile values of the alkenone unsaturation ratio (U^k′₃₇), a widely used proxy for sea surface temperature, with the δD values of alkenones in late Holocene sediments from the Bermuda Rise at least three sources of sediment must be invoked: a cold, very isotopically depleted source, almost certain to be the Scotian Margin; a warm, moderately isotopically-depleted source, likely to be the northwestern edge of the subtropical gyre; and a cold, isotopically enriched source, which we hypothesize to be the subpolar waters overlying the main branch of North Atlantic Deep Water flowing southwest from the Nordic Seas.     

青海湖沉积物中的长链不饱和脂肪酮（长链烯酮）

在青海湖沉积物中检出了含有２～４个双键的长链（Ｃ₃₇－Ｃ₄₀）甲基和乙基脂肪酮。这是世界沉积于碱性环境和各种不同盐度条件下（耳海，淡水；青海湖，半咸水；尕海，咸水）的近代湖泊沉积物中的长链不饱和脂肪酮的首次详细报导。许多地球化学家广泛用这些化合物经过计算公式来估算海洋沉积物的古温度。如果对这些化合物估算海洋沉积物古温度的计算公式进行适当校正，那么也可用这些化合物来推知湖泊沉积物的古温度。