Oxygen-18 Enrichment of Planktonic Foraminifera Due to Gametogenic Calcification Below the Euphotic Zone

Empty shells of spinose planktonic foraminifera on the seabed are significantly enriched in oxygen-18 as compared with the shells of their living counterparts in surface waters. This enrichment is due to gametogenic calcification, which extracts calcium carbonate from deeper and colder waters as the...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science
Main Authors: Blanc, Paul-Louis, Bé, Allan W. H.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 1981
Subjects:
Planktonic foraminifera
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.213.4513.1247
https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.213.4513.1247
Description
Summary:Empty shells of spinose planktonic foraminifera on the seabed are significantly enriched in oxygen-18 as compared with the shells of their living counterparts in surface waters. This enrichment is due to gametogenic calcification, which extracts calcium carbonate from deeper and colder waters as the shell sinks below the euphotic zone.

Similar Items