Biogeographic, Geochemical, and Paleoceanographic Investigations of Ostracodes in the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas ...

In this study, I investigated the continental shelf environments of the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas using species of Ostracoda and their shell chemistry as indicators of oceanographic conditions and change. Ostracodes are bivalved Crustacea that secrete a calcareous shell commonly preserved i...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Gemery, Laura
Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
Language:English
Published: Digital Repository at the University of Maryland 2022
Subjects:
Online Access:https://dx.doi.org/10.13016/ghjt-vau7
https://drum.lib.umd.edu/handle/1903/28711
Description
Summary:In this study, I investigated the continental shelf environments of the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas using species of Ostracoda and their shell chemistry as indicators of oceanographic conditions and change. Ostracodes are bivalved Crustacea that secrete a calcareous shell commonly preserved in sediments in the Arctic. Because ostracode species have survival limits controlled by temperature, salinity, oxygen, sea ice, food, and other habitat-related factors, they are useful ecological indicators. A primary objective of my dissertation research was to establish how their ecology, biogeography and shell geochemistry is related to ocean variability in water mass properties and productivity at high latitudes. First, I examined community assemblages of ostracodes over several decades (1970-2018) in the northern Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas, and the main environmental factors that affect their biogeography. Results showed that large-scale south-to-north and small-scale nearshore-offshore gradients in ...