Mapping of C4 plant input from North West Africa into North East Atlantic sediments ...

Mapping the abundance of 13C in leaf-wax components in surface sediments recovered from the seafloor off northwest Africa (0–35°N) reveals a clear pattern of delta13C distribution, indicating systematic changes in the proportions of terrestrial C3 and C4 plant input. At 20°N latitude, we find that i...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Huang, Yongsong, Dupont, Lydie M, Sarnthein, Michael, Hayes, John M, Eglinton, Geoffrey
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: PANGAEA 2000
Subjects:
Guadiana Estuary
Box corer
MultiCorer
Aeolian dust sample
Kasten corer
van Veen Grab
Box corer Reineck
Piston corer Kiel type
Gravity corer Kiel type
Giant box corer
DI135
DI194
CD53
D177
D187
M25
VA-10/3
M51
M60
M65
ANT-IV/1c
M6/5
Discovery II 1929
Charles Darwin
Discovery 1962
Meteor 1964
Valdivia 1961
Polarstern
Meteor 1986
North East Atlantic
Online Access:https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.692076
https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.692076
Description
Summary:Mapping the abundance of 13C in leaf-wax components in surface sediments recovered from the seafloor off northwest Africa (0–35°N) reveals a clear pattern of delta13C distribution, indicating systematic changes in the proportions of terrestrial C3 and C4 plant input. At 20°N latitude, we find that isotopically enriched products characteristic of C4 plants account for more than 50% of the terrigenous inputs. This signal extends westward beneath the path of the dust-laden Sahara Air Layer (SAL). High C4 contributions, apparently carried by January trade winds, also extend far into the Gulf of Guinea. Similar distributions are obtained if summed pollen counts for the Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae and the Poaceae are used as an independent C4 proxy. We conclude that the specificity of the latitudinal distribution of vegetation in North West Africa and the pathways of the wind systems (trade winds and SAL) are responsible for the observed isotopic patterns observed in the surface sediments. Molecular-isotopic maps ... : Supplement to: Huang, Yongsong; Dupont, Lydie M; Sarnthein, Michael; Hayes, John M; Eglinton, Geoffrey (2000): Mapping of C4 plant input from North West Africa into North East Atlantic sediments. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 64(20), 3505-3513 ...

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