Testing for ocean acidification during the Early Toarcian using δ 44/40 Ca and δ 88/86 Sr ...

During the Early Toarcian, volcanic gases released by the Karoo-Ferrar large igneous province are widely believed to have caused severe environmental disturbances, including ocean acidification. Here we show records of δ Ca and δ Sr through the Early Toarcian, as recorded in three groups of biogenic...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Li, Q, McArthur, JM, Thirlwall, MF, Turchyn, AV, Page, K, Bradbury, HJ, Weis, R, Lowry, D
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Elsevier BV 2021
Subjects:
OAE
Online Access:https://dx.doi.org/10.17863/cam.73847
https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/326391
Description
Summary:During the Early Toarcian, volcanic gases released by the Karoo-Ferrar large igneous province are widely believed to have caused severe environmental disturbances, including ocean acidification. Here we show records of δ Ca and δ Sr through the Early Toarcian, as recorded in three groups of biogenic calcite: Megateuthididae belemnites, Passaloteuthididae belemnites, and brachiopods of the species Soaresirhynchia bouchardi. We evaluate the data to eliminate the influence on isotopic composition of varying temperature, calcification rate, and salinity, through the section that may mask the environmental signals. Neither δ Ca nor δ Sr show negative isotope excursions across the suggested acidification interval as would be expected had acidification occurred. A profile of δ B, re-interpreted from a published study, shows no variation through the interval. Taken together, these data provide little support for ocean acidification at this time. In our belemnites, values of δ Sr are independent of temperature or ...