Paleoclimate of the Late Oligocene Arctic Ocean: Molluscan Isotopic and Biotic Evidence

Molluscan isotopic and biotic evidence was used to determine the paleotemperature of the Late Oligocene Arctic Ocean during an important period of climate change. Mollusks were collected from the Nuwok Member type section on the Arctic coast of Alaska. A systematic analysis was conducted to determin...

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Bibliographic Details
Other Authors: Port, Rebecca B., Oleinik, Anton E. (Thesis advisor), Florida Atlantic University (Degree grantor)
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Florida Atlantic University
Subjects:
Marine animals
Fossil > Arctic Ocean
Geology > Alaska
Deep-sea temperature > Mathematical models
Geology
Stratigraphic > Oligocene
Paleogeography > Alaska
Arctic
Arctic Ocean
Climate change
Alaska
Online Access:http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000811
https://fau.digital.flvc.org/islandora/object/fau%3A36338/datastream/TN/view/Paleoclimate%20of%20the%20Late%20Oligocene%20Arctic%20Ocean%3A%20Molluscan%20Isotopic%20and%20Biotic%20Evidence.jpg
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Summary:Molluscan isotopic and biotic evidence was used to determine the paleotemperature of the Late Oligocene Arctic Ocean during an important period of climate change. Mollusks were collected from the Nuwok Member type section on the Arctic coast of Alaska. A systematic analysis was conducted to determine the position of Late Oligocene Arctic mollusks within a context of marine Cenozoic evolution and diversification. Oxygen stable isotope ratios of five fossil genera were used to calculate paleotemperatures and analyze growth histories. Taxa were selected to check for compatibility of results between fossil genera from the same environment. Oxygen stable isotope ratios of four recent high-latitude genera were analyzed for comparative purposes. Isotopically derived paleotemperatures represent the first documented quantitative temperatures for the Late Oligocene Arctic Ocean. Isotopic and systematic results give great insight into the extent and degree of Arctic cooling by the Late Oligocene and the origin of modem Arctic mollusks. Charles E. Schmidt College of Science Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2008.

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