Methodological approaches to determining the marine radiocarbon reservoir effect
The marine radiocarbon reservoir effect is an offset in 14C age between contemporaneous organisms from the terrestrial environment and organisms that derive their carbon from the marine environment. Quantification of this effect is of crucial importance for correct calibration of the 14 C ages of ma...
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ftuglasgow:oai:eprints.gla.ac.uk:5017 2024-06-02T08:11:20+00:00 Methodological approaches to determining the marine radiocarbon reservoir effect Ascough, P.L. Cook, G.T. Dugmore, A. 2005 text https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/5017/ https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/5017/1/5017.pdf https://doi.org/10.1191/0309133305pp461ra en eng https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/5017/1/5017.pdf Ascough, P.L. <http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/view/author/11034.html>, Cook, G.T. <http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/view/author/5255.html> and Dugmore, A. (2005) Methodological approaches to determining the marine radiocarbon reservoir effect. Progress in Physical Geography <https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/view/journal_volume/Progress_in_Physical_Geography.html>, 29(4), pp. 532-547. (doi:10.1191/0309133305pp461ra <https://doi.org/10.1191/0309133305pp461ra>) GB Physical geography Articles PeerReviewed 2005 ftuglasgow https://doi.org/10.1191/0309133305pp461ra 2024-05-06T15:03:19Z The marine radiocarbon reservoir effect is an offset in 14C age between contemporaneous organisms from the terrestrial environment and organisms that derive their carbon from the marine environment. Quantification of this effect is of crucial importance for correct calibration of the 14 C ages of marine-influenced samples to the calendrical timescale. This is fundamental to the construction of archaeological and palaeoenvironmental chronologies when such samples are employed in 14 C analysis. Quantitative measurements of temporal variations in regional marine reservoir ages also have the potential to be used as a measure of process changes within Earth surface systems, due to their link with climatic and oceanic changes. The various approaches to quantification of the marine radiocarbon reservoir effect are assessed, focusing particularly on the North Atlantic Ocean. Currently, the global average marine reservoir age of surface waters, R(t), is c. 400 radiocarbon years; however, regional values deviate from this as a function of climate and oceanic circulation systems. These local deviations from R(t) are expressed as +R values. Hence, polar waters exhibit greater reservoir ages (δR = c. +400 to +800 14 C y) than equatorial waters (δR = c. 0 14 C y). Observed temporal variations in δR appear to reflect climatic and oceanographic changes. We assess three approaches to quantification of marine reservoir effects using known age samples (from museum collections), tephra isochrones (present onshore/offshore) and paired marine/terrestrial samples (from the same context in, for example, archaeological sites). The strengths and limitations of these approaches are evaluated using examples from the North Atlantic region. It is proposed that, with a suitable protocol, accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) measurements on paired, short-lived, single entity marine and terrestrial samples from archaeological deposits is the most promising approach to constraining changes over at least the last 5 ky BP. Article in Journal/Newspaper North Atlantic University of Glasgow: Enlighten - Publications Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment 29 4 532 547 |
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University of Glasgow: Enlighten - Publications |
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English |
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GB Physical geography |
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GB Physical geography Ascough, P.L. Cook, G.T. Dugmore, A. Methodological approaches to determining the marine radiocarbon reservoir effect |
topic_facet |
GB Physical geography |
description |
The marine radiocarbon reservoir effect is an offset in 14C age between contemporaneous organisms from the terrestrial environment and organisms that derive their carbon from the marine environment. Quantification of this effect is of crucial importance for correct calibration of the 14 C ages of marine-influenced samples to the calendrical timescale. This is fundamental to the construction of archaeological and palaeoenvironmental chronologies when such samples are employed in 14 C analysis. Quantitative measurements of temporal variations in regional marine reservoir ages also have the potential to be used as a measure of process changes within Earth surface systems, due to their link with climatic and oceanic changes. The various approaches to quantification of the marine radiocarbon reservoir effect are assessed, focusing particularly on the North Atlantic Ocean. Currently, the global average marine reservoir age of surface waters, R(t), is c. 400 radiocarbon years; however, regional values deviate from this as a function of climate and oceanic circulation systems. These local deviations from R(t) are expressed as +R values. Hence, polar waters exhibit greater reservoir ages (δR = c. +400 to +800 14 C y) than equatorial waters (δR = c. 0 14 C y). Observed temporal variations in δR appear to reflect climatic and oceanographic changes. We assess three approaches to quantification of marine reservoir effects using known age samples (from museum collections), tephra isochrones (present onshore/offshore) and paired marine/terrestrial samples (from the same context in, for example, archaeological sites). The strengths and limitations of these approaches are evaluated using examples from the North Atlantic region. It is proposed that, with a suitable protocol, accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) measurements on paired, short-lived, single entity marine and terrestrial samples from archaeological deposits is the most promising approach to constraining changes over at least the last 5 ky BP. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Ascough, P.L. Cook, G.T. Dugmore, A. |
author_facet |
Ascough, P.L. Cook, G.T. Dugmore, A. |
author_sort |
Ascough, P.L. |
title |
Methodological approaches to determining the marine radiocarbon reservoir effect |
title_short |
Methodological approaches to determining the marine radiocarbon reservoir effect |
title_full |
Methodological approaches to determining the marine radiocarbon reservoir effect |
title_fullStr |
Methodological approaches to determining the marine radiocarbon reservoir effect |
title_full_unstemmed |
Methodological approaches to determining the marine radiocarbon reservoir effect |
title_sort |
methodological approaches to determining the marine radiocarbon reservoir effect |
publishDate |
2005 |
url |
https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/5017/ https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/5017/1/5017.pdf https://doi.org/10.1191/0309133305pp461ra |
genre |
North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic |
op_relation |
https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/5017/1/5017.pdf Ascough, P.L. <http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/view/author/11034.html>, Cook, G.T. <http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/view/author/5255.html> and Dugmore, A. (2005) Methodological approaches to determining the marine radiocarbon reservoir effect. Progress in Physical Geography <https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/view/journal_volume/Progress_in_Physical_Geography.html>, 29(4), pp. 532-547. (doi:10.1191/0309133305pp461ra <https://doi.org/10.1191/0309133305pp461ra>) |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1191/0309133305pp461ra |
container_title |
Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment |
container_volume |
29 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
532 |
op_container_end_page |
547 |
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1800757434337198080 |