Reconstructing past ocean pH-depth profiles

• Published in: Science
• Main Authors: Palmer, M. R., Pearson, Paul Nicholas, Cobb, S. J.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science 1998
• Subjects: GC Oceanography; Planktonic foraminifera
• Online Access: https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/15256/; http://www.sciencemag.org/content/282/5393/1468.full; https://doi.org/10.1126/science.282.5393.1468

Measurement of boron isotope compositions in species of planktonic foraminifera that calcified their tests at different depths in the water column are used to reconstruct the pH profile of the upper water column of the tropical ocean. Results for five time windows from the middle Miocene to the late Pleistocene indicate pH-depth profiles similar to that of the modern ocean in this area, which suggests that this method may greatly aid in our understanding of the global carbon cycle.