Distinctive $^{13}$C isotopic signature distinguishes a novel sea ice biomarker in Arctic sediments and sediment traps

International audience A C$_{25}$ highly branched isoprenoid (HBI) monoene hydrocarbon, designated IP$_{25}$, has been proposed previously to originate from diatoms living in Arctic sea ice, while the presence of IP25 in sediments has been suggested to be a proxy for the occurrence of former Arctic...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine Chemistry
Main Authors: Belt, Simon, Massé, Guillaume, Vare, Lindsay, Rowland, Steven, Poulin, Michel, Sicre, Marie-Alexandrine, Sampei, Makoto, Fortier, Louis
Other Authors: School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Plymouth (SoGEES), Plymouth University, Canadian Museum of Nature (CANADA), Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement Gif-sur-Yvette (LSCE), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Paléocéanographie (PALEOCEAN), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Laval Québec (ULaval)
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: HAL CCSD 2008
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hal.science/hal-03192517
https://hal.science/hal-03192517/document
https://hal.science/hal-03192517/file/Arctic%20HBI%20isotopes%20SB%20revised.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marchem.2008.09.002
Description
Summary:International audience A C$_{25}$ highly branched isoprenoid (HBI) monoene hydrocarbon, designated IP$_{25}$, has been proposed previously to originate from diatoms living in Arctic sea ice, while the presence of IP25 in sediments has been suggested to be a proxy for the occurrence of former Arctic sea ice. Here, we show that the $^{13}$C isotopic composition of IP$_{25}$ in sea ice, in sediment trap material collected under sea ice, and in high latitude northern sediments, is distinctive (isotopically ‘heavy’) and distinguishable from that of organic matter of planktonic or terrigenous origin. Mean δ$^{13}$C values for IP$_{25}$ were − 22.3 ± 0.4‰ (sea ice), − 19.6 ± 1.1‰ (sediment traps) and − 19.3 ± 2.3‰ (sediments). These measurements, therefore, support further the proposed use of IP$_{25}$ as an Arctic sea ice proxy.