Testing the alkenone D/H ratio as a paleo indicator of sea surface salinity in a coastal ocean margin (Mozambique Channel)

• Published in: Organic Geochemistry
• Main Authors: Kasper, S., der Meer, M.T.J., Castañeda, I.S., Tjallingii, R., Brummer, G.J.A., Sinninghe Damsté, J.S., Schouten, S.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/life_below_water; name=SDG 14 - Life Below Water; Planktonic foraminifera
• Online Access: https://research.vu.nl/en/publications/492ab451-01bc-4424-a3be-f4668fdb155f; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2014.10.011; https://hdl.handle.net/1871.1/492ab451-01bc-4424-a3be-f4668fdb155f

Reconstructing past ocean salinity is important for assessing paleoceanographic change and therefore past climatic dynamics. Commonly, sea water salinity reconstruction is based on planktonic foraminifera oxygen isotope values combined with sea surface temperature reconstruction. However, the approach relies on multiple proxies, resulting in rather large uncertainty and, consequently, relatively low accuracy of salinity estimates. An alternative tool for past ocean salinity reconstruction is the hydrogen isotope composition of long chain (C