Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-4-2015
Keywords
Marine biology, Palaeoceanography
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms7521
Abstract
Fossils of marine microorganisms such as planktic foraminifera are among the cornerstones of palaeoclimatological studies. It is often assumed that the proxies derived from their shells represent ocean conditions above the location where they were deposited. Planktic foraminifera, however, are carried by ocean currents and, depending on the life traits of the species, potentially incorporate distant ocean conditions. Here we use high-resolution ocean models to assess the footprint of planktic foraminifera and validate our method with proxy analyses from two locations. Results show that foraminifera, and thus recorded palaeoclimatic conditions, may originate from areas up to several thousands of kilometres away, reflecting an ocean state significantly different from the core site. In the eastern equatorial regions and the western boundary current extensions, the offset may reach 1.5 °C for species living for a month and 3.0 °C for longer-living species. Oceanic transport hence appears to be a crucial aspect in the interpretation of proxy signals.
Rights Information
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Was this content written or created while at USF?
No
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Nature Communications, v. 6, art. 6521
Scholar Commons Citation
van Sebille, Erik; Scussolini, Paolo; Durgadoo, Jonathan V.; Peeters, Frank J. C.; Biastoch, Arne; Weijer, Wilbert; Turney, Chris; Paris, Claire B.; and Zahn, Rainer, "Ocean Currents Generate Large Footprints in Marine Palaeoclimate Proxies" (2015). C-IMAGE Publications. 116.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/cimage_pubs/116
