Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Barium And Lithium In Foraminifera: Glacial-Interglacial Changes In The North Atlantic, Jenney M. Hall

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The trace element content of calcareous foraminifera provides a powerful tool to the study of glacial-interglacial changes in the physical and chemical properties of the ocean. Foraminifera incorporate barium in direct proportion to its concentration in seawater. Using barium as a nutrient proxy, Ba/Ca in benthic Planulina wuellerstorfi is used to reconstruct changes in thermocline ventilation and mid-depth circulation in the North Atlantic during the last glacial and deglacial time. Rivers are concentrated in barium compared to surface seawater. Therefore, barium in planktonic Neogloboquadrina pachyderma is used to identify deglacial meltwater in the Arctic Ocean. Foraminiferal Li/Ca was analyzed to …