Geochemistry of surface sediment samples from the South Atlantic Ocean

DOI

The aim of the present study is an evaluation of the applicability of biogenic barium as a proxy for productivity. For this purpose, 190 surface sediment samples from the South Atlantic Ocean were analysed for their barium and aluminium concentrations. Biogenic barium is estimated by subtracting the calculated terrigenous barium (obtained from the terrigenous Ba/Al ratio and the amount of Al in the sample) from the total Ba content in the sample. Based on the accumulation rates of biogenic barium, export production is estimated using three different algorithms proposed by [Paleoceanography 7 (1992) 163, doi:10.1029/92PA00181; Global Biogeochem. Cycles 9 (1995) 289, doi:10.1029/95GB00021; Geomar. Report 38 (1995) 105]. Primary productivity was calculated from these different export productions and compared with measurements of recent primary productivity in the overlying surface waters. Only the primary productions calculated on the basis of the algorithm of [Paleoceanography 7 (1992) 163, doi:10.1029/92PA00181] yield productivity values comparable to those existing in ocean surface waters. This study further reveals that it is not sufficient to use a constant, generally applicable organic carbon/biogenic barium ratio, as is postulated by [Global Biogeochem. Cycles 9 (1995) 289, doi:10.1029/95GB00021]. This ratio has to be assessed regionally. For the sediments of the Cape Basin in the eastern South Atlantic Ocean, a new algorithm is developed which gives plausible primary productivities for the overlying surface waters.

Supplement to: Pfeifer, Kerstin; Kasten, Sabine; Hensen, Christian; Schulz, Horst D (2001): Reconstruction of primary productivity from the barium contents in surface sediments of the South Atlantic Ocean. Marine Geology, 177(1-2), 13-24

Identifier
DOI https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.55094
Related Identifier IsSupplementTo https://doi.org/10.1016/S0025-3227(01)00121-9
Related Identifier References https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:gbv:46-ep000103296
Metadata Access https://ws.pangaea.de/oai/provider?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=datacite4&identifier=oai:pangaea.de:doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.55094
Provenance
Creator Pfeifer, Kerstin; Kasten, Sabine ORCID logo; Hensen, Christian; Schulz, Horst D
Publisher PANGAEA
Publication Year 2001
Rights Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
OpenAccess true
Representation
Resource Type Supplementary Dataset; Dataset
Format text/tab-separated-values
Size 840 data points
Discipline Geosciences; Natural Sciences
Spatial Coverage (-60.092W, -48.387S, 15.480E, 7.343N); Walvis Ridge; Angola Basin; Walvis Ridge, Southeast Atlantic Ocean; Guinea Basin; Equatorial Atlantic; Brazil Basin; Romanche fracture zone; Cape Basin; Northern Guinea Basin; Southwest Guinea Basin; Cardno Seamount; West Angola Basin; Mid Atlantic Ridge; East Brazil Basin; Amazon Fan; off Kunene; Namibia Continental Margin; Namibia continental slope; South African margin; Slope off Argentina; Uruguay continental margin; Argentine Basin; Rio Grande Rise; Santos Plateau; Northern Brasil-Basin; Western Equatorial Atlantic; Northern Cape Basin; Vema Channel; Continental slope off Brazil; Northeast Brasilian Margin
Temporal Coverage Begin 1988-02-24T00:00:00Z
Temporal Coverage End 1996-04-01T00:00:00Z