Mg/Ca-Temperature Calibration of Polar Benthic foraminifera species for reconstruction of bottom water temperatures on the Antarctic shelf

Mawbey, Elaine M. and Hendry, Katharine H. and Greaves, Mervyn J. and Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter and Kuhn, Gerhard and Spencer-Jones, Charlotte L. and McClymont, Erin L. and Vadman, Kara J. and Shevenell, Amelia E. and Jernas, Patrycja E. and Smith, James A. (2020) Mg/Ca-Temperature Calibration of Polar Benthic foraminifera species for reconstruction of bottom water temperatures on the Antarctic shelf. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 283. ISSN 00167037 DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2020.05.027

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Abstract

Benthic foraminifera Mg/Ca is a well-established bottom water temperature (BWT) proxy used in paleoclimate studies. The relationship between Mg/Ca and BWT for numerous species has been determined using core-top and culturing studies. However, the scarcity of calcareous microfossils in Antarctic shelf sediments and poorly defined calibrations at low temperatures has limited the use of the foraminiferal Mg/Ca paleothermometer in ice proximal Antarctic sediments. Here we present paired ocean temperature and modern benthic foraminifera Mg/Ca data for three species, Trifarina angulosa, Bulimina aculeata, and Globocassidulina subglobosa, but with a particular focus on Trifarina angulosa. The core-top data from several Antarctic sectors span a BWT range of −1.7 to +1.2 °C and constrain the relationship between Mg/Ca and cold temperatures. We compare our results to published lower-latitude core-top data for species in the same or related genera, and in the case of Trifarina angulosa, produce a regional calibration. The resulting regional equation for Trifarina angulosa is Temperature (°C) = (Mg/Ca −1.14 ± 0.035)/0.069 ± 0.033). Addition of our Trifarina angulosa data to the previously published Uvigerina spp. dataset provides an alternative global calibration, although some data points appear to be offset from this relationship and are discussed. Mg-temperature relationships for Bulimina aculeata and Globocassidulina subglobosa are also combined with previously published data to produce calibration equations of Temperature (°C) = (Mg/Ca-1.04 ± 0.07)/0.099 ± 0.01 and Temperature (°C) = (Mg/Ca-0.99 ± 0.03)/0.087 ± 0.01, respectively. These refined calibrations highlight the potential utility of benthic foraminifera Mg/Ca-paleothermometry for reconstructing past BWT in Antarctic margin settings.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	2020AREP; IA76
Subjects:	01 - Climate Change and Earth-Ocean Atmosphere Systems
Divisions:	01 - Climate Change and Earth-Ocean Atmosphere Systems 07 - Gold Open Access
Journal or Publication Title:	Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
Volume:	283
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2020.05.027
Depositing User:	Sarah Humbert
Date Deposited:	25 Jun 2020 01:50
Last Modified:	25 Jun 2020 01:50
URI:	http://eprints.esc.cam.ac.uk/id/eprint/4766

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