Adkins
Jess F.
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Jess F.
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ArticleMarine20-the marine radiocarbon age calibration curve (0-55,000 cal BP)(Cambridge University Press, 2020-08-12) Heaton, Timothy J. ; Köhler, Peter ; Butzin, Martin ; Bard, Edouard ; Reimer, Ron W. ; Austin, William E. N. ; Bronk Ramsey, Christopher ; Grootes, Pieter M. ; Hughen, Konrad A. ; Kromer, Bernd ; Reimer, Paula J. ; Adkins, Jess F. ; Burke, Andrea ; Cook, Mea S. ; Olsen, Jesper ; Skinner, Luke C.The concentration of radiocarbon (14C) differs between ocean and atmosphere. Radiocarbon determinations from samples which obtained their 14C in the marine environment therefore need a marine-specific calibration curve and cannot be calibrated directly against the atmospheric-based IntCal20 curve. This paper presents Marine20, an update to the internationally agreed marine radiocarbon age calibration curve that provides a non-polar global-average marine record of radiocarbon from 0–55 cal kBP and serves as a baseline for regional oceanic variation. Marine20 is intended for calibration of marine radiocarbon samples from non-polar regions; it is not suitable for calibration in polar regions where variability in sea ice extent, ocean upwelling and air-sea gas exchange may have caused larger changes to concentrations of marine radiocarbon. The Marine20 curve is based upon 500 simulations with an ocean/atmosphere/biosphere box-model of the global carbon cycle that has been forced by posterior realizations of our Northern Hemispheric atmospheric IntCal20 14C curve and reconstructed changes in CO2 obtained from ice core data. These forcings enable us to incorporate carbon cycle dynamics and temporal changes in the atmospheric 14C level. The box-model simulations of the global-average marine radiocarbon reservoir age are similar to those of a more complex three-dimensional ocean general circulation model. However, simplicity and speed of the box model allow us to use a Monte Carlo approach to rigorously propagate the uncertainty in both the historic concentration of atmospheric 14C and other key parameters of the carbon cycle through to our final Marine20 calibration curve. This robust propagation of uncertainty is fundamental to providing reliable precision for the radiocarbon age calibration of marine based samples. We make a first step towards deconvolving the contributions of different processes to the total uncertainty; discuss the main differences of Marine20 from the previous age calibration curve Marine13; and identify the limitations of our approach together with key areas for further work. The updated values for ΔR, the regional marine radiocarbon reservoir age corrections required to calibrate against Marine20, can be found at the data base http://calib.org/marine/.
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ArticleStrong depth-related zonation of megabenthos on a rocky continental margin (∼700–4000 m) off southern Tasmania, Australia(Public Library of Science, 2014-01-22) Thresher, Ronald E. ; Althaus, Franziska ; Adkins, Jess F. ; Gowlett-Holmes, Karen ; Alderslade, Phil ; Dowdney, Jo ; Cho, Walter W. ; Gagnon, Alexander C. ; Staples, David ; McEnnulty, Felicity ; Williams, AlanAssemblages of megabenthos are structured in seven depth-related zones between ~700 and 4000 m on the rocky and topographically complex continental margin south of Tasmania, southeastern Australia. These patterns emerge from analysis of imagery and specimen collections taken from a suite of surveys using photographic and in situ sampling by epibenthic sleds, towed video cameras, an autonomous underwater vehicle and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). Seamount peaks in shallow zones had relatively low biomass and low diversity assemblages, which may be in part natural and in part due to effects of bottom trawl fishing. Species richness was highest at intermediate depths (1000–1300 m) as a result of an extensive coral reef community based on the bioherm-forming scleractinian Solenosmilia variabilis. However, megabenthos abundance peaked in a deeper, low diversity assemblage at 2000–2500 m. The S. variabilis reef and the deep biomass zone were separated by an extensive dead, sub-fossil S. variabilis reef and a relatively low biomass stratum on volcanic rock roughly coincident with the oxygen minimum layer. Below 2400 m, megabenthos was increasingly sparse, though punctuated by occasional small pockets of relatively high diversity and biomass. Nonetheless, megabenthic organisms were observed in the vast majority of photographs on all seabed habitats and to the maximum depths observed - a sandy plain below 3950 m. Taxonomic studies in progress suggest that the observed depth zonation is based in part on changing species mixes with depth, but also an underlying commonality to much of the seamount and rocky substrate biota across all depths. Although the mechanisms supporting the extraordinarily high biomass in 2000–2500 m depths remains obscure, plausible explanations include equatorwards lateral transport of polar production and/or a response to depth-stratified oxygen availability.
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ArticlePrimary U distribution in scleractinian corals and its implications for U series dating(American Geophysical Union, 2006-05-24) Robinson, Laura F. ; Adkins, Jess F. ; Fernandez, Diego P. ; Burnett, Donald S. ; Wang, S.-L. ; Gagnon, Alexander C. ; Krakauer, NirIn this study we use microsampling techniques to explore diagenetic processes in carbonates. These processes are important as they can affect the accuracy of U series chronometry. Fission track maps of deep-sea scleractinian corals show a threefold difference between the minimum and maximum [U] in modern corals, which is reduced to a factor of 2 in fossil corals. We use micromilling and MC-ICP-MS to make detailed analyses of the [U] and δ234Uinitial distributions in corals from 218 ka to modern. Within each fossil coral we observe a large range of δ234Uinitial values, with high δ234Uinitial values typically associated with low [U]. A simple model shows that this observation is best explained by preferential movement of alpha-decay produced 234U atoms (alpha-recoil diffusion). Open-system addition of 234U may occur when alpha-recoil diffusion is coupled with a high [U] surface layer, such as organic material. This process can result in large, whole-coral δ234Uinitial elevations with little effect on the final age. The diagenetic pathways that we model are relevant to both shallow-water and deep-sea scleractinian corals since both exhibit primary [U] heterogeneity and may be subject to U addition.
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ArticleGEOTRACES IC1 (BATS) contamination-prone trace element isotopes Cd, Fe, Pb, Zn, Cu, and Mo intercalibration(Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, 2012-09) Boyle, Edward A. ; John, Seth G. ; Abouchami, Wafa ; Adkins, Jess F. ; Echegoyen-Sanz, Yolanda ; Ellwood, Michael J. ; Flegal, A. Russell ; Fornace, Kyrstin L. ; Gallon, Celine ; Galer, Stephen J. G. ; Gault-Ringold, Melanie ; Lacan, Francois ; Radic, Amandine ; Rehkamper, Mark ; Rouxel, Olivier J. ; Sohrin, Yoshiki ; Stirling, Claudine H. ; Thompson, Claire ; Vance, Derek ; Xue, Zichen ; Zhao, YeWe report data on the isotopic composition of cadmium, copper, iron, lead, zinc, and molybdenum at the GEOTRACES IC1 BATS Atlantic intercalibration station. In general, the between lab and within-lab precisions are adequate to resolve global gradients and vertical gradients at this station for Cd, Fe, Pb, and Zn. Cd and Zn isotopes show clear variations in the upper water column and more subtle variations in the deep water; these variations are attributable, in part, to progressive mass fractionation of isotopes by Rayleigh distillation from biogenic uptake and/or adsorption. Fe isotope variability is attributed to heavier crustal dust and hydrothermal sources and light Fe from reducing sediments. Pb isotope variability results from temporal changes in anthropogenic source isotopic compositions and the relative contributions of U.S. and European Pb sources. Cu and Mo isotope variability is more subtle and close to analytical precision. Although the present situation is adequate for proceeding with GEOTRACES, it should be possible to improve the within-lab and between-lab precisions for some of these properties.
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ArticleDeep-sea scleractinian coral age and depth distributions in the northwest Atlantic for the last 225,000 years(University of Miami - Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, 2007-11-01) Robinson, Laura F. ; Adkins, Jess F. ; Scheirer, Daniel S. ; Fernandez, Diego P. ; Gagnon, Alexander C. ; Waller, Rhian G.Deep-sea corals have grown for over 200,000 yrs on the New England Seamounts in the northwest Atlantic, and this paper describes their distribution both with respect to depth and time. Many thousands of fossil scleractinian corals were collected on a series of cruises from 2003-2005; by contrast, live ones were scarce. On these seamounts, the depth distribution of fossil Desmophyllum dianthus (Esper, 1794) is markedly different to that of the colonial scleractinian corals, extending 750 m deeper in the water column to a distinct cut-off at 2500 m. This cut-off is likely to be controlled by the maximum depth of a notch-shaped feature in the seamount morphology. The ages of D. dianthus corals as determined by U-series measurements range from modern to older than 200,000 yrs. The age distribution is not constant over time, and most corals have ages from the last glacial period. Within the glacial period, increases in coral population density at Muir and Manning Sea-mounts coincided with times at which large-scale ocean circulation changes have been documented in the deep North Atlantic. Ocean circulation changes have an effect on coral distributions, but the cause of the link is not known.
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ArticleMovement of deep-sea coral populations on climatic timescales(John Wiley & Sons, 2013-05-30) Thiagarajan, Nivedita ; Gerlach, Dana ; Roberts, Mark L. ; Burke, Andrea ; McNichol, Ann P. ; Jenkins, William J. ; Subhas, Adam V. ; Thresher, Ronald E. ; Adkins, Jess F.During the past 40,000 years, global climate has moved into and out of a full glacial period, with the deglaciation marked by several millennial-scale rapid climate change events. Here we investigate the ecological response of deep-sea coral communities to both glaciation and these rapid climate change events. We find that the deep-sea coral populations of Desmophyllum dianthus in both the North Atlantic and the Tasmanian seamounts expand at times of rapid climate change. However, during the more stable Last Glacial Maximum, the coral population globally retreats to a more restricted depth range. Holocene populations show regional patterns that provide some insight into what causes these dramatic changes in population structure. The most important factors are likely responses to climatically driven changes in productivity, [O2] and [CO32–].
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ArticleNeodymium isotope analyses after combined extraction of actinide and lanthanide elements from seawater and deep-sea coral aragonite(John Wiley & Sons, 2016-01-09) Struve, Torben ; van de Flierdt, Tina ; Robinson, Laura F. ; Bradtmiller, Louisa I. ; Hines, Sophia K. ; Adkins, Jess F. ; Lambelet, Myriam ; Crocket, Kirsty C. ; Kreissig, Katharina ; Coles, Barry ; Auro, Maureen E.Isotopes of the actinide elements protactinium (Pa), thorium (Th), and uranium (U), and the lanthanide element neodymium (Nd) are often used as complementary tracers of modern and past oceanic processes. The extraction of such elements from low abundance matrices, such as seawater and carbonate, is however labor-intensive and requires significant amounts of sample material. We here present a combined method for the extraction of Pa, Th, and Nd from 5 to 10 L seawater samples, and of U, Th, and Nd from <1 g carbonate samples. Neodymium is collected in the respective wash fractions of Pa-Th and U-Th anion exchange chromatographies. Regardless of the original sample matrix, Nd is extracted during a two-stage ion chromatography, followed by thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) analysis as NdO+. Using this combined procedure, we obtained results for Nd isotopic compositions on two GEOTRACES consensus samples from Bermuda Atlantic Time Series (BATS), which are within error identical to results for separately sampled and processed dedicated Nd samples (εNd = −9.20 ± 0.21 and −13.11 ± 0.21 for 15 and 2000 m water depths, respectively; intercalibration results from 14 laboratories: εNd = −9.19 ± 0.57 and −13.14 ± 0.57). Furthermore, Nd isotope results for an in-house coral reference material are identical within analytical uncertainty for dedicated Nd chemistry and after collection of Nd from U-Th anion exchange chromatography. Our procedure does not require major adaptations to independently used ion exchange chromatographies for U-Pa-Th and Nd, and can hence be readily implemented for a wide range of applications.
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ArticleLow reservoir ages for the surface ocean from mid-Holocene Florida corals(American Geophysical Union, 2008-05-13) Druffel, Ellen R. M. ; Robinson, Laura F. ; Griffin, Sheila ; Halley, Robert B. ; Southon, John R. ; Adkins, Jess F.The 14C reservoir age of the surface ocean was determined for two Holocene periods (4908–4955 and 3008–3066 calendar (cal) B.P.) using U/Th-dated corals from Biscayne National Park, Florida, United States. We found that the average reservoir ages for these two time periods (294 ± 33 and 291 ± 27 years, respectively) were lower than the average value between A.D. 1600 and 1900 (390 ± 60 years) from corals. It appears that the surface ocean was closer to isotopic equilibrium with CO2 in the atmosphere during these two time periods than it was during recent times. Seasonal δ 18O measurements from the younger coral are similar to modern values, suggesting that mixing with open ocean waters was indeed occurring during this coral's lifetime. Likely explanations for the lower reservoir age include increased stratification of the surface ocean or increased Δ14C values of subsurface waters that mix into the surface. Our results imply that a more correct reservoir age correction for radiocarbon measurements of marine samples in this location from the time periods ∼3040 and ∼4930 cal years B.P. is ∼292 ± 30 years, less than the canonical value of 404 ± 20 years.
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DatasetSuspended PIC, PC, PN data collected along a North Pacific transect between Hawaii and Alaska on R/V Kilo Moana cruise KM1712 in August 2017(Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO). Contact: bco-dmo-data@whoi.edu, 2021-09-23) Dong, Sijia ; Berelson, William M. ; Adkins, Jess F. ; Subhas, Adam V. ; Rollins, Nick E.This dataset includes general measurements for in situ pump casts at 5 stations on a transect between Hawaii and Alaska. Data was collected in August 2017 onboard R/V Kilo Moana cruise KM1712. For a complete list of measurements, refer to the full dataset description in the supplemental file 'Dataset_description.pdf'. The most current version of this dataset is available at: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/860409
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DatasetIn situ experimentally determined dissolution rates of biogenic calcites along a North Pacific transect between Hawaii and Alaska (KM1712 expedition) in August 2017(Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO). Contact: bco-dmo-data@whoi.edu, 2022-08-03) Berelson, William M. ; Adkins, Jess F. ; Subhas, Adam V. ; Dong, Sijia ; Naviaux, John D.This dataset includes biogenic and inorganic calcite and aragonite dissolution rates from the CDisK-IV cruise in the North Pacific Ocean, August 2017. We include niskin incubator alkalinity, pH, silicate, phosphate, and nitrate data, as well as calculated saturation state and dissolution rates. Rates are reported in units of g/g/day and also g/cm2/day, normalized by the specific surface areas of the materials used. Dissolution rates of inorganic aragonite and calcite, along with biogenic E. huxleyi liths, a planktic foraminifera assemblage, and a benthic foraminifera Amphistegina species, are provided, for 4 out of the 6 stations occupied on the cruise. For a complete list of measurements, refer to the full dataset description in the supplemental file 'Dataset_description.pdf'. The most current version of this dataset is available at: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/856409
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DatasetCarbonate chemistry and CTD data collected along a North Pacific transect between Hawaii and Alaska on R/V Kilo Moana cruise KM1712 in August 2017(Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO). Contact: bco-dmo-data@whoi.edu, 2022-02-01) Dong, Sijia ; Liu, Xuewu ; Naviaux, John D. ; Subhas, Adam V. ; Rollins, Nick E. ; Adkins, Jess F. ; Berelson, William M.This dataset includes carbonate chemistry and general measurements from CTD casts at 6 stations between Hawaii and Alaska. Data were collected in August 2017 onboard R/V Kilo Moana. For a complete list of measurements, refer to the full dataset description in the supplemental file 'Dataset_description.pdf'. The most current version of this dataset is available at: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/836954
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PreprintActinium and radium fluxes from the seabed in the northeast Pacific Basin(Elsevier, 2022-10-22) Kemnitz, Nathaniel ; Hammond, Douglas E. ; Henderson, Paul ; Le Roy, Emilie ; Charette, Matthew ; Moore, Willard ; Anderson, Robert F. ; Fleisher, Martin Q. ; Leal, Anne ; Black, Erin ; Hayes, Christopher T. ; Adkins, Jess ; Berelson, William ; Bian, XiaopengFive sediment cores were collected along a cruise tract from Hawaii to Alaska in August 2017 (C-Disk-IV cruise) with the objective of characterizing the behavior of 227Ac, 228Ra, and 226Ra and their fluxes into the overlying water column, information that is essential to the interpretation of the distribution of these tracers in the ocean, for example, as measured on GEOTRACES cruises. Solid phase profiles of these isotopes were measured, and reaction-transport models were applied that incorporated molecular diffusion, bioturbation, sedimentation, distribution coefficients (kd), and the fraction of each isotope released to pore water by parent decay (called F). Fits to these profiles used kd values determined in lab experiments for C-Disk-IV sediments. Ra kd values (1000–3000 mL g−1) agreed with previous estimates for deep-sea sediments, and Ac kd values (3500–22,000 mL g−1) correlated with those for Ra but were about 7 times greater. Two independent approaches were used to quantify the benthic fluxes of 227Ac and 228Ra in the Northeast Pacific: (1) use of solid phase profiles with a reaction-transport model, as well as integrated downcore daughter-parent deficiency; and (2) direct measurement of fluxes based on core incubation. The two independent methods agreed within uncertainty, and the average 227Ac and 228Ra sediment fluxes for the Northeast Pacific are 90 ± 20 and 600 ± 200 dpm m−2-yr−1, respectively. The 226Ra sediment flux was only determined by the former approach, and the flux calculated in this study is similar to previous work in the North Pacific, averaging 1300 ± 200 dpm m−2-yr−1. This is over 2× higher than the water column inventory of 226Ra in this region (600 dpm m−2-yr−1), and indicates the importance of lateral 226Ra export from the N. Pacific. The largest 227Ac and Ra isotope fluxes in the study area are near the center of the Northeast Pacific (∼37°N). Smaller 227Ac, 228Ra and 226Ra fluxes occur north of 40°N, primarily due to dilution of their Pa and Th ancestors by higher sediment accumulation rates.
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DatasetCarbonate chemistry and CTD data collected along a North Pacific transect between Hawaii and Alaska on R/V Kilo Moana cruise KM1712 in August 2017(Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO). Contact: bco-dmo-data@whoi.edu, 2021-01-20) Dong, Sijia ; Liu, Xuewu ; Naviaux, John D. ; Subhas, Adam V. ; Rollins, Nick E. ; Adkins, Jess F. ; Berelson, William M.This dataset includes carbonate chemistry and general measurements from CTD casts at 6 stations between Hawaii and Alaska. Data were collected in August 2017 onboard R/V Kilo Moana. For a complete list of measurements, refer to the full dataset description in the supplemental file 'Dataset_description.pdf'. The most current version of this dataset is available at: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/836954
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DatasetSinking PIC, PC in shallow sediment traps collected along a North Pacific transect between Hawaii and Alaska on R/V Kilo Moana cruise KM1712 in August 2017(Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO). Contact: bco-dmo-data@whoi.edu, 2021-09-23) Dong, Sijia ; Berelson, William M. ; Adkins, Jess F. ; Subhas, Adam V. ; Rollins, Nick E.This dataset includes general measurements for sediment trap casts at 5 stations along a transect between Hawaii and Alaska. Data was collected in August 2017 onboard R/V Kilo Moana cruise KM1712. For a complete list of measurements, refer to the full dataset description in the supplemental file 'Dataset_description.pdf'. The most current version of this dataset is available at: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/860424
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ArticleShallow calcium carbonate cycling in the North Pacific Ocean(American Geophysical Union, 2022-05-06) Subhas, Adam V. ; Dong, Sijia ; Naviaux, John D. ; Rollins, Nick E. ; Ziveri, Patrizia ; Gray, William R. ; Rae, James W. B. ; Liu, Xuewu ; Byrne, Robert H. ; Chen, Sang ; Moore, Christopher ; Martell-Bonet, Loraine ; Steiner, Zvi ; Antler, Gilad ; Hu, Huanting ; Lunstrum, Abby ; Hou, Yi ; Kemnitz, Nathaniel ; Stutsman, Johnny ; Pallacks, Sven ; Dugenne, Mathilde ; Quay, Paul D. ; Berelson, William M. ; Adkins, Jess F.The cycling of biologically produced calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in the ocean is a fundamental component of the global carbon cycle. Here, we present experimental determinations of in situ coccolith and foraminiferal calcite dissolution rates. We combine these rates with solid phase fluxes, dissolved tracers, and historical data to constrain the alkalinity cycle in the shallow North Pacific Ocean. The in situ dissolution rates of coccolithophores demonstrate a nonlinear dependence on saturation state. Dissolution rates of all three major calcifying groups (coccoliths, foraminifera, and aragonitic pteropods) are too slow to explain the patterns of both CaCO3 sinking flux and alkalinity regeneration in the North Pacific. Using a combination of dissolved and solid-phase tracers, we document a significant dissolution signal in seawater supersaturated for calcite. Driving CaCO3 dissolution with a combination of ambient saturation state and oxygen consumption simultaneously explains solid-phase CaCO3 flux profiles and patterns of alkalinity regeneration across the entire N. Pacific basin. We do not need to invoke the presence of carbonate phases with higher solubilities. Instead, biomineralization and metabolic processes intimately associate the acid (CO2) and the base (CaCO3) in the same particles, driving the coupled shallow remineralization of organic carbon and CaCO3. The linkage of these processes likely occurs through a combination of dissolution due to zooplankton grazing and microbial aerobic respiration within degrading particle aggregates. The coupling of these cycles acts as a major filter on the export of both organic and inorganic carbon to the deep ocean.
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ArticleInterlaboratory study for coral Sr/Ca and other element/Ca ratio measurements(John Wiley & Sons, 2013-09-23) Hathorne, Ed C. ; Gagnon, Alexander C. ; Felis, Thomas ; Adkins, Jess F. ; Asami, Ryuji ; Boer, Wim ; Caillon, Nicolas ; Case, David H. ; Cobb, Kim M. ; Douville, Eric ; deMenocal, Peter B. ; Eisenhauer, Anton ; Garbe-Schonberg, Dieter ; Geibert, Walter ; Goldstein, Steven L. ; Hughen, Konrad A. ; Inoue, Mayuri ; Kawahata, Hodaka ; Kolling, Martin ; Cornec, Florence L. ; Linsley, Braddock K. ; McGregor, Helen V. ; Montagna, Paolo ; Nurhati, Intan S. ; Quinn, Terrence M. ; Raddatz, Jacek ; Rebaubier, Helene ; Robinson, Laura F. ; Sadekov, Aleksey ; Sherrell, Robert M. ; Sinclair, Dan ; Tudhope, Alexander W. ; Wei, Gangjian ; Wong, Henri ; Wu, Henry C. ; You, Chen-FengThe Sr/Ca ratio of coral aragonite is used to reconstruct past sea surface temperature (SST). Twenty-one laboratories took part in an interlaboratory study of coral Sr/Ca measurements. Results show interlaboratory bias can be significant, and in the extreme case could result in a range in SST estimates of 7°C. However, most of the data fall within a narrower range and the Porites coral reference material JCp-1 is now characterized well enough to have a certified Sr/Ca value of 8.838 mmol/mol with an expanded uncertainty of 0.089 mmol/mol following International Association of Geoanalysts (IAG) guidelines. This uncertainty, at the 95% confidence level, equates to 1.5°C for SST estimates using Porites, so is approaching fitness for purpose. The comparable median within laboratory error is <0.5°C. This difference in uncertainties illustrates the interlaboratory bias component that should be reduced through the use of reference materials like the JCp-1. There are many potential sources contributing to biases in comparative methods but traces of Sr in Ca standards and uncertainties in reference solution composition can account for half of the combined uncertainty. Consensus values that fulfil the requirements to be certified values were also obtained for Mg/Ca in JCp-1 and for Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca ratios in the JCt-1 giant clam reference material. Reference values with variable fitness for purpose have also been obtained for Li/Ca, B/Ca, Ba/Ca, and U/Ca in both reference materials. In future, studies reporting coral element/Ca data should also report the average value obtained for a reference material such as the JCp-1.
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ArticleAncient DNA techniques : applications for deep-water corals(University of Miami - Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, 2007-11-01) Waller, Rhian G. ; Adkins, Jess F. ; Robinson, Laura F. ; Shank, Timothy M.The potential applications of ancient DNA (aDNA) techniques have been realized relatively recently, and have been revolutionized by the advent of pCR techniques in the mid 1980s. Although these techniques have been proven valuable in ancient specimens of up to 100,000 yrs old, their use in the marine realm has been largely limited to mammals and fish. Using modifications of techniques developed for skeletons of whales and mammals, we have produced a method for extracting and amplifying aDNA from sub-fossil (not embedded in rock) deep-water corals that has been successful in yielding 351 base pairs of the ITS2 region in sub-fossil Desmophyllum dianthus (Esper, 1794) and Lophelia pertusa (Linnaeus, 1758). The comparison of DNA sequences from fossil and live specimens resulted in clustering by species, demonstrating the validity of this new aDNA method. Sub-fossil scler-actinian corals are readily dated using U-series techniques, and so the abundance of directly-dateable skeletons in the world's oceans, provides an extremely useful archive for investigating the interactions of environmental pressures (in particular ocean circulation, climate change) on the past distribution, and the evolution of deep-water corals across the globe.
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ArticleOceanic evidence of climate change in southern Australia over the last three centuries(American Geophysical Union, 2004-04-13) Thresher, Ronald E. ; Rintoul, Stephen R. ; Koslow, J. Anthony ; Weidman, Christopher R. ; Adkins, Jess F. ; Proctor, CraigChemical analysis of deepwater octocorals collected at 1000 m depth off southern Australia indicates long-term cooling, beginning in the mid-18th century. This cooling appears to reflect shoaling of isotherms along the continental shelf, that can be related statistically, observationally and by modeling to increasing coastal sea-surface temperatures, that in turn reflect a poleward extension of the SW Pacific boundary current (the East Australian Current). The oceanographic changes implied by the coral record suggest climate change in temperate Australia starting about the time of European settlement. Correlations between temperate Australian and Antarctic indices suggest these long-term changes might also be relevant to Antarctic climate.
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ArticleTemporal stability of the neodymium isotope signature of the Holocene to glacial North Atlantic(American Geophysical Union, 2006-11-25) van de Flierdt, Tina ; Robinson, Laura F. ; Adkins, Jess F. ; Hemming, Sidney R. ; Goldstein, Steven L.The neodymium isotopic composition of marine precipitates is increasingly recognized as a powerful tool for identifying changes in ocean circulation and mixing on million year to millennial time-scales. Unlike nutrient proxies such as δ13C or Cd/Ca, Nd isotopes are not thought to be altered in any significant way by biological processes, and thus can serve as a quasi-conservative water mass tracer. However, the application of Nd isotopes in understanding the role of thermohaline circulation in rapid climate change is currently hindered by the lack of direct constraints on the signature of the North Atlantic end-member through time. Here we present the first results of Nd isotopes measured in U-Th dated deep-sea corals from the New England seamounts in the northwest Atlantic Ocean. Our data are consistent with the conclusion that the Nd isotopic composition of North Atlantic deep and intermediate water has remained nearly constant through the last glacial cycle. The results address longstanding concerns that there may have been significant changes in the Nd isotopic composition of the North Atlantic end member during this interval, and substantiate the applicability of this novel tracer on millennial time-scales for palaeoceanography research.
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ArticleA deep Tasman outflow of Pacific waters during the last glacial period(Nature Research, 2022-06-30) Struve, Torben ; Wilson, David J. ; Hines, Sophia K. ; Adkins, Jess F. ; van de Flierdt, TinaThe interoceanic exchange of water masses is modulated by flow through key oceanic choke points in the Drake Passage, the Indonesian Seas, south of Africa, and south of Tasmania. Here, we use the neodymium isotope signature (εNd) of cold-water coral skeletons from intermediate depths (1460‒1689 m) to trace circulation changes south of Tasmania during the last glacial period. The key feature of our dataset is a long-term trend towards radiogenic εNd values of ~−4.6 during the Last Glacial Maximum and Heinrich Stadial 1, which are clearly distinct from contemporaneous Southern Ocean εNd of ~−7. When combined with previously published radiocarbon data from the same corals, our results indicate that a unique radiogenic and young water mass was present during this time. This scenario can be explained by a more vigorous Pacific overturning circulation that supported a deeper outflow of Pacific waters, including North Pacific Intermediate Water, through the Tasman Sea.