Publication Date:
2020-06-24
Description:
Deciphering the dynamics of dissolved oxygen in the mid-depth ocean during the last deglaciation is essential to understand the influence of climate change on modern oxygen minimum zones (OMZs). Many paleo-proxy records from the eastern Pacific Ocean indicate an extension of oxygen-depleted conditions during the deglaciation, but the degree of deoxygenation has not been quantified to date. The Peruvian OMZ, one of the largest OMZs in the world, is a key area to monitor such changes in near-bottom-water oxygenation in relation to changing climatic conditions. Here, we analysed the potential to use the composition of foraminiferal assemblages from the Peruvian OMZ as a quantitative redox proxy. A multiple regression analysis was applied to a joint dataset of living (rose-bengal-stained, fossilizable calcareous species) benthic foraminiferal distributions from the Peruvian continental margin. Bottom-water oxygen concentrations ([O2]BW) during sampling were used as the dependant variable. The correlation was significant (R2=0.82; p
Print ISSN:
1726-4170
Electronic ISSN:
1726-4189
Topics:
Biology
,
Geosciences
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