Mg-Ca, B-Ca and U-Ca in shells of benthic foraminifers

Abstract

Mg/Ca ratios in benthic foraminiferal shells are frequently used in paleoceanographic studies to estimate past bottom water temperatures. Apart from temperature, other factors may exert additional influences on foraminiferal Mg/Ca. These include the Mg/Ca ratio of seawater, partial dissolution of shell calcite, salinity, physiological effects, and, probably of capital importance, the carbonate chemistry of seawater. In this context, the seperate effects of temperature and seawater carbonate chemistry on the magnesium incorporation into benthic foraminideral calcite are unraveled and quantified in this thesis...