Glacial-Interglacial Paleoceanography from Australian Margin Sediment Cores

Data from sediment cores collected by the Australian Geological Survey Organisation from the Exmouth Plateau, Perth Basin, and Ceduna Terrace. The dataset provides evidence of glacial-interglacial changes in surface ocean productivity and deep water chemistry since the Last Glacial Maximum, roughly 20,000 years ago. It includes measurements of sediment accumulation rates, biogenic components, and benthic foraminiferal stable isotopes.

Use Cases

• Reconstructing past surface ocean productivity based on sediment accumulation rates and biogenic component data.
• Analyzing changes in intermediate and deep water chemistry using benthic foraminiferal stable isotope records.
• Comparing glacial-interglacial carbon cycle dynamics in the southeastern Indian Ocean based on 13C profiles.

Strengths

• Data from 14 sediment cores across two distinct regions of the Australian continental margin.
• Quantitative comparisons provided, such as sediment accumulation rates during the LGM being 1.5-2 times higher than the Holocene.
• Includes multiple proxy measurements: CaCO3, organic carbon, benthic foraminiferal abundances, authigenic uranium, and stable isotopes.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the specific core locations.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Collected from sediment cores by the Australian Geological Survey Organisation.

Time Range

Since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), roughly 20,000 years ago.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-20 02:29:45.181946; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Northwest Australian margin (Exmouth Plateau, Perth Basin) and Great Australian Bight (Ceduna Terrace).