Western Tropical Atlantic Foraminiferal Mg/Ca Data for the Last Glacial Maximum

NOAA NCEI archives this paleoceanography dataset containing foraminiferal Mg/Ca ratio measurements from the western tropical North Atlantic Ocean. The data, compiled by Fehrenbacher et al. in 2006, is intended for reconstructing sea surface temperatures during the Last Glacial Maximum period. It is part of the World Data Service for Paleoclimatology collection.

Use Cases

• Reconstructing past sea surface temperatures using the Mg/Ca ratio of foraminifera shells.
• Calibrating climate models for the Last Glacial Maximum period with proxy data from the North Atlantic Ocean.
• Analyzing spatial variability in paleoceanographic conditions using the geographic location parameter.
• Studying the relationship between foraminiferal chemistry and past oceanographic parameters.

Strengths

• Data is archived and curated by the authoritative NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.
• Focuses on a specific, critical climate period (the Last Glacial Maximum).
• Provides a key geochemical proxy (Mg/Ca) for quantitative paleoclimate reconstruction.

Limitations

• The exact temporal coverage (begin and end dates) is listed as unavailable in the metadata.
• The specific number of data points (rows) and measurement parameters (columns) is unknown.
• Data is from a 2006 study, potentially lacking more recent methodological refinements.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) World Data Service (WDS) for Paleoclimatology.

Collection Method

Foraminiferal shell geochemical analysis (Mg/Ca) on marine sediment cores.

Time Range

Last Glacial Maximum period. Specific begin and end dates are unavailable.

Geography

Western tropical North Atlantic Ocean.