Southern Ocean Foraminifera Carbon Isotope Records from Sediment Traps

Southern Ocean sediment trap data measuring the carbon isotopic composition (d13C) of three planktonic foraminifera species. The dataset, from the western Pacific/Southern Australia sector, allows comparison with dissolved inorganic carbon to determine disequilibrium effects and estimate the oceanic Suess effect. It was published by Geoscience Australia Data and last updated on 2026-03 25.

Use Cases

• Modeling the oceanic Suess effect based on modern d13C depletion in foraminifera.
• Calibrating foraminiferal d13C as a nutrient tracer in Southern Ocean environments.
• Analyzing latitudinal trends in carbon isotope disequilibrium between species and dissolved inorganic carbon.
• Validating laboratory-derived temperature-disequilibrium relationships with field data.

Strengths

• Data covers three distinct foraminifera species (Globigerina bulloides, Globorotalia inflata, Neogloboquadrina pachyderma).
• Includes flux-weighted sediment trap values and comparisons to nearby core tops.
• Spatial coverage spans from Subtropical to Polar Frontal environments in the Southern Ocean.

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 western Pacific/Southern Australia sector.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Measurements from sediment traps representing the annual flux of foraminifera.

Time Range

Seasonal/annual flux data; specific years not provided.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-25 15:48:12.360476; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Southern Ocean, western Pacific/Southern Australia sector, Subtropical to Polar Frontal environments.