Radiocarbon Ages of Diatom-Bound Organic Carbon from Southern Ocean Sediments

Radiocarbon ages derived from organic carbon bound within diatom frustules extracted from Southern Ocean sediment cores. The data was generated using accelerator mass spectrometry at the National Ocean Sciences Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Facility, supported by a US National Science Foundation grant and a collaboration where French researchers provided approximately 65% of the samples. Results indicate diatoms are often transported, making their bound organic carbon substantially older than the surrounding sediment horizon.

Use Cases

• Studying sediment transport processes based on the age discrepancy between diatom-bound carbon and sediment horizons.
• Investigating carbon cycling and preservation in marine sediments based on diatom-bound organic carbon.
• Calibrating or validating paleoceanographic models based on radiocarbon ages from specific microfossils.
• Analyzing the degree of diatom preservation and its impact on radiocarbon signatures, as suggested by future planned data.

Strengths

• Data generated using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS), a high-precision measurement technique.
• Sample collection involved international collaboration, with French researchers providing approximately 65% of the analyzed samples.
• Research was supported by a grant from the US National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset scale are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is currently available only directly from the investigators, not via a public repository.

Provenance

Source

National Ocean Sciences Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Facility, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Collection Method

Accelerator mass spectrometer (AMS) analysis of organic carbon bound in diatom frustules from sediment cores.

Geography

Southern Ocean