Stable isotope ratios of oxygen reflect water temperatures, with higher δ18O values indicating colder water [6], [9], [12], such as water upwelled from lower depths.
As precipitation moves inland, water with the heavier form of hydrogen falls out first, which creates predictable patterns of
the stable isotopes ratios of precipitation across continents.
Not exact matches
Using spectroscopy,
stable isotope ratios (carbon, nitrogen and sulphur) were investigated in the collagen
of the bones, along with the
ratio of strontium to calcium in the bone mineral.
Researchers linked dated graffiti about droughts in a cave in China to physical evidence in the cave
of the water shortages, such as changes in
ratios of stable isotopes in specific layers
of stalagmites
The team found that the degree
of nitrogen pollution, which is worsening in urban areas, can be evaluated by analyzing the nitrogen content and the
stable isotope ratio in bryophytes.
The information about oxygen concentration comes from the isotopic composition
of carbon or rather from the
ratio between the
stable carbon
isotopes 12C and 13C.
«It will enable teachers to introduce students to things called
stable isotopes, which is great because we're made up
of stable isotopes, and that
ratio varies depending on what we eat.»
For instance, radiocarbon dating determines the age
of biological remains based on the
ratio between the carbon
isotopes (atoms
of the same element with different numbers
of neutrons) carbon - 12 and carbon - 14 it holds - this proportion changes as radioactive carbon - 14 breaks down while
stable carbon - 12 does not.
Another option is to test fossil teeth for the
ratio of stable isotopes present for a given element, such as the
ratio of carbon C12 to C13.
One group
of students has been drilling modern and fossil teeth to obtain samples that will be analyzed to examine
stable carbon and oxygen
isotope ratios.
Comparison
of stable carbon
isotope ratios in the whole wood, cellulose and lignin
of oak tree - rings Dr. Ron Towner from the Laboratory
of Tree - Ring Research at the University
of Arizona explains the principles behind dendrochronology and why this dating
It basically says that ringwidth is a function
of: age trend + climate signal + endogenous (local) disturbances + exogenous (standwide) disturbances + unexplained variation Basically, this concept also underlies all other dendro proxies, be it maximum latewood density or
stable isotope ratios, even though there are variations, e. g. age trend in density data is treated differently from ring width data).
Like the data used right through 0.02 to 66 My, the Freidrich et al collection comprises
stable oxygen
isotope ratios from the shells
of tiny bottom - dwelling, deep - water marine organisms (benthic foraminifera).
This analytical document shows that
stable isotope ratios can be used to monitor changes in the character
of precipitation in response to periodic variability or changes in climate.
All except C - 14 are
stable isotopes, meaning you can derive a delta - C - 13
ratio, AND because
of the presence O - 18 and O - 16 a delta - O - 18
ratio can be derived as well.
Stable carbon
isotope ratios from tree rings record changes in the internal concentration
of carbon dioxide and, in the northern Boreal zone, are regarded as a proxy for photosynthetic rate, and therefore summer sunshine.
Early TRL projects focused on establishing long tree - ring records from temperature - sensitive boreal forest locations in North American for studies
of global change, using dendrochronologically dated wood, to investigate the value
of stable isotope ratios in cellulose as paleo - thermometers and developing the necessary computer software for processing the data.
The
ratio of stable isotopes oxygen - 18 and oxygen - 16 in the foraminifera is an indicator
of ocean temperature.
For example, extreme values
of the
ratio of stable isotopes in foraminifera from the eastern Pacific have previously been interpreted as ENSO activity, but modeling suggests that this interpretation may not always be suitable for past climates due to variability caused by other factors.
The size
of the carbon injection is estimated from changes in the
stable carbon
isotope ratio 13C / 12C in sediments and from ocean acidification implied by changes in the ocean depth below which carbonate dissolution occurred.