Stable oxygen isotope ratios contained in the shell can be used to infer past water temperatures.
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 proxy, known as the δ18O
stable oxygen isotope ratio, varies in proportion to the ambient moisture.
Not exact matches
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.
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.
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.
The
ratio of
stable isotopes oxygen - 18 and
oxygen - 16 in the foraminifera is an indicator of ocean temperature.