Pelagic Barite
Tracer of Ocean Productivity and a Recorder of Isotopic Compositions of Seawater S, O, Sr, Ca and Ba

How pelagic barite can be used for reconstruction of export production and as a recorder of seawater compositions.

Weiqi Yao (Author), Elizabeth Griffith (Author), Adina Paytan (Author)

9781108810692, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 28 January 2021

75 pages
15 x 23 x 0.3 cm, 0.067 kg

Reconstruction of ocean paleoproductivity and paleochemistry is paramount to understanding global biogeochemical cycles such as the carbon, oxygen and sulfur cycles and the responses of these cycles to changes in climate and tectonics. Paleo-reconstruction involves the application of various tracers that record seawater compositions, which in turn may be used to infer oceanic processes. Several important tracers are incorporated into pelagic barite, an authigenic mineral that forms in the water column. Here we summarize the utility of pelagic barite for the reconstruction of export production and as a recorder of seawater S, O, Sr, Ca and Ba.

1. Pelagic Barite Accumulation Rates: a Proxy for Export Production
2. Non-pelagic Marine Barite
3. Sulfur Isotopes
4. Oxygen Isotopes
5. Strontium Isotopes
6. Calcium Isotopes
7. Barium Isotopes
8. Future Prospects
9. Key References
10. Supporting References.

Subject Areas: Oceanography [seas RBKC], Hydrology & the hydrosphere [RBK], Geochemistry [RBGK], Geology & the lithosphere [RBG], Earth sciences [RB]