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Mercury content as a new indicator of ocean stratification and primary productivity in Quaternary sediments off Bahama Bank in the Caribbean Sea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Itsuro Kita ,
Makoto Kojima ,
Hidenao Hasegawa ,
Shun Chiyonobu  and
Tokiyuki Sato
Itsuro Kita*
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Changes, Faculty of Social and Cultural Studies, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
Makoto Kojima
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Changes, Faculty of Social and Cultural Studies, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
Hidenao Hasegawa
Affiliation:
Institute for Environmental Sciences, Aomori 039-3212, Japan
Shun Chiyonobu
Affiliation:
Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth, Kyoto 619-0232, Japan
Tokiyuki Sato
Affiliation:
Faculty of Engineering and Resource Science, Akita University, Akita 010-8502, Japan
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail address:kita@scs.kyushu-u.ac.jp (I. Kita).
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Abstract

We report the first evidence of Hg content in marine sediments changing in connection with the climate-driven changes in ocean stratification during the Quaternary Period based on core samples from ODP Hole 1006A off Great Bahama Bank in the Caribbean Sea. The Hg content ranged from 5.9 to 60.7 ng/g with an average value of 33.1 ng/g during 350 and 1330 ka and changed inversely with δ18Oplanktonic values. The change in Hg content was positively correlated with total organic carbon (TOC) content, indicating connections between the δ15Norg and δ13Corg values of organic matter and the absolute abundance of a deep-dwelling calcareous nannoplankton (Florisphaera profunda). The marine Hg is thought to have been incorporated into the organic matter produced by deep-dwelling phytoplankton. Based on these results, we propose a mechanism by which marine Hg can collect in a thermocline formed in the stratified lower photic zone. Mercury content and nannoplankton assemblage in marine sediment provide information about the extent of stratification of the oceanic photic zone and the role of surface- and deep-dwelling phytoplankton in producing marine organic matter and changing its δ15Norg and δ13Corg values.

Keywords

MercuryNannoplankton assemblagesNitrogen and carbon isotopesQuaternary marine sedimentOcean stratificationPrimary productivityClimatic changeCaribbean Sea
Type
Original Articles
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 80 , Issue 3 , November 2013 , pp. 606 - 613
Copyright
University of Washington

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