Carbon analyses and sedimentation rate of sediment core MD97-2140

In the lack of standard protocol and terminology for the determination of combustion-derived products in sedimentary archives, three proxies were compared with other paleoceanographic proxies: Oxidation Resistant Elemental Carbon (OREC), Black Carbon (BC), and microcharcoal.

The mineral (CaCO3) and organic carbon (Corg) records of core MD97-2140 generally covary with the oxygen isotope record, suggesting that glacial/interglacial changes in ice-volume and sea-level control the preservation of CaCO3 and terrigeneous inputs of Corg in the deep-sea sediments of the Caroline Basin. The changes in OREC are primarily connected to the changes in Corg record. In contrast, the BC and charcoal records, which better reflect the input of biomass burning products, are tightly connected with changes in the precession band (23 ky), likely through low-latitude atmospheric circulation patterns.