Alkenone paleothermometry and its application to paleoceanography

Abstract

Alkenone paleothermometry has been used for generating late Quaternary records of sea surface temperature from deep-sea core sediments. This paper summarizes its principles, applications, problems and future. A critical problem comes from culture experiments of Emiliania huxleyi and Gephyrocapsa oceanica. The results indicate large variations in the U₃₇^K'-temperature relationship among different species or strains. Even single strains show variations in U₃₇^K' in different growth phases and culture conditions. These suggest that some physiological or environmental factor, in addition to temperature, affects U₃₇^K'. To find this factor is strongly sought for the future application of alkenone paleothermometry.