Effects of alkalinity and salinity at low and high light intensity on hydrogen isotope fractionation of long-chain alkenones produced by Emiliania huxleyi
Weiss, G.M.; Pfannerstill, E.Y.; Schouten, S.; Sinninghe Damsté, J.S.; van der Meer, M.T.J. (2017). Effects of alkalinity and salinity at low and high light intensity on hydrogen isotope fractionation of long-chain alkenones produced by Emiliania huxleyi. Biogeosciences 14(24): 5693-5704. https://dx.doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5693-2017
In: Gattuso, J.P.; Kesselmeier, J. (Ed.) Biogeosciences. Copernicus Publications: Göttingen. ISSN 1726-4170; e-ISSN 1726-4189, more
Over the last decade, hydrogen isotopes of longchainalkenones have been shown to be a promising proxy forreconstructing paleo sea surface salinity due to a strong hydrogenisotope fractionation response to salinity across differentenvironmental conditions. However, to date, the decouplingof the effects of alkalinity and salinity, parametersthat co-vary in the surface ocean, on hydrogen isotope fractionationof alkenones has not been assessed. Furthermore,as the alkenone-producing haptophyte, Emiliania huxleyi, isknown to grow in large blooms under high light intensities,the effect of salinity on hydrogen isotope fractionation underthese high irradiances is important to constrain before using?DC37 to reconstruct paleosalinity. Batch cultures of the marinehaptophyte E. huxleyi strain CCMP 1516 were grownto investigate the hydrogen isotope fractionation responseto salinity at high light intensity and independently assessthe effects of salinity and alkalinity under low-light conditions.Our results suggest that alkalinity does not significantlyinfluence hydrogen isotope fractionation of alkenones,but salinity does have a strong effect. Additionally, no significantdifference was observed between the fractionation responsesto salinity recorded in alkenones grown under bothhigh- and low-light conditions. Comparison with previousstudies suggests that the fractionation response to salinity inculture is similar under different environmental conditions,strengthening the use of hydrogen isotope fractionation as apaleosalinity proxy.
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