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NORTHEAST PACIFIC SEAWATER RADIOCARBON RECORDED IN ABALONE SHELLS OBTAINED FROM OTSUCHI BAY, JAPAN

Authors :
Ota, Kosuke
Yokoyama, Yusuke
Miyairi, Yosuke
Hayakawa, Jun
Satoh, Naomi
Fukuda, Hideki
Tanaka, Kiyoshi
Macario, Kita
Solís, Corina
Source :
Radiocarbon; August 2021, Vol. 63 Issue: 4 p1249-1258, 10p
Publication Year :
2021

Abstract

ABSTRACTReconstructing past ocean currents in the coastal regions is necessary to better understand the relationship between oceanographic changes and coastal ecosystems. It is known that variations have occurred with large-scale climate changes such as ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillations) and PDO (Pacific Decadal Oscillations). Thus, reconstruction of past seawater conditions in coastal regions is needed to better understand the relationship between oceanographic changes and coastal ecosystems. Seawater radiocarbon is a unique proxy to understand the properties of water masses. Reef-building corals have been employed extensively and successfully in conducting this type of research into past ocean circulation histories. However, their distribution is limited to the low latitudes and hence alternative archives are required for studies in mid to high-latitude locations. Here, we use abalone shell samples obtained from Otsuchi Bay located in the Tohoku region on the Pacific coast of Northern Japan. Radiocarbon in abalone shells was compared with dissolved inorganic carbon in two-year-long records of river water as well as seawater. The data indicate that abalone shells can be used to reconstruct past seawater radiocarbon variations in northern Japan where coral skeletons are not available for ocean mixing studies.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
00338222
Volume :
63
Issue :
4
Database :
Supplemental Index
Journal :
Radiocarbon
Publication Type :
Periodical
Accession number :
ejs57407373
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1017/RDC.2019.95