Articles | Volume 21, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-1871-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-1871-2025
Research article
 | 
27 Oct 2025
Research article |  | 27 Oct 2025

Persistent contamination in benthic-foraminifera-based Mg ∕ Ca thermometry using standard cleaning methods

Viktoria Larsson and Simon Jung

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Cited articles

Barker, S., Greaves, M., and Elderfield, H.: A study of cleaning procedures used for foraminiferal Mg/Ca paleothermometry, Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., 4, https://doi.org/10.1029/2003GC000559, 2003. 
Barker, S., Cacho, I., Benway, H., and Tachikawa, K.: Planktonic foraminiferal Mg/Ca as a proxy for past oceanic temperatures: a methodological overview and data compilation for the Last Glacial Maximum, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 24, 821–834, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2004.07.016, 2005. 
Bell, D. B., Jung, S. J. A., Kroon, D., Lourens, L. J., and Hodell, D. A.: Local and regional trends in Plio-Pleistocene δ18O records from benthic foraminifera, Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., G3, 15, 3304–3321, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014GC005297, 2014. 
Bentov, S. and Erez, J.: Impact of biomineralization processes on the Mg content of foraminiferal shells: A biological perspective, Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., G3, 7, https://doi.org/10.1029/2005GC001015, 2006. 
Bickert, T. and Mackensen, A.: Last Glacial to Holocene changes in South Atlantic deep water circulation, in: The South Atlantic in the late Quaternary: Reconstruction of material budgets and current systems, edited by: Wefer, G., Mulitza, S., and Ratmeyer, V., Springer Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, Tokyo, 671–695, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-18917-3_29, 2003. 
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Short summary
The deep ocean is an important part of the global climate system. Accurate estimates of temperature changes at depth are crucial to understand the role of the intermediate to deep ocean in climate change. We have used samples from the Indian Ocean to establish Mg/Ca-based temperature calibrations based on benthic foraminifera. Our data suggest that generating optimal Mg/Ca ratios in benthic foraminifera may require species- and region-specific cleaning procedures.
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