Methodologic influence on oxygen isotope signal in marine sediments

Abstract

A paleoenvironmental reconstruction must pass through numerous steps that integrated will provide the researcher crucial information for the development of a cohesive paleoenvironmental model. Some of these steps involve acquiring data from empirical experiments using some proxies. Oxygen Isotope Signal is the most used proxy applied on paleoceanographic studies due to its easiness to be measured, reduced use of volume of samples and a wide range of information obtained by the oxygen isotope ratio. For example: water temperature, ice volume and water masses distribution (salinity). Oxygen Isotope Signals are internationally used as a proxy for Quaternary and Terciary estratigraphy, first used by Cesare Emiliani in the 50's that enumerated the Oxygen Isotope Stages (OIS) currently called Marine Isotope Stages (MIS), according to the magnitude and signal of the Oxygen Isotope Signal, in that way being able to identify chronological events analyzing marine sediments (LOWE & WALKER, 1984). Therefore, oxygen isotope data used as a proxy must be highly precise and reliable. Evaluating the influence of marine sediments samples manipulation in laboratory and its magnitude on the Oxygen Isotope Signal, this study pretend to create more reliability of these data associated to the efficiency of the laboratorial methods.