Sedimentary alkenone distributions in the Baltic Sea over the Holocene

The Baltic Sea has had a complex salinity history since the last deglaciation. Here we show how distributions of alkenones and their dD values varied with past fluctuations in salinity in the Baltic Sea over the Holocene by examining a Holocene record (11.2-0.1 cal kyr BP) from the Arkona Basin. Major changes in the alkenone distribution, i.e., changes in the fractional abundance of the C37:4 Me alkenone, the C38:2 Et alkenone and a C36:2 Me alkenone, the latter which has not been reported in the Baltic Sea previously, correlated with known changes in salinity. Both alkenone distributions and... Mehr ...