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Science 20 November 1998:
Vol. 282. no. 5393, pp. 1468 - 1471
DOI: 10.1126/science.282.5393.1468
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Reports

Reconstructing Past Ocean pH-Depth Profiles

M. R. Palmer, P. N. Pearson, S. J. Cobb

Measurement of boron isotope compositions in species of planktonic foraminifera that calcified their tests at different depths in the water column are used to reconstruct the pH profile of the upper water column of the tropical ocean. Results for five time windows from the middle Miocene to the late Pleistocene indicate pH-depth profiles similar to that of the modern ocean in this area, which suggests that this method may greatly aid in our understanding of the global carbon cycle.

Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK.

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