Controls on Alkenone Carbon Isotope Fractionation in the Modern Ocean – Supporting Data
Description
Here we present data from the article "Controls on Alkenone Carbon Isotope Fractionation in the Modern Ocean." This study explores carbon isotope fractionation in alkenone biomarkers (Ep37:2)––produced by Noelaerhabdaceae coccolithophores––that were recovered from modern suspended particulate organic matter and core-top/late Holocene sediments. We evaluate the influence of CO2, coccolithophore cell size, growth rate, and irradiance on Ep37:2 and test whether observations and quantitative relationships derived from laboratory cultures are applicable to the natural environment. This dataset contains two files. (1) A compilation of coretop and particulate alkenone carbon isotope measurements, as well as coretop alkenone carbon isotope data and coccolith size data generated in this study. This datafile also includes oceanographic data, metadata, and other derived parameters used to conduct the analyses in the study. (2) Estimates of biomass-weighted Noelaerhabdaceae coccolith length and cell radius from a compilation of core-top and water-column samples of Noelaerhabdaceae species abundance and coccolith size measurements. This dataset was used to generate estimates of coccolith length for samples in the alkenone carbon isotope compilation where no measurements were conducted or reported.