Siliceous Paleoceanography: (Ge/Si)opal - III

This study will use germanium/silicon ratios in marine biogenic silica and accumulation rates of opal in the Southern Ocean to characterize variations in Antarctic productivity and in the oceanic silica and germanium cycles over the Pleistocene and Late Neogene. Over the next year efforts will be directed toward (1) implementing the Ge-hydride generation method on a new ICP-MS, and establishing the capability to analyze small volume and mass samples of marine waters and particulates (pore waters, trap samples, radiolaria); (2) running and additional set of diatom cultures with two dominant Antartic species, including the 'reverse' dissolution experiment to determine the Ge/Si fractionation factors for both diatom uptake and dissolution; (3) publishing the lingering preprints.