Group 2i Isochrysidales produce characteristic alkenones reflecting sea ice distribution.

ABSTRACT: Alkenones are biomarkers produced solely by algae in the order Isochrysidales that have been used to reconstruct sea surface temperature (SST) since the 1980s. However, alkenone-based SST reconstructions in the northern high latitude oceans show significant bias towards warmer temperatures in core-tops, diverge from other SST proxies in down core records, and are often accompanied by anomalously high relative abundance of the C₃₇ tetra-unsaturated methyl alkenone (%C_37:4). Elevated %C_37:4 is widely interpreted as an indicator of low sea surface salinity from polar water masses, but its biological source has thus far remained elusive. Here we identify a lineage of Isochrysidales that is responsible for elevated C_37:4 methyl alkenone in the norther

SUBMITTER: Wang KJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7782803 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature