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Barium uptake into the shells of the common mussel (Mytilus edulis) and the potential for estuarine paleo-chemistry reconstruction
Gillikin, D.P.; Dehairs, F.A.; Lorrain, A.; Steenmans, D.; Baeyens, W.F.J.; André, L. (2005). Barium uptake into the shells of the common mussel (Mytilus edulis) and the potential for estuarine paleo-chemistry reconstruction, in: Gillikin, D.P. Geochemistry of marine bivalve shells: the potential for paleoenvironmental reconstruction. pp. 183-207
In: Gillikin, D.P. (2005). Geochemistry of marine bivalve shells: the potential for paleoenvironmental reconstruction. PhD Thesis. Vrije Universiteit Brussel: Brussel. 258 pp.
Related to:
Gillikin, D.P.; Dehairs, F.A.; Lorrain, A.; Steenmans, D.; Baeyens, W.F.J.; André, L. (2006). Barium uptake into the shells of the common mussel (Mytilus edulis) and the potential for estuarine paleo-chemistry reconstruction. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 70(2): 395-407. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2005.09.015, more
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    Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee: Open Marine Archive 122730 [ download pdf ]
Keywords
    Animal products > Shells
    Chemical elements > Metals > Alkaline earth metals > Barium
    Environments > Palaeoenvironments
    Estuarine chemistry
    Uptake
    Mytilus edulis Linnaeus, 1758 [WoRMS]
    ANE, Netherlands, Oosterschelde [Marine Regions]; ANE, Netherlands, Westerschelde [Marine Regions]
    Marine/Coastal
Authors  Top 
  • Gillikin, D.P.
  • Dehairs, F.A.
  • Lorrain, A.
  • Steenmans, D.
  • Baeyens, W.F.J.
  • André, L.
Abstract
    In this study we test if calcite shells of the common mussel, Mytilus edulis, contain barium in proportion to the water in which they grew. Similar to all bivalves analyzed to date, the [Ba/Ca]shell profiles are characterized by a relatively flat background [Ba/Ca]shell, interrupted by sharp [Ba/Ca]shell peaks. Previous studies have focused on these [Ba/Ca]shell peaks, but not on the background [Ba/Ca]shell. We show that in both laboratory and field experiments, there is a direct relationship between the background [Ba/Ca]shell and [Ba/Ca]water in M. edulis shells. The laboratory and field data provided background Ba/Ca partition coefficients (DBa) of 0.10 ± 0.02 and 0.071 ± 0.001, respectively. This range is slightly higher than the DBa previously determined for inorganic calcite, and slightly lower than foraminiferal calcite. These data suggest that M. edulis shells can be used as an indicator of [Ba/Ca]water, and therefore, fossil or archaeological M. edulis shells could be used to extend knowledge of estuarine dissolved Ba throughputs back in time. Moreover, considering the inverse relationship between [Ba/Ca]water and salinity, background [Ba/Ca]shell data could be used as an estuary specific indicator of salinity. The cause of the [Ba/Ca]shell peaks is more confusing, both the laboratory and field experiments indicate that they cannot be used as a direct proxy of [Ba/Ca]water or phytoplankton production, but may possibly be caused by barite ingestion.
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