Vanadium Isotopes - A Proxy for Ocean Oxygen Variations

Vanadium isotope ratios (51V/50V) have potential to provide information about changes in past ocean oxygen contents. The oxygen abundance sensitivity range of V isotopes suggests that this paleoproxy could be particularly useful in tracing marine oxygenation changes throughout the Phanerozoic and potentially beyond.

List of contents

1. Introduction; 2. Marine elemental and isotopic cycle of vanadium; 3. Analytical methodologies; 4. Potential for applications of V isotopes to reconstruct past ocean redox.

Summary

Vanadium isotope ratios (51V/50V) have potential to provide information about changes in past ocean oxygen contents. In particular, V isotopes may find utility in tracing variations at non-zero oxygen concentrations because the redox couple that controls V elemental and isotopic abundances in seawater (vanadate-vanadyl) appears to operate around 10M O2. This characteristic sets V isotopes apart from many other metal isotope redox proxies that require more reducing conditions to register significant changes in their isotope budgets. The oxygen abundance sensitivity range of V isotopes suggests that this paleoproxy could be particularly useful in tracing marine oxygenation changes throughout the Phanerozoic and potentially beyond.

Product details

• Authors: Sune G Nielsen, Sune G. Nielsen, Sune G. (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institu Nielsen
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.01.2021
• EAN: 9781108797948
• ISBN: 978-1-108-79794-8
• No. of pages: 75
• Series: Elements in Geochemical Tracer; Elements in Geochemical Tracers in Earth System Science
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Geosciences > Geology; SCIENCE / Earth Sciences / General, biochemistry, Meteorology & climatology, Meteorology and climatology, Geochemistry, Environmental Monitoring, Oceanography (seas and oceans), Oceanography (seas)