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Biological, Physical, And Chemical Data From Gulf of Mexico Core PE0305-GC1

Open-File Report 2006-1012
By: , , and 
https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20061012

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Abstract

This paper presents benthic foraminiferal census data, and magnetic susceptibility, 210Pb , radiocarbon, and geochemical measurements from gravity core PE0305-GC1 (=GC1). Core GC1 was collected from the Louisiana continental shelf as part of an initiative to investigate the geographic and temporal extent of hypoxia, low-oxygen water, in the Gulf of Mexico. Hypoxia (<1.4 ml/l or <2 ppm oxygen concentration) in Gulf of Mexico waters can eventually lead to death of marine species. The development of hypoxia off the Mississippi delta has increased steadily since routine and systematic measurements were begun in 1985 and has been linked to the use of fertilizer in the Mississippi basin. Benthic foraminifers provide a proxy to track the development of hypoxia prior to 1985. Previous work determined that the relative occurrence of three low-oxygen-tolerant species is highest in the hypoxia zone. The cumulative percentage of these three species (% Pseudononion atlanticum + % Epistominella vitrea, + % Buliminella morgani = PEB index of hypoxia) was used to investigate fluctuation in paleohypoxia in four cores, including the upper 60 cm of GC1. In this report, we compile all available data from GC1 as the basis for further publications.

Suggested Citation

Osterman, L.E., Swarzenski, P.W., Hollander, D., 2010, Biological, Physical, And Chemical Data From Gulf of Mexico Core PE0305-GC1: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2006-1012, 28 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20061012.

ISSN: 2331-1258 (online)

ISSN: 0196-1497 (print)

Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title Biological, Physical, And Chemical Data From Gulf of Mexico Core PE0305-GC1
Series title Open-File Report
Series number 2006-1012
DOI 10.3133/ofr20061012
Year Published 2010
Language ENGLISH
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Contributing office(s) U.S. Geological Survey
Description 28 p.
Online Only (Y/N) N
Additional Online Files (Y/N) N
Additional publication details