Calcium carbonate, sedimentary organic carbon, and shell weight of selected planktic foraminifera from ODP Hole 115-716A

To understand the variations in carbonate burial for the last 30 kiloannum (ka), we have utilized a core from the Ocean DrillingProgram (ODP), Site716A (04.56°N and 73.17°E) retrieved from a water depth of 533 m from the Maldives (carbonate platform) Sea. We analyzed calcium carbonate (CaCO%), sedimentary organic carbon (C-org %) and shell weights of selected planktic foraminifera species (Globigerinoides ruber, Pulleniatina obliquiloculata and Neogloboquadrina dutertrei) to see the contrast in carbonate preservation during the late last glacial-Holocene. Our dataset reveals that carbonate preservation declined during the last glacial maximum (LGM) and the Holocene, probably due to organic matter degradation in sediments. The ratio of C-org/CaCO was relatively higher during the LGM than during the last deglacial period (LDP) and the Holocene. Furthermore, the heavier planktic foraminifera shell weights during the LDP indicate relatively increased carbonate preservation, which is linked to the deglacial release of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the ocean to the atmosphere.