Respiration, photosynthesis, and oxygen isotope fractionation in oceanic surface water1
- 1 November 1975
- journal article
- Published by Wiley in Limnology and Oceanography
- Vol. 20 (6) , 988-992
- https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.1975.20.6.0988
Abstract
Atmospheric oxygen is about 23‰ higher in 18O than ocean surface water, whereas oxygen in isotopic equilibrium with ocean water would be only 6‰ higher in 18O. The fractionation of 18O during respiration has been measured on natural populations in unfiltered marine surface water samples. The decrease of dissolved oxygen concentration and the increase in δ18O due to respiration was measured as a function of time. An average enrichment factor of 21‰ was calculated for the removal of oxygen in a closed system. The results indicate that the enrichment of 18O in the atmosphere, and possibly the present oxygen concentration, may be controlled by biogenic processes.Keywords
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