Atlantic Ocean calcite saturation states

Figure 5. Distribution of calcite saturation states in the Western Atlantic Ocean...

The Geochemical Ocean Section Program (GEOSECS) has produced data from which it is possible to profile the saturation state of seawater with respect to calcite and aragonite in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Representative north-south calcite saturation profiles for the Western Atlantic and Central Pacific oceans are presented in Figures 5 and 6 (based on 39). It was observed that the saturation state of seawater with respect to calcite at the CCD was close to constant ( 2 = 0.70 I" 0,05) except in the southern extremes (39). Broecker and Takahashi (31) have recently found that the carbonate ion concentration is close to constant at the FL, when appropriate corrections are made for pressure. The saturation state of seawater at the FL, calculated by the method presented in this paper, is 0.80 0.05. Berger (40) has presented profiles for Rq, FL, CCD and CSL (calcite saturation level) in the eastern and western Atlantic ocean (see... 

Figure 7). His results indicate that Rq and CSL are close to coincident with the probable uncertainty of their determination. A detailed profile showing the relations among the sediment marker levels and the saturation state of seawater with respect to calcite and aragonite in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean is presented in Figure 8.

Figure 8, A detailed profile of calcite and aragonite saturation states and sediment marker depth in the Northwestern Atlantic Ocean, (Percentages are estimates of the amount of calcite dissolution which must occur to produce a given marker level.)...

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