14C dating of modern marine and estuarine shellfish

Abstract

We measured the 14C content of 36 living marine molluscs from Tairua Harbour and the rocky coast on the Coromandel Peninsula of New Zealand. We identified species suitable for radiocarbon dating and show that the open marine intertidal zone is enriched in 14C compared to the open marine subtidal zone or estuary. We also found a uniform 14C distribution in the Tairua Harbour, by analyzing samples of the estuarine bivalve Austrovenus stutchburyi collected up to 5 km from the harbor entrance.