Stable isotopic organic geochemistry of sediments from the Labrador Sea (Sites 646 and 647) and Baffin Bay (Site 645), ODP Leg 105

Abstract

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions as well as organic carbon and total nitrogen contents are reported for Site 645 and Sites 646 and 647 in the Labrador Sea. Both low-resolution analyses (1 sample/section) and high-resolution results (up to 7 samples/section) are presented. These records indicate that large-scale changes in productivity since the middle Miocene have occurred in Baffin Bay. Such changes are not evident in samples from the Labrador Sea. Isotopic records of all the sites are influenced strongly by rapidly changing influxes that combine terrigenous debris with planktonic production. In parts of the cores, relationships to other phenomena, such as ice stages, are present. However, these correlations are not common and indicate that these events were masked by the dynamic changes in sources of organic matter occurring in this complex system. -Author