C37 alkenone measurements of sea surface temperature in the Gulf of Lions (NW Mediterranean)

A study of the C-37 alkenone compositions in suspended particulate matter in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea has shown a correspondence between U-37(K') and sea surface temperature that significantly deviates from the general equation regularly observed in most marine world areas (Muller et al., 1998). However, the temperatures measured in the core top sediments using the general equation are in agreement with the annual average water column temperatures between 0-40 m depth. These discrepancies suggest that despite the rather constant correlation between U-37(K') and seawater temperature throughout the world oceans, specific calibrations should be developed for each new area of application of the C-37 alkenones for paleotemperature determination. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.