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Dive into the research topics where James William B Rae is active.

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Featured researches published by James William B Rae.


Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems | 2010

Boron and magnesium isotopic composition of seawater

Gavin L. Foster; Philip A.E. Pogge von Strandmann; James William B Rae

The isotopic systems of boron and magnesium are increasingly being used as proxies for a number of environmental variables and processes. The isotopic composition of seawater for both systems plays a central role in these studies and is an important interlaboratory standard. Given the long residence times of both elements (∼10 7 years) it is commonly assumed that seawater is isotopically homogenous for these systems, yet no systematic studies currently exist. Here we present the B and Mg isotopic composition of 26-28 seawater samples from a number of ocean basins that encompass a significant range in salinity (32 to 38 psu), temperature (-0.3 to +25.9C) and water depth (0 to 1240 m). We find no significant or systematic variation for either system in accordance with their long residence times. We recommend that the mean values we report (δ 11 B = 39.61 0.04 ‰ (2 s.e.; n = 28), δ 25 Mg = -0.43 0.01 ‰ (2 s.e.; n = 26), δ 26 Mg = -0.82 0.01 ‰ (2 s.e.; n = 26)) be used in future studies involving Mg and B isotopes. Copyright


Paleoceanography | 2014

Deep water formation in the North Pacific and deglacial CO2 rise

James William B Rae; Michael Sarnthein; Gavin L. Foster; Andy Ridgwell; Pieter Meiert Grootes; Tim Elliott

Deep water formation in the North Atlantic and Southern Ocean is widely thought to influence deglacial CO_2 rise and climate change; here we suggest that deep water formation in the North Pacific may also play an important role. We present paired radiocarbon and boron isotope data from foraminifera from sediment core MD02-2489 at 3640 m in the North East Pacific. These show a pronounced excursion during Heinrich Stadial 1, with benthic-planktic radiocarbon offsets dropping to ~350 years, accompanied by a decrease in benthic δ^(11)B. We suggest that this is driven by the onset of deep convection in the North Pacific, which mixes young shallow waters to depth, old deep waters to the surface, and low-pH water from intermediate depths into the deep ocean. This deep water formation event was likely driven by an increase in surface salinity, due to subdued atmospheric/monsoonal freshwater flux during Heinrich Stadial 1. The ability of North Pacific Deep Water (NPDW) formation to explain the excursions seen in our data is demonstrated in a series of experiments with an intermediate complexity Earth system model. These experiments also show that breakdown of stratification in the North Pacific leads to a rapid ~30 ppm increase in atmospheric CO_2, along with decreases in atmospheric δ^(13)C and Δ^(14)C, consistent with observations of the early deglaciation. Our inference of deep water formation is based mainly on results from a single sediment core, and our boron isotope data are unavoidably sparse in the key HS1 interval, so this hypothesis merits further testing. However, we note that there is independent support for breakdown of stratification in shallower waters during this period, including a minimum in δ^(15)N, younging in intermediate water ^(14)C, and regional warming. We also re-evaluate deglacial changes in North Pacific productivity and carbonate preservation in light of our new data and suggest that the regional pulse of export production observed during the Bolling-Allerod is promoted by relatively stratified conditions, with increased light availability and a shallow, potent nutricline. Overall, our work highlights the potential of NPDW formation to play a significant and hitherto unrealized role in deglacial climate change and CO_2 rise.


Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems | 2015

Evaluating the utility of B/Ca ratios in planktic foraminifera as a proxy for the carbonate system: A case study of Globigerinoides ruber

Michael J. Henehan; Gavin L. Foster; James William B Rae; Katy C. Prentice; Jonathan Erez; Helen C. Bostock; Brittney J. Marshall; Paul A. Wilson

B/Ca ratios in foraminifera have attracted considerable scientific attention as a proxy for past ocean carbonate system. However, the carbonate system controls on B/Ca ratios are not straightforward, with ?[ inline image] ([ inline image]in situ – [ inline image]at saturation) correlating best with B/Ca ratios in benthic foraminifera, rather than pH, inline image, or inline image (as a simple model of boron speciation in seawater and incorporation into CaCO3 would predict). Furthermore, culture experiments have shown that in planktic foraminifera properties such as salinity and [B]sw can have profound effects on B/Ca ratios beyond those predicted by simple partition coefficients. Here, we investigate the controls on B/Ca ratios in G. ruber via a combination of culture experiments and core-top measurements, and add to a growing body of evidence that suggests B/Ca ratios in symbiont-bearing foraminiferal carbonate are not a straightforward proxy for past seawater carbonate system conditions. We find that while B/Ca ratios in culture experiments covary with pH, in open ocean sediments this relationship is not seen. In fact, our B/Ca data correlate best with [ inline image] (a previously undocumented association) and in most regions, salinity. These findings might suggest a precipitation rate or crystallographic control on boron incorporation into foraminiferal calcite. Regardless, our results underscore the need for caution when attempting to interpret B/Ca records in terms of the ocean carbonate system, at the very least in the case of mixed-layer planktic foraminifera.


Paleoceanography | 2017

Calibration of the B/Ca proxy in the planktic foraminifer Orbulina universa to Paleocene seawater conditions

Laura L. Haynes; Bärbel Hönisch; Kelsey A. Dyez; Kate Holland; Yair Rosenthal; Carina R. Fish; Adam V. Subhas; James William B Rae

The B/Ca ratio of planktic foraminiferal calcite, a proxy for the surface ocean carbonate system, displays large negative excursions during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM, 55.9 Ma), consistent with rapid ocean acidification at that time. However, the B/Ca excursion measured at the PETM exceeds a magnitude that modern pH calibrations can explain. Numerous other controls on the proxy have been suggested, including foraminiferal growth rate and the total concentration of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). Here we present new calibrations for B/Ca versus the combined effects of pH and DIC in the symbiont-bearing planktic foraminifer Orbulina universa, grown in culture solutions with simulated Paleocene seawater elemental composition (high [Ca], low [Mg], and low total boron concentration ([B]_T). We also investigate the isolated effects of low seawater [B]_T, high [Ca], reduced symbiont photosynthetic activity, and average shell growth rate on O. universa B/Ca in order to further understand the proxy systematics and to determine other possible influences on the PETM records. We find that average shell growth rate does not appear to determine B/Ca in high calcite saturation experiments. In addition, our “Paleocene” calibration shows higher sensitivity than the modern calibration at low [B(OH)_4−]/DIC. Given a large DIC pulse at the PETM, this amplification of the B/Ca response can more fully explain the PETM B/Ca excursion. However, further calibrations with other foraminifer species are needed to determine the range of foraminifer species-specific proxy sensitivities under these conditions for quantitative reconstruction of large carbon cycle perturbations.


Earth and Planetary Science Letters | 2011

Boron isotopes and B/Ca in benthic foraminifera: proxies for the deep ocean carbonate system

James William B Rae; Gavin L. Foster; Daniela N. Schmidt; Tim Elliott


Earth and Planetary Science Letters | 2012

The evolution of pCO2, ice volume and climate during the middle Miocene

Gavin L. Foster; Caroline H. Lear; James William B Rae


Earth and Planetary Science Letters | 2013

Calibration of the boron isotope proxy in the planktonic foraminifera Globigerinoides ruber for use in palaeo-CO2 reconstruction

Michael J. Henehan; James William B Rae; Gavin L. Foster; Jonathan Erez; Katherine C. Prentice; Michal Kucera; Helen C. Bostock; Miguel A. Martínez-Botí; J. Andy Milton; Paul A. Wilson; Brittney J. Marshall; Tim Elliott


Chemical Geology | 2013

Interlaboratory comparison of boron isotope analyses of boric acid, seawater and marine CaCO3 by MC-ICPMS and NTIMS

Gavin L. Foster; Bärbel Hönisch; Guillaume Paris; Gary S. Dwyer; James William B Rae; Tim Elliott; Jérôme Gaillardet; N. Gary Hemming; Pascale Louvat; Avner Vengosh


Quaternary Science Reviews | 2013

Responses of the deep ocean carbonate system to carbon reorganization during the Last Glacial–interglacial cycle

Jimin Yu; Robert F. Anderson; Zhangdong Jin; James William B Rae; Bradley N. Opdyke; Stephen M. Eggins


Paleoceanography | 2013

Calibration and application of B/Ca, Cd/Ca, and δ11B in Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (sinistral) to constrain CO2 uptake in the subpolar North Atlantic during the last deglaciation

Jimin Yu; David J. R. Thornalley; James William B Rae; Nick McCave

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Andy Ridgwell

University of California

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Richard Abell

Scottish Association for Marine Science

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Jimin Yu

Australian National University

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Richard D. Pancost

Pennsylvania State University

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