Testing the reproducibility of Mg/Ca profiles in the deep-water coral Primnoa resedaeformis: putting the proxy through its paces

Two samples of the calcitic deep-sea coral Primnoa resedaeformis have been analysed for Mg/Ca ratios by micro-beam methods ( laser-ablation ICP-MS and electron microprobe). Continuous profiles of Mg/Ca have been studied with the aim of establishing the reproducibility of the variations in different parts of the coral, and therefore the potential use of Mg/Ca as a paleoceanographic or paleoclimatic tracer.A method of spectral decomposition based …