The Mg/Ca in foraminifera shells is commonly used as a proxy to
estimate ocean temperatures in Earth’s past. However, studies
have shown that both dissolution and salinity influence the
Mg/Ca in shells of tropical foraminifera, which can cause
paleotemperature estimates to be inaccurate. We measured Mg/Ca
in shells of Globigernoides ruber and Globigerinoides sacculifer
from core tops in the eastern equatorial Pacific. We compared
our results with global core top data, which paleotemperature
equations have been calibrated and published. We find that Mg/Ca
values range greatly at the same surface ocean temperature. We
also find that salinity and dissolution do not affect the
relationship between Mg/Ca and temperature. In analyzing the
carbonate ion concentration of the water at 30m, we find that
this might be affecting the relationship between Mg/Ca and
temperature, which could be affecting the accuracy of the Mg/Ca
proxy. Foraminifera, Paleotemperature, Mg/Ca Clark, Sarah and
Mekik, Figen, "Does the Mg/Ca in F