Radiocarbon ages of individual fatty acids from Ross Sea sediments

The researchers have measured the radiocarbon contents of individual
solvent-extractable short-chain (C14, C16, and C18) fatty acids
isolated from Ross Sea surface sediments. The corresponding 14C ages
are equivalent to that of the post-bomb DIC reservoir. Moreover,
molecular 14C variations in surfacial (upper 15cm) sediments indicate
that these compounds may prove useful for reconstructing chronologies
of Antarctic margin sediments containing uncertain (and potentially
variable) quantities of relict organic carbon. A preliminary molecular
14C chronology suggests that the accumulation rate of relict organic
matter has not changed during the last 500 14C yr. The focus of this
study is to determine the validity of compound-specific radiocarbon
analysis as a technique for reconstructing chronologies of Antarctic
margin sediments.