Data for: 'Facies control on carbonate δ13C on the Great Bahama Bank'

The carbon isotopic (δ13C) composition of shallow-water carbonates often
is interpreted to reflect the δ13C of the global ocean and is used as a
proxy for changes in the global carbon cycle. However, local platform
processes, in addition to meteoric and marine diagenesis, may decouple
carbonate δ13C from that of the global ocean. To shed light on the extent
to which changing sediment grain composition may produce δ13C shifts in
the stratigraphic record, we present new δ13C measurements of benthic
foraminifera, solitary corals, calcifying green algae, ooids, coated
grains, and lime mud from the modern Great Bahama Bank (GBB). This survey
of a modern carbonate environment reveals δ13C variability comparable to
the largest δ13C excursions in the last two billion years of Earth
history.