Seawater carbonate chemistry and boron isotope ratios in marine bivalve shells

A 20.5-week flowthrough tank experiment was conducted in which four species of commercially important bivalves from the northwest Atlantic Ocean were grown in tanks with controlled pHT (pH 7.4 to 8.0) and temperature conditions (6 to 12 °C). A total of 106 shell samples from 99 individuals of adult and juvenile Arctica islandica (ocean quahog), juvenile Mercenaria mercenaria (northern quahog or hard clam), juvenile Mya arenaria (soft-shell clam), and juvenile Placopecten magellanicus (Atlantic sea scallop) were analyzed from this controlled experiment to assess the seawater pH, temperature, and growth rate controls on shell δ11Bc.