ABSTRACT This project will explore the use of 30-Si in fossil marine diatoms as a tracer of diatom production, a substantial portion of primary production in many parts of the world ocean. Surface sediments from the Southern Ocean will be analyzed and the results compared with 15-N and 13-C analyses on the same material. The results can be used to determine whether changes in opal accumulation over glacial/interglacial cycles resulted from differential production or preservation.
