Foraminiferal Evidence of a Shallow Calcium Carbonate Solution Boundary, Ross Sea, Antarctica

In the Ross Sea, Antarctica, distributions of calcareous Foraminifera and other calcareous microorganisms are dominantly controlled by a shallow calcium carbonate solution boundary that occurs at depths of about 500 meters. Possible causes of substantial undersaturation of Ross Sea bottom waters in calcium carbonate are very low temperatures and high salinities, which favor the solution of calcium carbonate and, possibly, high concentrations of carbon dioxide.