Applicability of glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers in China's marginal seas: evidence from surface sediments in the Southern Yellow Sea

Abstract

Abstract Past climates inform our future. As a good indicator for paleoclimate reconstruction, the applicability of glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) in high deposition rate areas such as shelf marginal seas needs to be further confirmed. In our study, the distribution of GDGTs in twenty sea surface samples from same longitude (121° 58' 48" E) but different latitude in the South Yellow Sea (SYS) was examined. The result showed that the terrigenous input of the SYS was transported by the Old Yellow River, and high terrestrial input may affect the temperature reconstruction. The sea surface temperature may be controlled by the Yellow Sea Warm Current (YSWC) in the SYS, followed by the changes of latitude and the distance from coast. This study proves that GDGTs-related indicators still have good applicability in marginal seas with complex environments and diverse sources.