A comparison of the Si/Al and Si/time wet-alkaline digestion methods for measurement of biogenic silica in lake sediments

Swann, George E.A.

Abstract

Existing techniques for measuring sediment Biogenic Silica (BSi) concentrations rely largely on conventional (Si-only) wet-alkaline digestion methods. Although results have provided detailed palaeoenvironmental information, potential errors can arise in accounting for sources of non-BSi. Here, I compare a conventional Si-only method to a Si/Al wet-alkaline digestion method, which in theory provides a more robust correction for concentrations of non-BSi. Late glacial/Holocene-aged sediment from Lake Baikal, Russia was used for the comparison. Results showed no significant difference between the two techniques, indicating that existing Si-only BSi methods are suitable for reconstructing environmental changes when levels of digested non-BSi are low to moderate.

Citation

Swann, G. E. (2010). A comparison of the Si/Al and Si/time wet-alkaline digestion methods for measurement of biogenic silica in lake sediments. Journal of Paleolimnology, 44(2), https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-009-9308-9

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2010
• Deposit Date: Jun 17, 2013
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 17, 2013
• Journal: Journal of Paleolimnology
• Print ISSN: 0921-2728
• Electronic ISSN: 0921-2728
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 44
• Issue: 2
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-009-9308-9
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1013297
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10933-009-9308-9
• Additional Information: The final publication is available at link.springer.com