Biomarkers
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Revision as of 15:16, 1 February 2016 by Deborah (Talk | contribs) (Page created and populated with a short definition)
Paleoceanographers use the term biomarker to describe organic molecules found in marine sediments, initially produced by a variety of organisms either on land or in the marine environment [1]. A key characteristic of biomarkers is their ability to survive deposition in the archive in terms of their original structure and steroidal configuration (i.e., spatial distribution of the atoms) [1]. Their usefulness for paleoceanographic reconstructions largely depends on their degradation within the archive [1].
Biomarkers used in paleoceanography includes: