Spatial variations in Ba/Cashell fingerprints of Glycymeris pilosa along the eastern Adriatic Sea
Abstract The long living Glycymeris pilosa bivalve is an interesting target species for the sclerochronological research in the Mediterranean Sea. In this study, Ba/Cashell and Mg/Cashell variations were studied along the coast of the eastern Adriatic Sea. Specimens were collected alive by SCUBA and skin diving during several occasions in 2014, 2015 and 2016 from five sites including Pag, Pasman Channel, Cetina, Živogosce and Drace. Element-to-Cashell ratios were measured by LA-ICP-MS in line scan mode in three specimens of each site, ranging in age from 7 to 21. In addition, chemical analysis was conducted on three ontogenetically older specimens (68-97 years-old) from Drace. Mg/Cashell an…
Trace and minor element records in aragonitic bivalve shells as environmental proxies
Abstract Investigation of the geochemical composition of bivalve shells can provide information on changes in the marine environment occurring during the lifespan of an organism. Three species, locally abundant in the Adriatic Sea, were chosen in this study, namely Glycymeris pilosa, Callista chione, and Venus verrucosa. Of these, G. pilosa has the longest lifespan, exceeding 50 years, and therefore presents a potential archive of decadal climate variability. The other two species, C. chione and V. verrucosa, are commercially important. Samples were collected alive by SCUBA diving in the North Adriatic Sea, near Barbariga, Istria. Major growth increments in these shells form on an annual ba…