page_title: Hydrogen isotope biogeochemistry
section_title: Alkenones
hierarchical_section_title: Hydrogen isotope biogeochemistry / Observed variations in isotope abundance / Geosphere / Alkenones
caption_attribution_description: English: Modified by inserting the data from [Englebrecht, A. C. Sachs. J. P. (2005) Determination of sediment provenance at drift sites using hydrogen isotopes and unsaturation ratios in alkenones. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 69. 17:4253-4265.] on the map from Annu.Rev.Earth Planet.Sci.2010.38:161-187.
context_page_description: Hydrogen isotope biogeochemistry is the scientific study of biological, geological, and chemical processes in the environment using the distribution and relative abundance of hydrogen isotopes. There are two stable isotopes of hydrogen, protium ¹H and deuterium ²H, which vary in relative abundance on the order of hundreds of permil. The ratio between these two species can be considered the hydrogen isotopic fingerprint of a substance. Understanding isotopic fingerprints and the sources of fractionation that lead to variation between them can be applied to address a diverse array of questions ranging from ecology and hydrology to geochemistry and paleoclimate reconstructions. Since specialized techniques are required to measure natural hydrogen isotope abundance ratios, the field of hydrogen isotope biogeochemistry provides uniquely specialized tools to more traditional fields like ecology and geochemistry.
context_section_description: The isotopic composition of alkenones often reflect the isotopic enrichment or depletion of the surrounding environment, and the δD values of alkenones in different regions are shown on the map.
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