The effect of chemical pretreatment of sediment upon foraminiferal-based proxies

Paleoceanographic studies routinely combine different foraminiferal proxies (i.e., weight, abundance, trace metal, and stable isotope measurements) into a cohesive narrative. The application of chemical treatment to disaggregate ocean sediments in the most efficient way to isolate the fossils of foraminifera from the other sediment components is dictated by the time available and the material used. Yet few studies have aimed to test both the physical and geochemical effects associated with such practices. In this study, we use samples with different sedimentological characteristics (i.e., varying percentages of CaCO