Dissolved barium behavior in Louisiana Shelf waters affected by the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River mixing zone

Overall, our study of the Ba distribution in Louisiana Shelf waters implies that the seasonal variation of the surface water Ba-salinity relationship could lead to a considerable uncertainty in salinity prediction when using Ba as a proxy for paleo-salinity changes. Barium input to bottom waters and the extent to which this is natural or anthropogenically-affected is a particular source of uncertainty. Thus, as is the case with nearly all paleoceanographic proxies, the planktonic foraminiferal Ba/Ca ratio should be used in conjunction with other constraining proxies.