Abstract
Increased planktonic foraminifera shell weights were recorded during the course of Termination II at a tropical site off the shore of the Mauritanian coast. In order to investigate these increased shell mass values, a series of physicochemical analyses were performed, including X-ray computed tomography (CT). The data are given here. Furthermore, the relevant CT setup, scanning, reconstruction, and visualization methods are explained and the acquired datasets are given, together with 3D volumes and models of the scanned specimens.
Highlights
Planktonic foraminifera are unicellular, marine microorganisms that produce calcium carbonate (CaCO3) shells
Planktonic foraminifera are known to considerably alter their shell weight throughout the paleoceanographic record [2] and the degree of this alteration is a function of latitude [3]
In an accompanying study of a tropical Atlantic core [4] we report relatively small variation in the shell weights of the planktonic species Globigerina bulloides (NCBI: txid69025; urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:113434) during the last two climatic cycles, with the exception of an increased weight event during Termination II
Summary
Planktonic foraminifera are unicellular, marine microorganisms (protists) that produce calcium carbonate (CaCO3) shells (tests). The exact voxel of each scan, as provided by the instrument, is given in the text file that accompanies each data set, and it is the one used for segmentation. Analysis of the high-resolution CT scan images of the foraminifera specimens led to accurate determination of their cell volumes. This, combined with their weighed masses, allowed volume normalized test weights (or shell densities) to be reported for the first time. CT data are provided in the form of 16-bit TIFF image stacks, with associated voxel size and other scan settings in the accompanying text file. The processed 3D volumes of each specimen created using the surface determination function are provided with the scan dataset in HMASCII file format. Interactive views of the 3D models available in the Sketchfab repository are embedded in the tables, enabling the virtual specimens to be interactively explored
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