Application of 10 ohm Faraday cup current amplifiers for boron isotopic analyses by solution mode and laser ablation multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

Rationale: Boron isotope ratios (δ B values) are used as a proxy for seawater paleo-pH, amongst several other applications. The analytical precision can be limited by the detection of low intensity ion beams from limited sample amounts. High-gain amplifiers offer improvements in signal/noise ratio and can be used to increase measurement precision and reduce sample amounts.

Palaeoclimate reconstructions reveal a strong link between El Niño-Southern Oscillation and Tropical Pacific mean state.

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is one of the most important components of the global climate system, but its potential response to an anthropogenic increase in atmospheric CO2 remains largely unknown. One of the major limitations in ENSO prediction is our poor understanding of the relationship between ENSO variability and long-term changes in Tropical Pacific oceanography. Here we investigate this relationship using palaeorecords derived from the geochemistry of planktonic foraminifera.