Fluid inclusion water isotope measurements in speleothems have great potential for paleoclimate studies, as they can be used to provide reconstructions of precipitation dynamics and land temperature. Several previous observations, however, suggest that inclusion waters do not always reflect the isotopic composition of surface precipitation. In such cases, dripwaters are thought to be modified by evaporation in the cave environment that result in more positive d2H and d18O values and shallow d2H/d18O slopes. Although evaporation can occur in cave systems, water can also be lost to evaporation during analysis but before water extraction. Here, we examine the likelihood of this possibility with a stalagmite from Borneo. We demonstrate that many samples loose water, and that water loss is controlled by the type and size of inclusions. With multiple replicate measurements of coeval samples, we calculate an evaporative d2H/d18O slope of 1±0.6 (2SE). This value is consistent with model predictions of evaporative fractionation at high analytical temperature at low humidity. Finally, we provide a robust and physically based correction method. We find that fluid–calcite d18O paleotemperatures calculated with corrected d18O data show excellent agreement with recent microthermometry temperature estimates for Borneo during the last deglaciation, suggesting minimal variations in stalagmite d18O disequilibrium over time. Similarly, corrected fluid inclusion d18O and d2H values follow the expected hydroclimate response of Borneo to periods of reduced Atlantic Ocean meridional overturning circulation. Our results suggest that careful petrographic examination and multiple replicate measurements are necessary for reliable paleoclimate reconstructions with speleothem fluid inclusion water isotopes.

Increased adoption and improved methodology in carbonate clumped isotope thermometry has greatly enhanced our ability to interrogate a suite of Earth-system processes. However, interlaboratory discrepancies in quantifying Increased use and improved methodology of carbonate clumped isotope thermometry has greatly enhanced our ability to interrogate a suite of Earth-system processes. However, inter-laboratory discrepancies in quantifying carbonate clumped isotope (Δ47) measurements persist, and their specific sources remain unclear. To address inter-laboratory differences, we first provide consensus values from the clumped isotope community for four carbonate standards relative to heated and equilibrated gases with 1,819 individual analyses from 10 laboratories. Then we analyzed the four carbonate standards along with three additional standards, spanning a broad range of δ47 and Δ47 compositions, for a total of 5,329 analyses on 25 individual mass spectrometers from 22 different laboratories. Treating three of the materials as known standards and the other four as unknowns, we find that the use of carbonate reference materials is a robust method for standardization that yields inter-laboratory discrepancies entirely consistent with in-laboratory analytical uncertainties. Carbonate reference materials, along with measurement and data processing practices described herein, provide the carbonate clumped isotope community with a robust approach to achieve inter-laboratory agreement as we continue to use and improve this powerful geochemical tool. We propose that carbonate clumped isotope data normalized to the carbonate reference materials described in this publication should be reported as Δ47 (I-CDES) for Intercarb-Carbon Dioxide Equilibrium Scale.

The Eocene–Oligocene transition (~34 Ma), is marked by the rapid development of a semi-permanent Antarctic ice-sheet, as indicated by ice-rafted debris. Proxy reconstructions indicate a drop in atmospheric CO₂ and global cooling. How these changes affected sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic and ocean water stratification remains poorly constrained. In this study, we apply clumped-isotope thermometry to well-preserved planktic foraminifera, that are associated with mixed-layer and thermocline dwelling depths from the drift sediments at IODP Site 1411, Newfoundland, across four intervals bracketing the EOT. The mixed-layer dwelling foraminifera record a cooling of 2.2 ± 2.4 °C (mean ± 95% CI) across the EOT. While the cooling amplitude is similar to previous SST reconstructions, absolute temperatures (Eocene 20.0 ± 2.7 °C, Oligocene 18.0 ± 2.1 °C) appear colder than what is expected for this location based on previously reconstructed SSTs for the northernmost Atlantic. We discuss seasonal bias, recording depth, and appropriate consideration of paleolatitudes, all of which complicate the comparison between SST reconstructions and model output. Thermocline dwelling foraminifera record a larger cooling across the EOT (Eocene 19.0 ± 3.4 °C, Oligocene 14.0 ± 3.1 °C, cooling of 5.2 ± 3.2 °C), than foraminifera from the mixed layer, consistent with an increase in ocean stratification which may be related to the onset or intensification of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation.