Talk:Oxygen isotope ratio cycle

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Articles for deletion This article was nominated for deletion on 30 April 2008. The result of the discussion was keep.
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This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the Oxygen isotope ratio cycle article.
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[edit] Mv proposal

This article is about d-o-18 as a proxy; there is no need to make the "cycles" important, its the variations (which don't have to be, and often aren't at all cyclic) that are of interest. So I'd like to move it to just Oxygen isotope ratio.

Also, it should cover the proxy in general, not just in calcite.

Also, there is a lot of overlap with Proxy (climate).

William M. Connolley (talk) 20:50, 25 January 2008 (UTC)

I'd agree with moving to oxygen isotope ratio, the more general article needs to be written before this more specific subject is covered. Tim Vickers (talk) 17:13, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] This article should be deleted

Why? All the issues discussed in the previous comments and more. E.g.: it contains incorrect definitions and/or descriptions. like that a molecule contains the three isotopes. This article should be deleted and the article oxygen-18 corrected and expanded. That is, if you think that the this wiki should be regarded as a serious reference source. Jclerman (talk) 01:03, 7 April 2008 (UTC)

The "molecule" bit is just a misstatement, and I've corrected it. But I agree this probably needs merging, whether with O18 or elsewhere William M. Connolley (talk) 07:20, 7 April 2008 (UTC)
It needs rewriting. See below for unclear and deficient sections. Also, the prominent use of cycle when there are not really cyclical variations as implied by the harmonics reference, is confusing because there is a chemical oxygen cycle. Jclerman (talk) 17:20, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Section unclear and containing many erroneous statements.

[edit] Connection between temperature and climate

The 18O/16O ratio provides a record of ancient water temperature. Water 10 to 15 degrees Celsius (18 to 27 degrees Fahrenheit) cooler than present represents glaciation. Precipitation and therefore glacial ice contain water with a low 18O content. Since large amounts of 16O water are being stored as glacial ice, the 18O content of oceanic water is high. Water up to 5 degrees Celsius (9 °F) warmer than today represents an interglacial, when the 18O content is lower. A plot of ancient water temperature over time indicates that climate has varied cyclically, with large cycles and harmonics, or smaller cycles, superimposed on the large ones. This technique has been especially valuable for identifying glacial maxima and minima in the Pleistocene.

Jclerman (talk) 17:12, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

[edit] This section tautologic and unclear

Oxygen isotope ratio cycles are cyclical variations in the ratio of the mass of oxygen with an atomic weight of 18 to the mass of oxygen with an atomic weight of 16 present in some substance, such as polar ice or calcite in ocean core samples. The ratio is linked to water temperature of ancient oceans, which in turn reflects ancient climates. Cycles in the ratio mirror climate changes in geologic history.

Jclerman (talk) 17:15, 4 June 2008 (UTC)