Stable isotope studies

Studies of the stable isotopes of oxygen (¹⁸O and ¹⁶O) and carbon (¹³C and ¹²C) are proving to be of considerable interest in helping to interpret life processes of benthic foraminifera, their relationship with the ambient water and as a guide to palaeoceanography. This is because the tests of calcareous foraminifera preserve a record of the stable isotopic composition of the water in which they grew.