Oceanic Reservoir Correction for Marine Radiocarbon Dates from Northwestern Australia

Abstract

It is necessary to deduct an oceanic reservoir correction from radiocarbon dates of marine organisms in order to make them comparable with terrestrial dates. The magnitude of this correction varies latitudinally and is also affected by regional oceanographic factors.To determine the most appropriate oceanic reservoir correction for the northwestern coast of Australia, analyses were carried out to find the ‘apparent’ radiocarbon ages of seven nearshore marine shell specimens collected alive before 1950 AD from this part of the coast. After applying corrections for the date of live collection and the Suess Effect, the error-weighted pooled ages were found to closely match the average Australian oceanic reservoir correction of 450 ± 35 years (Gillespie and Polach 1979) . The study therefore verified the deduction of this correction from marine radiocarbon dates from the northwestern coast of the continent.