Marine reservoir corrections for Moreton Bay, Australia

Abstract

We present the first direct assessment of marine reservoir effects in the Moreton Bay region using radiocarbon dating of known-age, pre-AD 1950, shell samples from the east coast of Stradbroke Island and archaeological shell/charcoal pairs from Peel Island in Moreton Bay. The resulting [DELTA]R value of 9 [+ or -]19 [sup.14]C years for the open ocean conforms to regional values established for northeast Australia of 12 [+ or -] 10 [sup.14]C years. Negative [DELTA]R values of-65 [+ or -] 61 [sup.14]C years and -216 [+ or -] 94 [sup.14]C years for southern Moreton Bay highlight the potential for larger offsets over the last ~900 years. These may be linked to changing terrestrial inputs and local circulation patterns.