Pre-bomb marine reservoir corrections for the southeastern Arabian Sea

Abstract Estimates of marine reservoir corrections (ΔR) in the southeastern Arabian Sea region are limited. To better constrain the region’s marine reservoir corrections, additional pre-bomb radiocarbon records are needed. In this context, a coral core from the Lakshadweep archipelago in the southeastern Arabian Sea has been analyzed to measure its radiocarbon content. Pre-bomb radiocarbon values from the coral record are used to estimate the marine reservoir correction value of the region. The mean ΔR value of the Lakshadweep region is calculated to be –128 ± 130 yr. The comparison of available ΔR values from the Arabian Sea region shows that the mean ΔR value of the eastern Arabian Sea is significantly lower than that of the northern and western Arabian Sea. The low ΔR values from the eastern Arabian Sea likely indicate the influence of relatively 14 C-enriched Bay of Bengal water in the region.