Technical note: Accelerate coccolith size separation via repeated centrifugation

Abstract. Coccolithophores play a key role in the marine carbon cycle and ecosystem. The carbonate shells produced by coccolithophore, named as coccolith, could be well preserved sediment for millions of years become an excellent archive paleoclimate studies. micro-filtering sinking–decanting methods have been successfully designed coccolith separation promoted development geochemistry studies on such stable isotopes Sr / Ca ratio. However, these two are still not efficient enough sample-consuming methods. In this study, trajectory movement during centrifugation process was calculated theory carefully tested separations practice. We offer MATLAB code to estimate appropriate parameter, angular velocity at fixed duration, separating certain size fractions from bulk sediment. This work improve efficiency separation, especially finest fraction, make it possible carry out clumped isotope radio analyses coccoliths