Rick, Torben C., Henkes, Gregory A., Lowery, Darrin L., Colman, Steven M., and Culleton, Brendan J. 2012. "Marine radiocarbon reservoir corrections (Delta R) for Chesapeake Bay and the Middle Atlantic Coast of North America." Quaternary Research, 77, (1) 205–210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2011.11.002.
Radiocarbon dates from known age, pre-bomb eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) shells provide local marine reservoir corrections (Delta R) for Chesapeake Bay and the Middle Atlantic coastal area of eastern North America. These data suggest subregional variability in Delta R, ranging from 148 /- 46 (14)C yr on the Potomac River to 109 /- 38 (14)C yr at Swan Point, Maryland. The Delta R weighted mean for the Chesapeake's Westem Shore (129 /- 22 (14)C}T) is substantially higher than the Eastern Shore (-88 /- 23 14C yr), with outer Atlantic Coast samples falling between these values (106 /- 46 and 2 /- 46 (14)C yr). These differences may result from a combination of factors, including (14)C-depleted freshwater that enters the bay from some if its drainages, (14)C-depleted seawater that enters the bay at its mouth, and/or biological carbon recycling. We advocate using different subregional Delta R corrections when calibrating (14)C dates on aquatic specimens from the Chesapeake Bay and coastal Middle Atlantic region of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of University of Washington.
