The issue focused on oxygen isotopes (only slightly smaller than calcium carbonate). Although recent papers using ion measurement techniques such as ion fingerprinting have indicated that ion ratios may reflect variations in ion abundance or ion absorption during ion currents in ocean waters, such surveys do not reveal specific stratification patterns or ion fluxes for ocean waters that might serve as proxies for bacterial abundance or pH levels. Using ion fingerprinting data from waters within 20 cm (18 inches) of depth has resulted in numerous compounds associated with bacterial abundance that