Abstract
During the transition from the Pleistocene to the Holocene, significant changes occurred on the Brazilian continental shelf. In this study, we investigated the environmental changes that occurred during this period through the quantification and classification of cosmopolitan dinoflagellate cysts. We used three cores collected in the northern part of the Santos Basin and analyzed a total of 42 samples. The results showed a predominance of cysts of O. centrocarpum, L. machaerophorum and T. vancampoae, whose occurrence was influenced by sea-level fluctuations during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition and by changes in ocean currents due to temperature variations. Oligotrophic species were established during the Late Pleistocene, followed by mixotrophic species from the Holocene. Analysis of the dinocysts showed the presence of colder waters due to upwelling and the entry of waters with lower salinity due to the formation of transitional estuarine systems. These environmental changes have contributed to the configuration of the current Brazilian coastal scenario.
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