HOLOCENE DIATOMS (BACILLARIOPHYCEAE) FROM FAEROE ISLANDS FJORDS, NORTHERN ATLANTIC OCEAN. II. DISTRIBUTION AND TAXONOMY OF MARINE TAXA WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO BENTHIC FORMS

Abstract

Diatoms were studied in sediment cores SKPC-10, SKPC-08, SKPC-01 and LINK-1, retrieved from the Faeroe Islands fjords and the adjacent waters of the Northern Atlantic Ocean. The diatom record encompasses the Holocene sediments beginning from the middle Holocene. The record shows distinct temporal changes in species composition and is dominated by marine forms. Earlier studies showed that inundation of the fjords by Northern Atlantic waters took place about 7700–6400 years BP. Saline waters inflow forced drastic changes in the diatom species composition in the study area. Unlike other areas of the Northern Atlantic, the Faeroe Islands fjords sediments are characterized by well preserved diatom floras. The diatoms are predominantly of planktonie origin (Paralia sulcata, Thalassiosira nordenskioeldii, Thalassionema nitzschioides, Thalassiosira angulata and Rhizosolenia hebetatd); however, the relatively shallow coring sites result in fairly abundant and diverse benthic flora (Odontella aurita, Grammatophora marina, Grammatophora angulosa var. islandica, Cocconeis costata, Rhabdonema minutum, and Rhabdonema arcuatum). A special focus of this paper is the distribution and taxonomy of the benthic marine taxa, either sediment dwelling or epiphytic.