Ostracods in a cold-temperate coastal environment, Western Troms, Northern Norway: Sedimentary aspects and assemblages

Abstract

This study presents sedimentological and micropaleontological data on ostracods from a cold-temperate inner shelf setting in the Troms District, northern Norway. The coarse fraction analyses carried out on sediment surface samples from coastal platforms and adjacent outer fjord troughs reveal a considerable contribution from ostracods to the accumulation of skeletal carbonates in distinct depositional settings. Ostracod accumulation is highest along wave-sheltered areas of coastal platforms where fleshy seaweed and coralline algal communities thrive in 10 to 30 m water depth. Current-exposed slopes of outer fjord troughs show a highly mixed ostracod assemblage consisting of imported species from the shallow coastal platform which is mixed with the trough assemblage. The hydrodynamic transport of ostracods into deeper areas results from the strong tidal current regime. Because of this mixing process, only the end members, the coastal platform and the fjord trough assemblages can be defined. The former is characterized byBaffinicythere emarginata, Cythere lutea, Finmarchinella angulata, Hemicytherura clathrata, Robertsonites tuberculatus, Sclerochilus rudjakovi, Semicytherura undata andXestoleberis cf.depressa. The outer fjord trough assemblage is characterized byCluthia cluthae, Cytherella abyssorum, Cytheropteron alatum, Krithe cf.adelspergi, Muellerina abyssicola, Cytherella cf.vulgatella andCytheropteron testudo. Members of the northern Norwegian trough assemblage are known to occur in deeper open shelf environments of the NE-Atlantic.