Abstract
This study investigates the present geographical boundaries and environmental limits of the diatom flora in the Baffin Bay and Davis Strait area. Seventy-four sea floor surface samples were examined. The raw data were analyzed with the CABFAC factor analysis program. Five factor assemblages, explaining 87% of the observed variance, emerged from this test. The statistically most important assemblage is the “Baffin Current assemblage”, composed of Thalassiosira gravida spores. The second assemblage is the “summer pack ice assemblage”, consisting of Actinocyclus curvatulus, with a lesser contribution of Thalassiosira trifulta. A third assemblage, dominated by Thalassiosira hyalina, is located along the southwest coast of Greenland, indicating low ice concentration. The fourth assemblage consists of Porosira sp. spores and indicates fast ice conditions. The fifth assemblage is dominated by Thalassionema nitzschioides and Porosira glacialis (vegetative cells), and indicates the coastal environment. Diatoms found in the sediment belong to discrete assemblages which reflect differences in water masses, such as salinity and ice conditions. These findings should assist in the interpretation of paleoceanographic conditions in the region when diatom assemblages are studied in piston core sediments.
Published Version
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