Planktic Foraminifers Research Articles

History of ice-rafting and water mass evolution at the northern Siberian continental margin (Laptev Sea) during Late Glacial and Holocene times

The Late Glacial and Holocene history of environmental changes in the western Laptev Sea is reconstructed on the basis of continuous records of ice-rafted debris (IRD) and Atlantic water indicative subpolar planktic foraminifers and benthic foraminifer Cassidulina neoteretis from the two AMS 14C dated sediment cores, one from the upper continental slope and another from the Khatanga paleoriver valley on the outer shelf. Since seasonal sea ice cover is a permanent feature in this high Arctic region the prominent IRD-rich intervals in the oldest (>15.4 ka) and youngest (<7.2 ka) sediment units are attributed to iceberg-rafting. Rock types like phyllites are used as indicators of sediment material supplied by icebergs from local ice caps of the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago. Authigenic concretions of vivianite and rhodochrosite found in the basal, IRD-rich core section on the slope, point to strong water stratification likely caused by meltwater inputs. The oldest Late Glacial IRD peaks provide evidence for iceberg production by the local ice caps on Severnaya Zemlya. Subsequent meltwater influence is tentatively related to the freshwater release from a retreating Barents–Kara ice sheet in the northeastern Kara Sea. Already prior to 15.4 ka Atlantic-derived waters intermittently reached the western Laptev Sea continental slope probably facilitated by upwelling in coastal polynyas. While subsurface Atlantic-derived waters were constantly present at the continental slope between 15.4 and 12 ka, the disappearance of C. neoteretis together with reduced abundance of subpolar planktic foraminifers after 12 ka suggests establishment of a freshened shelf water mass on the flooded outer shelf which affected the water mass structure on the continental slope. After 7 ka climate cooling and enhanced Atlantic-derived water inflow caused re-growth of ice caps on Severnaya Zemlya leading to a recurrence of IRD. Peaks of this renewed IRD input are centered at 7.2, 6.4, 5.4, 3, and 2 ka, implying that this millennial-scale variability in the IRD input might be related to an overregional changes in atmospheric circulation patterns.

Sphenodiscus pleurisepta (Conrad, 1857) from the Maastrichtian La Tabla Formation in the Upper Magdalena Valley, Tolima, Colombia

The La Tabla Formation is an important petroleum reservoir in the Upper Magdalena Valley of Colombia. It was deposited in regressive and lowstand systems tracts and comprises a succession of lower shoreface to coastal plain deposits. A section in the Talora Creek, near the village of Piedras, Department of Tolima, exposes 90 m of a progradational to aggradational succession composed of very fine sandstones to medium-grained pebble conglomerates, with abundant planktic and benthic foraminifers as well as bivalves and ammonites. A few well-preserved phragmocones of the ammonite Sphenodiscus pleurisepta (Conrad, 1857), collected from a level 63 m above the base of the formation, are here described and the chronostratigraphic position of the species discussed. In the Western Interior Basin of North America, S. pleurisepta ranges from the upper lower Maastrichtian Baculites clinolobatus Zone through the upper Maastrichtian Jeletzkytes nebrascensis Zone. The present findings support previous datings of the La Tabla Formation as Maastrichtian on the basis of foraminifers.

A prolonged warm and humid interval during marine isotope stage 13–15 as revealed by hydrographic reconstructions from the South China Sea (IMAGES MD972142)

Variations of orbital-driven insolation, ice volume, and greenhouse gas effects have been proposed as major controlling factors in determining the timing and amplitude of Quaternary cyclic climate changes. However, it remains to be determined how the internal feedback in the tropical atmosphere and ocean and the coupling between the low- and high-latitude systems may have produced instability or non-cyclic changes in the long-term climate evolution. Such “abnormalities” have been reported increasingly from paleoclimatic reconstructions in East Asia and the western Pacific for a prolonged warm and humid climate interval during marine isotope stage (MIS) 13–15, ∼475–610 kya. To better address the climate abnormality in MIS 13–15 that has been observed in the western Pacific, here we report high-resolution late Quaternary planktic foraminifer faunal abundance and faunal sea surface temperature (SST) records from the International Marine Past Global Change (IMAGES) program core MD972142, which was retrieved from the southeastern South China Sea (SCS). Our results indicate that the faunal assemblages and SSTs in the southeastern SCS express a substantially prolonged, unusual warm interglacial-type climate condition in MIS 13–15. The climate was abnormally warm during the cold MIS 14. Our study also suggests a lowering of sea surface salinity (SSS) during MIS 13–15. While the western Pacific climate experienced a persistently warm and humid period at MIS 14, a “normal” cooling (∼2 °C) condition on the surface of the eastern equatorial Pacific existed concomitantly. While assessing possible interpretations of this “abnormal” climate interval in MIS 13–15, our study indicates that an enhanced interhemispheric and/or longitudinal temperature gradient across the basin-wide Pacific cannot be ruled out. A change in the sensitivity of the East Asian Monsoon (EAM) that controlled temperature and precipitation patterns in East Asia and the western Pacific is probably also important or responsible for this climate abnormality. Based on our evidence, we suggest that the tropical dynamics would have played a role in the climate abnormality in MIS 13–15, through maintaining or even increasing the longitudinal SST gradient in the equatorial Pacific, which may have intensified the low-latitude trade winds in the eastern component of the Walker Circulation that drove a longer duration and/or stronger intensity of the summer vs. winter EAM.

Variations in mid-latitude North Atlantic surface water properties during the mid-Brunhes (MIS 9–14) and their implications for the thermohaline circulation

Abstract. Stable isotope and ice-rafted debris records from three core sites in the mid-latitude North Atlantic (IODP Site U1313, MD01-2446, MD03-2699) are combined with records of ODP Sites 1056/1058 and 980 to reconstruct hydrographic conditions during the middle Pleistocene spanning Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 9–14 (300–540 ka). Core MD03-2699 is the first high-resolution mid-Brunhes record from the North Atlantic's eastern boundary upwelling system covering the complete MIS 11c interval and MIS 13. The array of sites reflect western and eastern basin boundary current as well as north to south transect sampling of subpolar and transitional water masses and allow the reconstruction of transport pathways in the upper limb of the North Atlantic's circulation. Hydrographic conditions in the surface and deep ocean during peak interglacial MIS 9 and 11 were similar among all the sites with relative stable conditions and confirm prolonged warmth during MIS 11c also for the mid-latitudes. Sea surface temperature (SST) reconstructions further reveal that in the mid-latitude North Atlantic MIS 11c is associated with two plateaus, the younger one of which is slightly warmer. Enhanced subsurface northward heat transport in the eastern boundary current system, especially during early MIS 11c, is denoted by the presence of tropical planktic foraminifer species and raises the question how strongly it impacted the Portuguese upwelling system. Deep water ventilation at the onset of MIS 11c significantly preceded surface water ventilation. Although MIS 13 was generally colder and more variable than the younger interglacials the surface water circulation scheme was the same. The greatest differences between the sites existed during the glacial inceptions and glacials. Then a north – south trending hydrographic front separated the nearshore and offshore waters off Portugal. While offshore waters originated from the North Atlantic Current as indicated by the similarities between the records of IODP Site U1313, ODP Site 980 and MD01-2446, nearshore waters as recorded in core MD03-2699 derived from the Azores Current and thus the subtropical gyre. Except for MIS 12, Azores Current influence seems to be related to eastern boundary system dynamics and not to changes in the Atlantic overturning circulation.

Mid-Piacenzian sea surface temperature record from ODP Site 1115 in the western equatorial Pacific

Planktic foraminifer assemblages and alkenone unsaturation ratios have been analyzed for the mid-Piacenzian (3.3 to 2.9 Ma) section of Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1115B, located in the western equatorial Pacific off the coast of New Guinea. Cold and warm season sea surface temperature (SST) estimates were determined using a modern analog technique. ODP Site 1115 is located just south of the transition between the planktic foraminifer tropical and subtropical faunal provinces and approximates the southern boundary of the western equatorial Pacific (WEP) warm pool. Comparison of the faunal and alkenone SST estimates (presented here) with an existing nannofossil climate proxy shows similar trends. Results of this analysis show increased seasonal variability during the middle of the sampled section (3.22 to 3.10 Ma), suggesting a possible northward migration of both the subtropical faunal province and the southern boundary of the WEP warm pool.

Deep-sea palaeoceanography of the Maldives Islands (ODP Hole 716A), equatorial Indian Ocean during MIS 12-6

Deep-sea benthic foraminifera, planktic foraminifer Globigerina bulloides and pteropods have been quantitatively analysed in 451 samples from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Hole 716A, to understand both surface and deep-sea palaeoceanographic changes in the equatorial Indian Ocean basin during the late Quaternary (approximately 444-151 Kyrs). Benthic foraminifera were analysed from >125 microm size fraction whereas Globigerina bulloides and pteropods were analysed from > 150 microm size fraction. Factor analysis of most dominant benthic foraminiferal species over the studied time span made it possible to identify three biofacies characterizing distinct deep-sea environmental settings at Hole 716A. The environmental interpretation of each species is based on the ecology of recent deep-sea benthic foraminifera. The faunal record indicates fluctuating deep-sea conditions including changes in surface productivity, organic food supply and deep-sea oxygenation linked to changing wind intensities. These changes are pronounced on glacial-interglacial time scales driven by summer monsoon winds.

A new Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) serial planktic foraminifer (Family Heterohelicidae) with early planispiral coil and revision of Spiroplecta Ehrenberg, 1844

A new planktic foraminifer, Hartella harti nov. gen., nov. sp. is described from the Maastrichtian sediments of the Atlantic Ocean. H. harti likely evolved from Fleisherites glabrans (Cushman). Spiroplecta Ehrenberg is reviewed and considered monospecific. The only species assigned to this genus is Spiroplecta americana Ehrenberg, which evolved from Heterohelix globulosa (Ehrenberg). It is demonstrated that the early planispiral coil developed in at least three separate lineages of serial planktic foraminifera in the Late Cretaceous (late Campanian-early Maastrichtian).

Planktic foraminiferal shell thinning in the Arabian Sea due to anthropogenic ocean acidification?

Abstract. About one third of the anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) released into the atmosphere in the past two centuries has been taken up by the ocean. As CO2 invades the surface ocean, carbonate ion concentrations and pH are lowered. Laboratory studies indicate that this reduces the calcification rates of marine calcifying organisms, including planktic foraminifera. Such a reduction in calcification resulting from anthropogenic CO2 emissions has not been observed, or quantified in the field yet. Here we present the findings of a study in the Western Arabian Sea that uses shells of the surface water dwelling planktic foraminifer Globigerinoides ruber in order to test the hypothesis that anthropogenically induced acidification has reduced shell calcification of this species. We found that light, thin-walled shells from the surface sediment are younger (based on 14C and δ13C measurements) than the heavier, thicker-walled shells. Shells in the upper, bioturbated, sediment layer were significantly lighter compared to shells found below this layer. These observations are consistent with a scenario where anthropogenically induced ocean acidification reduced the rate at which foraminifera calcify, resulting in lighter shells. On the other hand, we show that seasonal upwelling in the area also influences their calcification and the stable isotope (δ13C and δ18O) signatures recorded by the foraminifera shells. Plankton tow and sediment trap data show that lighter shells were produced during upwelling and heavier ones during non-upwelling periods. Seasonality alone, however, cannot explain the 14C results, or the increase in shell weight below the bioturbated sediment layer. We therefore must conclude that probably both the processes of acidification and seasonal upwelling are responsible for the presence of light shells in the top of the sediment and the age difference between thick and thin specimens.

The last 100 000 years' palaeoenvironmental changes inferred from the diatom assemblages of core MD012404 from the Okinawa Trough, East China Sea

AbstractThe diatom assemblage records preserved in a sedimentary core MD012404 retrieved from the Okinawa Trough in the East China Sea (ECS) imply palaeoenvironmental changes of the last 100 ka. Our statistical analyses of diatom species abundance data indicate that the assemblages dominate open ocean and warm water, coastal water and freshwater masses in the ECS. These proxy species were used to infer the long‐term variation in surface hydrological conditions and palaeoclimate. Cycles of ca. 23 ka observed in the relative abundance of the tychopelagic species Paralia sulcata indicate that the increases in precipitation driven by solar insolation might have controlled the diatom assemblages in the ECS. The diatom records also indicate relatively low abundances of tropical, tychopelagic and freshwater species during millennial‐scale cold events such as the Younger Dryas and Heinrich events, which have been well expressed in the high‐latitude Northern Hemisphere climate. The floral patterns are interpreted as synchronous cooling and more saline sea surface conditions in the ECS caused by the enhanced Asian winter monsoon during the Northern Hemisphere cold events. The higher abundances of tropical species during deglaciation and the Holocene might have been linked to gradual increases in the inflow of the Kuroshio into the Okinawa Trough. The records also suggest a temporary reduction in tropical species from 5 to 3 ka, corresponding to the Pulleniatina Minimum Event during which the warm‐water planktic foraminifer Pulleniatina obliquiloculata was rare. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

A critical evaluation of calcium isotope ratios in tests of planktonic foraminifers

We critically evaluate the applicability of Ca-isotope ratios in planktonic foraminifers as proxy for past sea surface temperatures (SST) and isotope composition of paleo-seawater (δ 44Ca sw) reconstructions. Previous studies have shown discrepancies regarding the temperature sensitivity of Ca isotope fractionation in foraminifers of more than one order of magnitude. We present new data from the planktonic foraminifer species Orbulina universa, Globigerinoides sacculifer and Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (sinistral) from culture experiments, multinet deployments and coretop samples. Specimens of G. sacculifer cultured at low salinities (33–34.5) show predominantly no major temperature dependent Ca isotope fractionation, in contrast to previous individuals cultured at higher salinities of 34.5–36. The new data of O. universa are consistent with previously published results, revealing a small but significant temperature sensitivity. Calcium isotope fractionation in tests of N. pachyderma shows a significant variation with temperature, which is not uniform over the total investigated temperature range (−1.6 °C to +10 °C), possibly reflecting the influence of additional controlling factors besides temperature. Controlled dissolution experiments in the laboratory indicate that the Ca-isotope composition of G. sacculifer and N. pachyderma is relatively insensitive to partial dissolution of their tests. Calcium isotope ratios in the planktonic foraminifers G. sacculifer and N. pachyderma (s) reveal a complex Ca isotope fractionation behaviour, which is not yet fully understood. Additional validation studies are crucial to enhance the basic understanding of the calcium isotope systematics in planktic foraminifer shells, and the potential for applying Ca-isotope ratios as proxies for seawater temperature and the oceanic Ca budget.

Seeking a better life in the plankton

Foraminifers are single-celled, testate protists with a rich geologic record spanning at least 500 million years of Earth's most recent history. Their abundance, diversity, and diagnostic distribution patterns make them very useful to Earth scientists for purposes of relative age determination, correlation from one locality to another, and paleoenvironmental reconstructions. Benthic foraminifers occupy nearly every conceivable marine habitat ranging from coastal salt marshes and estuaries to marginal silled basins and deep-sea trenches. They range from pole to pole and are particularly diverse and abundant in shallow waters of the tropics. Planktic foraminifers have a shorter geologic history that begins ≈180 Ma in the late Early Jurassic. Traditional classification has assigned all of the planktic forms to a single suborder Globigerinina (1). Such a classification scheme implies a monophyletic origin for the planktic foraminifers, although many specialists have long suspected a polyphyletic origin from benthic ancestors.

Carbon isotope fluctuations of terrestrial organic matter for the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Santonian) in the Obira area of Hokkaido, Japan

AbstractStratigraphic fluctuations of carbon isotope values of terrestrial organic matter within the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Santonian) sequence in the Obira area of Hokkaido, Japan, record distinctive δ13C fluctuations for the Cenomanian–Turonian boundary, the Middle Turonian, the upper Turonian–lower Coniacian, and the Santonian. A biostratigraphic framework of the age-diagnostic taxa (ammonoids, bivalves and planktic foraminifers) indicates that these δ13C fluctuation events are comparable with those recorded in δ13C data of terrestrial organic matter in Japan and marine carbonates in Europe. These correlations reinforce the utility of these δ13C events in terms of global chemostratigraphy. In particular, the δ13C patterns within the overall positive interval of the Cenomanian–Turonian boundary event are highly conformable between marine and terrestrial records. The consistent nature of these different records of δ13C fluctuation patterns demonstrates that the terrestrial organic δ13C data mirror the global-scale δ13C patterns in the carbon reservoir of ocean–atmosphere–terrestrial biosphere during the Cenomanian–Turonian boundary event. In addition, global correlation of short-term marine and terrestrial organic δ13C fluctuations of the Upper Cretaceous sequence indicate that the magnitude of several terrestrial organic δ13C events appears more amplified than that of coeval marine carbonate δ13C events. This correlation is interpreted to mean that the effects of local CO2 emission into the atmosphere by release of terrestrial methane hydrate or biomass burning of terrestrial vegetation in the hinterland of the NE Asian region have been superimposed on the global δ13C trend and resulted in the terrestrial organic δ13C records of the Yezo Group.

Catastrophic mass extinction and assemblage evolution in planktic foraminifera across the Cretaceous/Paleogene (K/Pg) boundary at Bidart (SW France)

A high-resolution biostratigraphic analysis of planktic foraminifers confirms that the Bidart section at the eastern margin of the Atlantic Ocean exhibits a continuous and complete Cretaceous/Paleogene (K/Pg) transition interval. The biozones and subzones recorded in this section are less expanded than their equivalent in Tunisian sections: El Kef (Global Stratotype Section and Point: GSSP for the K/Pg boundary) and Ellès (auxiliary section), but they are sufficiently thick to allow a detailed analysis of the evolution of the planktic foraminiferal assemblages across the K/Pg transition. Throughout the uppermost 4 m Maastrichtian, the planktic foraminiferal assemblages are highly diversified, containing up to 72 species. These Maastrichtian assemblages are rich in cosmopolitan taxa (70%), dominated by small biserial morphotypes which belong mainly to the genus Heterohelix which coexist with less abundant but highly diverse tropical and subtropical species. The extinction pattern at the Bidart section suggests a sudden catastrophic mass extinction at the K/Pg boundary which affected at least 53 out of 72 species. The species becoming extinct include globotruncanids (e.g. Contusotruncana spp., Globotruncana spp., Globotruncanita spp.) and complex heterohelicids (e.g. Racemiguembelina spp., Pseudotextularia spp., Gublerina spp.). At the Bidart section, only Archaeoglobigerina cretacea disappears 2 m below the K/Pg boundary event. Specimens of 18 small and even tiny Maastrichtian species, are found at the lowermost Danian. Only a few of these species belonging to the genera of Guembelitria, Hedbergella and Heterohelix are considered to be real “Cretaceous survivor species”, whereas the specimens belonging to the rest, are most probably reworked, because they differ in their preservation. Throughout lowermost Danian, the planktic foraminiferal assemblages are dominated by “opportunistic” species of the genus Guembelitria. These opportunists are associated to small and poorly diversified pioneer globigerinids ( Palaeoglobigerina spp. and Parvularugoglobigerina spp.). These assemblages became progressively more diversified across the early Danian containing species with cancellate walls ( Eoglobigerina spp., Parasubbotina spp., Subbotina triloculinoides and Praemurica spp.) and new taxa of biserial heterohelicids ( Woodringina spp. and Chiloguembelina spp.) suggesting a paleoenvironmental recovery.

Origin, glacial‐interglacial responses, and controlling factors of a cold‐water coral mound in NE Atlantic

Recent deep‐ocean exploration has revealed unexpectedly widespread and diverse coral ecosystems in deep water on continental shelves, slopes, seamounts, and ridge systems around the world. Origin and growth history of these cold‐water coral mounds are poorly known, owing to a lack of complete stratigraphic sections through them. Here we show high‐resolution oxygen isotope records of planktic foraminifers from the base to the top of Challenger Mound, southwest of Ireland, which was drilled during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 307. Challenger Mound began to grow during isotope stage 92 (2.24 million years ago (Ma)), immediately after the onset of Northern Hemisphere glaciation and the initiation of modern stratification in the northeast Atlantic. Mound initiation was likely due to reintroduction of Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW) and ensuing development of a density gradient with overlying northeastern Atlantic water (NEAW), where organic matter was prone to be stagnated and fueled the coral ecosystem. Coral growth continued for 11 glacial‐interglacial cycles until isotopic stage 72 (1.82 Ma) with glacial siliciclastic input from the continental margin. After a long hiatus that separates the lower mound and the upper mound, coral growth restored for a short time in isotope stages 19–18 (0.8–0.7 Ma) in which sediments were either eroded or not deposited during a full glacial stage. The development pattern of the water mass interface between MOW and NEAW might have changed, because of the fluctuations of the MOW production which is responsible for the amplitude in ice volume oscillations from the low‐amplitude 41 ka cycles for the lower mound to the high‐amplitude 100 ka cycles for the upper mound. The average sedimentation and CaCO3 production rates of the lower mound were evaluated 27 cm/ka and 31.1 g/cm2/ka, respectively.

Foraminiferal response to seasonality modulated by orbital cycles in the Cretaceous mid-latitudes: The Albian record from the Lower Saxony Basin

The mid-Cretaceous serves as an excellent laboratory for testing the dynamics of the climate under greenhouse state of the Earth. This study is focused on the cyclicity record of foraminiferal assemblages in the Lower Saxony Basin during the Middle Albian. The short eccentricity, obliquity, and precession cycles are consistently recorded in absolute and relative abundance of most opportunistic benthic and planktic foraminifers. The question is why foraminifers reacted to orbital cycles and what they actually record in the “equable” global climate. It is suggested that seasonality changes modulated by orbital cycles are responsible for the Milankovitch cyclicity records. It is well known that the axial obliquity directly influences seasonal contrasts in mid- and high latitudes. The precession modulated by the eccentricity of the Earth orbit further affects the contrast of seasons. Therefore, seasonal dynamics of precipitation/runoff and storm tracks patterns, and to a lesser extent temperature contrasts, are most likely factors controlling Milankovitch-scale cyclic fluctuations of foraminiferal assemblages and other proxies sensitive to productivity changes. It can be deduced that periods of the highest seasonal contrasts were dominated by opportunistic, abundant taxa, such as benthic Valvulineria–Gyroidinoides group and planktic hedbergellids, which record the strongest obliquity signals. The Lower Saxony and adjacent Boreal basins were possibly controlled by humid climate with relatively dry summers and wet winter seasons. This study confronted with the presented conceptual model and former climate models supports the conclusion that the temperate zone surrounding Tethys was sensitive to seasonal changes modulated by orbital cyclicity. The mid-latitudinal climate of the greenhouse Earth seems to be more dynamic and more seasonal than expected.

Elusive isotopic properties of deglacial meltwater spikes into the North Atlantic: example of the final drainage of Lake AgassizThis article is one of a series of papers published in the Special Issue on the theme Polar Climate Stability Network.

The impact of the final drainage of Lake Agassiz, some 8.4 ka ago on the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation is still debated. The lack of isotopic response in planktic foraminifer records at the outlet of the drainage channel constitutes a puzzling element in this debate. To estimate the response of the 18O–salinity relationship in ocean surface waters to drainage, we use a core raised from southeast Hudson Bay to document δ18O values of lake waters, immediately prior to drainage. Valves of Candona sp. (an ostracod) from lacustrine varved-sediments underlying marine clays, yielded δ18O values clustered around –20.5‰ (versus VPDB (Vienna PeeDee Belemnite)). Assuming a lake bottom temperature of about 0 °C, an isotopic composition of –25‰ (versus VSMOW (Vienna standard mean ocean water)) is calculated for paleolake waters, not unlike values reported for earlier stages of Lake Agassiz. This value is only slightly more negative than those estimated for Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) meltwaters during the last glacial maximum (∼ –21‰), or for the “apparent” freshwater end member diluting modern northwest Atlantic surface waters (–20.3‰ ± 0.4‰). The estimated ∼ –0.1‰ shift of the 18O–salinity relationship of ocean surface waters, in the salinity domain (&gt;34) characterizing the only planktic foraminifer ( Neogloboquadrina pachyderma , Np) then abundant off the drainage outlet, seems barely distinguishable from background noise of Np δ18O records from such environments. Most other similar LIS deglacial events have probably not left any clear isotopic records in deep-sea cores from surrounding basins.

A new serial Cretaceous planktic foraminifer (Family Heterohelicidae Cushman, 1927) from the Upper Maastrichtian of the equatorial Central Pacific

Abstract. A new serial planktic foraminifer, Lipsonia lipsonae nov. gen., nov. sp., is reported from the Upper Maastrichtian sediments of the equatorial Central Pacific (Shatsky Rise). It presents raised sutures throughout, ornamentation consisting of coarse irregular structures on the early part of the test and smooth test surface in the adult stage. The absence of costate ornamentation suggests that the new taxon origins should probably be found in the contemporaneous non-costate species of the Laeviheterohelix glabrans-L. dentata group. Lipsonia lipsonae presents morphological similarities with the Santonian genus Sigalia. The costate test surface and sutures of the latter indicates that it evolved from a costate species. Accordingly, Lipsonia and Sigalia are the results of iterative evolution from two different heterohelicid groups.

Seasonal and interannual variability of the planktic foraminiferal flux in the vicinity of the Azores Current

Planktic foraminiferal (PF) flux and faunal composition from three sediment trap time series of 2002–2004 in the northeastern Atlantic show pronounced year-to-year variations despite similar sea surface temperature (SST). The averaged fauna of the in 2002/2003 is dominated by the species Globigerinita glutinata, whereas in 2003/2004 the averaged fauna is dominated by Globigerinoides ruber. We show that PF species respond primarily to productivity, triggered by the seasonal dynamics of vertical stratification of the upper water column. Multivariate statistical analysis reveals three distinct species groups, linked to bulk particle flux, to chlorophyll concentrations and to summer/fall oligotrophy with high SST and stratification. We speculate that the distinct nutrition strategies of strictly asymbiontic, facultatively symbiontic, and symbiontic species may play a key role in explaining their abundances and temporal succession. Advection of water masses within the Azores Current and species expatriation result in a highly diverse PF assemblage. The Azores Frontal Zone may have influenced the trap site in 2002, indicated by subsurface water cooling, by highest PF flux and high flux of the deep-dwelling species Globorotalia scitula. Similarity analyses with core top samples from the global ocean including 746 sites from the Atlantic suggest that the trap faunas have only poor analogs in the surface sediments. These differences have to be taken into account when estimating past oceanic properties from sediment PF data in the eastern subtropical North Atlantic.

Timing of Shell Size Increase and Decrease of the Planktic Foraminifer Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (Sinistral) During the Pleistocene, IODP Exp. 303 Site U1304, the North Atlantic Ocean

We made shell size measurements of the planktic foraminifer Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (sinistral) using samples from IODP Site U1304, the North Atlantic. We found that mean and maximum shell sizes began to increase around 1.1 Ma, and that several episodic changes in test size occurred during 0.6 – 0.35 Ma. Test size reached a maximum during the late Quaternary. Based on correlation with previous investigations, we have confirmed that these changes in foraminiferal shell size occurred on an inter-ocean scale

Depth habitats and seasonal distributions of recent planktic foraminifers in the Canary Islands region (29°N) based on oxygen isotopes

Seasonal depth stratified plankton tows, sediment traps and core tops taken from the same stations along a transect at 29°N off NW Africa are used to describe the seasonal succession, the depth habitats and the oxygen isotope ratios (δ 18O shell) of five planktic foraminiferal species. Both the δ 18O shell and shell concentration profiles show variations in seasonal depth habitats of individual species. None of the species maintain a specific habitat depth exclusively within the surface mixed layer (SML), within the thermocline, or beneath the thermocline. Globigerinoides ruber (white) and (pink) occur with moderate abundance throughout the year along the transect, with highest abundances in the winter and summer/fall season, respectively. The average δ 18O shell of G. ruber (w) from surface sediments is similar to the δ 18O shell values measured from the sediment-trap samples during winter. However, the δ 18O shell of G. ruber (w) underestimates sea surface temperature (SST) by 2 °C in winter and by 4 °C during summer/fall indicating an extension of the calcification/depth habitat into colder thermocline waters. Globigerinoides ruber (p) continues to calcify below the SML as well, particularly in summer/fall when the chlorophyll maximum is found within the thermocline. Its vertical distribution results in δ 18O shell values that underestimate SST by 2 °C. Shell fluxes of Globigerina bulloides are highest in summer/fall, where it lives and calcifies in association with the deep chlorophyll maximum found within the thermocline. Pulleniatina obliquiloculata and Globorotalia truncatulinoides, dwelling and calcifying a part of their lives in the winter SML, record winter thermocline (∼180 m) and deep surface water (∼350 m) temperatures, respectively. Our observations define the seasonal and vertical distribution of multiple species of foraminifera and the acquisition of their δ 18O shell.