Planktonic foraminifera assemblage composition and flux dynamics inferred from an annual sediment trap record in the central Mediterranean Sea
The Sicily Channel, located in the central Mediterranean Sea, represents a key point for the regional oceanographic circulation, as it is regarded as the sill that separates the western and eastern basins. Therefore, it is regarded as a unique zone in the well-documented west-to-east Mediterranean p...
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ftcopernicus:oai:publications.copernicus.org:bg117203 2024-09-30T14:41:29+00:00 Planktonic foraminifera assemblage composition and flux dynamics inferred from an annual sediment trap record in the central Mediterranean Sea Béjard, Thibauld M. Rigual-Hernández, Andrés S. Tarruella, Javier P. Flores, José-Abel Sanchez-Vidal, Anna Llamas-Cano, Irene Sierro, Francisco J. 2024-09-13 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4051-2024 https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/21/4051/2024/ eng eng doi:10.5194/bg-21-4051-2024 https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/21/4051/2024/ eISSN: 1726-4189 Text 2024 ftcopernicus https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4051-2024 2024-09-17T23:57:35Z The Sicily Channel, located in the central Mediterranean Sea, represents a key point for the regional oceanographic circulation, as it is regarded as the sill that separates the western and eastern basins. Therefore, it is regarded as a unique zone in the well-documented west-to-east Mediterranean productivity gradient. Here we present a time series of settling planktonic foraminifera assemblages from November 2013 to October 2014. Altogether, 19 samples from the sediment trap C01 deployed at a water depth of around 400 m have been used. More than 3700 individuals and 15 different species have been identified. Globorotalia inflata , Globorotalia truncatulinoides , Globigerina bulloides , Globigerinoides ruber , and Globigerinoides ruber (pink) were the five main species identified, accounting for more than 85 % of the total foraminifera. The total planktonic foraminifera flux mean value was 630 shells m −2 d −1 , with a minimum value of 45 shells m −2 d −1 displayed during late autumn 2013 and a maximum of 1890 shells m −2 d −1 reached during spring 2014. This is likely due to the regional oceanographic configuration and the marked seasonality in the surface circulation. During spring and winter, Atlantic Water (AW) dominates the surface circulation, bringing cool and nutrient-enriched waters. This results in a planktonic foraminifera flux increase and a dominance of western basin taxa. During summer and autumn, the circulation is dominated by the eastern warm and oligotrophic Levantine water, which leads to a planktonic foraminifera flux decrease and the dominance of eastern basin species. Our comparison with satellite-derived sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and chlorophyll a data showed that G. inflata was associated with cool and nutrient-rich conditions, while both G. ruber morphotypes were associated with warm and oligotrophic conditions. However, no trends were identified for G. truncatulinoides or G. bulloides . As the latter species flux increased coincidently with that of benthic foraminifera, we ... Text Planktonic foraminifera Copernicus Publications: E-Journals Western Basin Biogeosciences 21 17 4051 4076 |
institution |
Open Polar |
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Copernicus Publications: E-Journals |
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ftcopernicus |
language |
English |
description |
The Sicily Channel, located in the central Mediterranean Sea, represents a key point for the regional oceanographic circulation, as it is regarded as the sill that separates the western and eastern basins. Therefore, it is regarded as a unique zone in the well-documented west-to-east Mediterranean productivity gradient. Here we present a time series of settling planktonic foraminifera assemblages from November 2013 to October 2014. Altogether, 19 samples from the sediment trap C01 deployed at a water depth of around 400 m have been used. More than 3700 individuals and 15 different species have been identified. Globorotalia inflata , Globorotalia truncatulinoides , Globigerina bulloides , Globigerinoides ruber , and Globigerinoides ruber (pink) were the five main species identified, accounting for more than 85 % of the total foraminifera. The total planktonic foraminifera flux mean value was 630 shells m −2 d −1 , with a minimum value of 45 shells m −2 d −1 displayed during late autumn 2013 and a maximum of 1890 shells m −2 d −1 reached during spring 2014. This is likely due to the regional oceanographic configuration and the marked seasonality in the surface circulation. During spring and winter, Atlantic Water (AW) dominates the surface circulation, bringing cool and nutrient-enriched waters. This results in a planktonic foraminifera flux increase and a dominance of western basin taxa. During summer and autumn, the circulation is dominated by the eastern warm and oligotrophic Levantine water, which leads to a planktonic foraminifera flux decrease and the dominance of eastern basin species. Our comparison with satellite-derived sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and chlorophyll a data showed that G. inflata was associated with cool and nutrient-rich conditions, while both G. ruber morphotypes were associated with warm and oligotrophic conditions. However, no trends were identified for G. truncatulinoides or G. bulloides . As the latter species flux increased coincidently with that of benthic foraminifera, we ... |
format |
Text |
author |
Béjard, Thibauld M. Rigual-Hernández, Andrés S. Tarruella, Javier P. Flores, José-Abel Sanchez-Vidal, Anna Llamas-Cano, Irene Sierro, Francisco J. |
spellingShingle |
Béjard, Thibauld M. Rigual-Hernández, Andrés S. Tarruella, Javier P. Flores, José-Abel Sanchez-Vidal, Anna Llamas-Cano, Irene Sierro, Francisco J. Planktonic foraminifera assemblage composition and flux dynamics inferred from an annual sediment trap record in the central Mediterranean Sea |
author_facet |
Béjard, Thibauld M. Rigual-Hernández, Andrés S. Tarruella, Javier P. Flores, José-Abel Sanchez-Vidal, Anna Llamas-Cano, Irene Sierro, Francisco J. |
author_sort |
Béjard, Thibauld M. |
title |
Planktonic foraminifera assemblage composition and flux dynamics inferred from an annual sediment trap record in the central Mediterranean Sea |
title_short |
Planktonic foraminifera assemblage composition and flux dynamics inferred from an annual sediment trap record in the central Mediterranean Sea |
title_full |
Planktonic foraminifera assemblage composition and flux dynamics inferred from an annual sediment trap record in the central Mediterranean Sea |
title_fullStr |
Planktonic foraminifera assemblage composition and flux dynamics inferred from an annual sediment trap record in the central Mediterranean Sea |
title_full_unstemmed |
Planktonic foraminifera assemblage composition and flux dynamics inferred from an annual sediment trap record in the central Mediterranean Sea |
title_sort |
planktonic foraminifera assemblage composition and flux dynamics inferred from an annual sediment trap record in the central mediterranean sea |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4051-2024 https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/21/4051/2024/ |
geographic |
Western Basin |
geographic_facet |
Western Basin |
genre |
Planktonic foraminifera |
genre_facet |
Planktonic foraminifera |
op_source |
eISSN: 1726-4189 |
op_relation |
doi:10.5194/bg-21-4051-2024 https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/21/4051/2024/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4051-2024 |
container_title |
Biogeosciences |
container_volume |
21 |
container_issue |
17 |
container_start_page |
4051 |
op_container_end_page |
4076 |
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1811643957429403648 |