Planktonic foraminifera and microfossil composition of IODP Hole 302-M0004C
Calcareous microfossils are widely used by paleoceanographers to investigate past sea-surface hydrology. Among these microfossils, planktonic foraminifera are probably the most extensively used tool (e.g. [1] for a review), as they are easy to extract from the sediment and can also be used for coupl...
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| Format: | Dataset |
| Language: | English |
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PANGAEA - Publishing Network for Geoscientific and Environmental Data
2011
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| Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.15468/j74wh5 https://www.gbif.org/dataset/b8372c89-eedb-466c-80eb-7276a966a1fb |
| Summary: | Calcareous microfossils are widely used by paleoceanographers to investigate past sea-surface hydrology. Among these microfossils, planktonic foraminifera are probably the most extensively used tool (e.g. [1] for a review), as they are easy to extract from the sediment and can also be used for coupled geochemical (e.g; d18O, d13C, Mg/Ca) and paleo-ecological investigations. Planktonic foraminifera are marine protists, which build a calcareous shell made of several chambers which reflect in their chemistry the properties of the ambient water-masses. Planktonic foraminifera are known to thrive in various habitats, distributed not only along a latitudinal gradient, but also along different water-depth intervals within surface waters (0-1000 m). Regarding their biogeographical distribution, planktonic foraminifera assemblages therefore mirror different water-masses properties, such as temperature, salinity and nutrient content of the surface water in which they live. The investigation of the specific composition of a fossil assemblage (relative abundances) is therefore a way to empirically obtain (paleo)information on past variations of sea-surface hydrological parameters. This paper focuses on the planktonic foraminifera record from the Arctic domain. This polar region records peculiar sea-surface conditions, with the influence of nearly perennial sea-ice cover development. This has strong impact on living foraminifera populations and on the preservation of their shells in the underlying sediments. |
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