Distribution of coccoliths in surface sediments of the south-eastern South Atlantic Ocean ...

• Main Authors: Boeckel, Babette, Baumann, Karl-Heinz
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2004
• Subjects: Giant box corer; MultiCorer; Gravity corer Kiel type; Bottom lander; M12/1; M20/2; M23/1; M34/1; M34/2; Meteor 1986; South Atlantic in Late Quaternary Reconstruction of Budget and Currents SFB261; South Atlantic Ocean
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.736665; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.736665

Recent coccoliths from 52 surface sediment samples recovered from the south-eastern South Atlantic were examined qualitatively and quantitatively in order to assess the controlling mechanisms for their distribution patterns, such as ecological and preservational factors, and their role as carbonate producers. Total coccolith abundances range from 0.2 to 39.9 coccoliths*10**9/ g sediment. Four assemblages can be delineated by their coccolith content characterising the northern Benguela, the middle to southern Benguela, the Walvis Ridge and the deeper water. Distinctions are based on multivariate ordination techniques applied on the relative abundances of the most abundant taxa, Emiliania huxleyi, Calcidiscus leptoporus, Gephyrocapsa spp., Coccolithus pelagicus and subtropical to tropical species. The coccolith distribution seems to be temperature and nutrient controlled co-varying with the seaward extension of the upwelling filament zone in the Benguela. A preservation index (CEX') based on the differential ... : Supplement to: Boeckel, Babette; Baumann, Karl-Heinz (2004): Distribution of coccoliths in surface sediments of the south-eastern South Atlantic Ocean: ecology, preservation and carbonate contribution. Marine Micropaleontology, 51(3-4), 301-320 ...