Late Holocene planktic foraminiferal assemblages from Orca Basin: Effects of dissolution on faunal assemblages

• Main Author: Palmer, Denise D
• Format: Thesis
• Language: unknown
• Published: Digital Commons @ University of South Florida 2006
• Subjects: Gulf of Mexico; Globigerinoides ruber; Interdomal basin; Calcium carbonate; Foraminifera; American Studies; Arts and Humanities; Orca
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/2653; https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3652&context=etd

Studies of planktic foraminifers have been, and continue to be, very important to paleoceanographic reconstructions and are dependent on the integrity of the carbonate tests. This study investigates the methods and procedures that can be used to obtain an accurate planktic foraminifer assemblage. Samples from Orca Basin boxcore OB-BC4D were processed and examined to obtain census data on planktic foraminifers. Experimentation of the splitting technique demonstrates the method is acceptable for estimating a planktic foraminifer assemblage. The effects of a sonication step in the processing of the faunal assemblage were also examined and revealed that sonication is not recommended for processing planktic foraminifers for faunal-assemblage analyses. Census data revealed downcore variation in the foraminifer species and intervals of increased dissolution over the last 1000 years.