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

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Abstract

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 (∼444–151 Kyrs). Benthic foraminifera were analysed from >125 µm size fraction whereas Globigerina bulloides and pteropods were analysed from >150 µm 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.

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  1. Department of Geology and Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, 721 302, India

    S. Sarkar & A. K. Gupta

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Sarkar, S., Gupta, A.K. Deep-sea palaeoceanography of the Maldives Islands (ODP Hole 716A), equatorial Indian Ocean during MIS 12-6. J Biosci 34, 749–764 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12038-009-0066-7

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