Abstract
In this study we compare the distributions of the skeletal remains of plankton and nekton organisms caught in water samples from the upwelling regions off northwest Africa and northwestern South America. In both regions the near-surface water masses were sampled continuously by means of a seawater pump with an attached filter system effectively collecting all sand-sized material over sampling intervals of limited regional extent. Close to 200 samples were available from each of the regions. The samples were studied for their contents of shells and skeletons. Because the water flow was controlled by means of a water meter, it was possible to calculate relative and absolute concentrations of all components within the sampled size fractions and their regional distributions could thus be determined.
The quantitatively most important components of the collected grain assemblages are diatoms, planktonic and benthic foraminifers, radiolarians, larvae of benthic gastropods and bivalves, pelagic gastropods and fish bones. Samples taken within the coastal water masses of the upwelling regions are often characterized by the massive occurrence of large centric diatoms. Also, benthic foraminifers have frequently been found off South America and are believed to have lived as epi-benthos on drifting algae.
The planktonic foraminifers and their distributional patterns can be related directly to the extent of upwelling water masses. Both off northwest Africa and off South America, the most important planktonic foraminiferal species of the upwelling water masses are Globigerina bulloides, Globigerinita glutinata and Globoquadrina dutertrei. Distributions of planktonic foraminiferal assemblages can be related to the tropical warm water masses, to the eastern boundary currents and to areas with cool upwelled surface waters.
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© 1983 Plenum Press, New York
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Thiede, J. (1983). Skeletal Plankton and Nekton in Upwelling Water Masses Off Northwestern South America and Northwest Africa. In: Suess, E., Thiede, J. (eds) Coastal Upwelling Its Sediment Record. NATO Conference Series, vol 10B. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-6651-9_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-6651-9_10
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