Abundance of thecosomatous pteropods in the Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf (Table 2)

This paper deals with the presence and distribution of Thecosomatous Pteropods in the Indian Ocean. 122 plankton-samples, taken by R.V. "Meteor" during the International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE) in 1964-65 were investigated. They contain a total number of about 45000 Thecosomata, belonging to 22 species and 5 families. Some species (e.g. Creseis acicula and Limacina inflata) are common in the entire area, others (e.g. Creseis chierchiae and Desmopterus gardinieri) show a quite distinct distribution. From several species only one single specimen was captured, others are completely lacking in the collection though they have been reported frequently from the same area by other expeditions. This may be due to seasonal variations and to the fact that no bathial tows were taken. In spite of these restrictions the extensive material from a relatively small area offers the possibility to compare specific and nonspecific features in related species and to question their taxonomic value.

Seismic multichannel reflection profiles from the Gulf of Cadiz, IODP Expedition 339

Sediments cored along the southwestern Iberian margin during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 339 provide constraints on Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW) circulation patterns from the Pliocene epoch to the present day. After the Strait of Gibraltar opened (5.33 million years ago), a limited volume of MOW entered the Atlantic. Depositional hiatuses indicate erosion by bottom currents related to higher volumes of MOW circulating into the North Atlantic, beginning in the late Pliocene. The hiatuses coincide with regional tectonic events and changes in global thermohaline circulation (THC). This suggests that MOW influenced Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), THC, and climatic shifts by contributing a component of warm, saline water to northern latitudes while in turn being influenced by plate tectonics.