Late Oligocene through early Pleistocene calcareous nannofossils of ODP Leg 115 holes

The chronostratigraphy, the calcareous nannofossil biochronology, and the biostratigraphy of the Miocene and Pliocene sediments retrieved during Leg 115 in the equatorial western Indian Ocean are presented and discussed. Most of the zonal boundaries of the standard 1971 zonation of Martini and the 1973 zonation of Bukry are easily recognized in these low-latitude sediments. We also comment on the secondary events that are proposed in the literature to improve the biostratigraphic resolution provided by the standard zonations. The study of calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy and taphonomy of sequences from the Northern Mascarene Plateau area, which was drilled to investigate the Neogene history of carbonate flux and dissolution, indicate that the accumulation of carbonates in this area results from a complex interplay among carbonate bioproductivity, carbonate removal by chemical dissolution and mechanical erosion, and carbonate addition by mass and current transport. In spite of these drawbacks, major changes and trends in carbonate accumulation can be recognized, most of which, if not all, correlate with major steps in the evolution of the Neogene climatic system.

Biological Atlas of the Arctic Seas 2000: Physical oceanography, hydrochemistry, meteorology, and plankton of the Barents and Kara Seas

Presented are physical and biological data for the region extending from the Barents Sea to the Kara Sea during 158 scientific cruises for the period 1913-1999. Maps with the temporal distribution of physical and biological variables of the Barents and Kara Seas are presented, with proposed quality control criteria for phytoplankton and zooplankton data. Changes in the plankton community structure between the 1930s, 1950s, and 1990s are discussed. Multiple tables of Arctic Seas phytoplankton and zooplankton species are presented, containing ecological and geographic characteristics for each species, and images of live cells for the dominant phytoplankton species.

Calcareous nannofossils of ODP Leg 107 holes

This paper summarizes the nannoplankton biostratigraphy and the paleoenvironmental interpretations obtained from Leg 107 in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Marine sediments are ranging in age from late Tortonian to Recent. The Mediterranean as a semiclosed adjacent sea of the Atlantic is strongly controlled by paleoceanographic changes in the Atlantic which are related to the global climatic evolution. This influence of the Atlantic is more pronounced in the western than in the eastern Mediterranean. The occurrence of sapropels and sapropelic layers also in the western Mediterranean was shown for the first time.