The Global Plankton Database: an inventory and data from the Former Soviet Union expeditions

At present time, there is a lack of knowledge on the interannual climate-related variability of zooplankton communities of the tropical Atlantic, central Mediterranean Sea, Caspian Sea, and Aral Sea, due to the absence of appropriate databases. In the mid latitudes, the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is the dominant mode of atmospheric fluctuations over eastern North America, the northern Atlantic Ocean and Europe. Therefore, one of the issues that need to be addressed through data synthesis is the evaluation of interannual patterns in species abundance and species diversity over these regions in regard to the NAO. The database has been used to investigate the ecological role of the NAO in interannual variations of mesozooplankton abundance and biomass along the zonal array of the NAO influence. Basic approach to the proposed research involved: (1) development of co-operation between experts and data holders in Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, UK, and USA to rescue and compile the oceanographic data sets and release them on CD-ROM, (2) organization and compilation of a database based on FSU cruises to the above regions, (3) analysis of the basin-scale interannual variability of the zooplankton species abundance, biomass, and species diversity.

Cretaceous calcareous nannofossils from Exmouth and Wombat Plateau, Northwest Australia

Three sites drilled during Leg 122, Site 761 on the Wombat Plateau and Sites 762 and 763 on the Exmouth Plateau, provide a composite Cretaceous section ranging in age from Berriasian to Maestrichtian. Together, these sites contain an apparently complete, expanded Aptian-Maestrichtian record. Consistently occurring and moderately well-preserved nannofossil assemblages allow reasonably high biostratigraphic resolution. Our data indicate that traditional middle and Upper Cretaceous nannofossil biozonations are not entirely applicable in this region. In this investigation, we compare in detail the relative ranges of key Cretaceous nannofossil markers in the eastern Indian Ocean and in sections from Europe and North Africa. We have determined which previously used events are applicable, and which additional markers have biostratigraphic utility in this region. Significant differences in Campanian-Maestrichtian assemblages exist between the more northern Site 761 and Sites 762 and 763. Such differences are surprising, considering that these sites are only separated by 3° of latitude. We interpret them as marking a strong thermal gradient over the Exmouth Plateau region. Other results include the recovery of an expanded Albian-Cenomanian sequence containing a mixture of Austral and Tethyan floras, which will enable correlation of biozonations established for these two realms; the recovery of two condensed but apparently complete Cenomanian-Turonian boundary sections; correlation of Upper Cretaceous calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy with magneto- and foraminifer stratigraphy; and correlation of portions of the Barrow Group equivalents to the Berriasian and Valanginian stages.