The silicon isotopic composition of surface waters in the Atlantic and Indian sectors of the Southern Ocean

We report here the silicon isotopic composition (δ³⁰Si) of dissolved silicon (DSi) from 42 surface water samples from the Drake Passage, the Weddell Gyre, other areas south of the Southern Boundary of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), and the ACC near the Kerguelen Plateau, taken between the beginning of February and the end of March 2007. From the beginning to end of the cruise (ANTXXIII/9), DSi diminished in the Antarctic by 50 μmol L⁻¹ while concentrations of nitrate + nitrite and phosphate showed no net decline, indicating that the high seasonal Si/N removal ratios well known for the Southern Ocean may be more related to the strength of the silicate pump in the Southern Ocean than to the instantaneous Si/N uptake ratio of diatoms. The δ³⁰Si of DSi in samples containing more than 20 μM DSi were strongly negatively correlated to DSi concentrations, supporting the use of δ³⁰Si as a proxy for DSi removal. The “open system” fractionation observed, ε = −1.2 ± 0.11‰, agrees well with results from previous work in other areas, and the estimate of the initial δ³⁰Si of DSi of +1.4‰ is not far off observations of the δ³⁰Si of DSi in Winter Water (WW) in this area. Results were used to model DSi draw down in the past from the δ³⁰Si of sediment cores, although isotopic fractionation during silica dissolution appeared to influence the δ³⁰Si of some surface water samples, inviting further study of this phenomenon.     

Major change in Atlantic Deep and bottom waters 700,000 yr ago: Benthonic foraminiferal evidence from the South Atlantic

In the modern South Atlantic the transition between deep water and bottom water is marked by a clear change in the associated benthonic foraminiferal fauna. uvigerina and Globocassidulina characterize oxygen-poor Circumpolar Deep Water which has long been isolated from the surface. Planulina and miliolids are found associated with the more newly formed, oxygen-rich North Atlantic Deep Water. Antarctic Bottom Water is characterized by “Epistominella” umbonifera. Analysis of the benthonic foraminiferal faunas in two sediment cores recovered from the Vema and Hunter Channels in the western South Atlantic shows that the level of the transition between deep and bottom waters shallowed sharply about 700,000 yr ago. This rise indicates a sharp, sustained increase in the volume of bottom water flowing through the South Atlantic after this time. Prior to about 700,000 yr ago, the amount of Antarctic Bottom Water entering the western South Atlantic was greatly reduced and Circumpolar Deep Water apparently accounted for the bulk of northward flow. Production of southward-flowing North Atlantic Deep Water seems not to have been affected. The timing of this change in circulation regime suggests a possible causal link to similar changes in records of terrestrial and sea-surface climate.     

南塔斯曼海隆2Ma以来碳酸钙沉积记录及其对环流系统和轨道周期的响应

南大洋CaCO3沉积在记录生物泵调节大气CO2的同时,也记录了南大洋表层锋面系统和深部环流格局的重要转变.通过南塔斯曼海ODP 1170站位2 Ma以来CaCO3％和MAR-CaCO3的研究发现,CaCO3％以冰期低和间冰期高的“大西洋”型溶解作用旋回为主,并以MIS 34/35期(约1.15 Ma BP)和MIS 14/15期(约0.55 Ma BP)为界线,表现出3种沉积模式.而MAR-CaCO3以MIS 57/58,21/22,13/14和11/12为界表现出“两高三低”5个阶段.CaCO3％与轨道参数ETP和底栖有孔虫δ18O的交叉频谱和小波分析显示,其主导周期明显具有从40 ka向100 ka转变的中更新世气候转型(MPT)特征,转型起始与终止时间为1.15～0.55 MaBP.CaCO3沉积模式的转变与南大洋太平洋区西风带和环南极表层锋面系统的迁移密切相关,在时间上与MPT同步.MPT时期,西风带和环南极表层锋面系统的快速南北迁移,导致CaCO3沉积受到硅质和陆源物质稀释作用的影响.而MAR-CaCO3的阶段性变化主要与南大洋深层环流的变化格局和水团化学性质的变化有关.在1.5～0.85 MaBP期间,南大洋太平洋区深层水通风增强,利于CaCO3的保存和埋藏,MAR-CaCO3增加;在0.85 ～0.55 Ma BP期间,CO32-处于不饱和状态的CDW增强,导致南大洋深部CaCO3溶解作用增强,溶跃面上升,MAR-CaCO3降低.     

南大洋物理过程在全球气候系统中的作用

南大洋是全球面积最大的一个大洋。传统观点倾向于认为由于南大洋与北半球相距遥远而与北半球气候系统关系不大,其全球性气候效应也较弱,这主要是由于以往对南大洋的了解不足。随着观测分析、数值模拟与理论研究的加强,以及对南大洋的认识不断加深,南大洋的气候效应日益凸显。从南极底层水、南极绕极流、南大洋海冰、南大洋与热带之间的遥相关、以及南大洋对气候变化的响应等多个角度梳理了南大洋物理过程特别是动力过程在全球气候系统中的作用,较为完整地总结了对南大洋气候效应的已有认识,并结合南大洋研究现状对未来有价值的科学问题和潜在的研究热点进行了探讨,以期强调南大洋在全球气候系统中的重要地位,推动南大洋研究不断走向深入。     

Mineral ballast and particle settling rates in the coastal upwelling system off NW Africa and the South Atlantic

The ocean off NW Africa is the second most important coastal upwelling system with a total annual primary production of 0.33 Gt of carbon per year (Carr in Deep Sea Res II 49:59–80, 2002). Deep ocean organic carbon fluxes measured by sediment traps are also fairly high despite low biogenic opal fluxes. Due to a low supply of dissolved silicate from subsurface waters, the ocean off NW Africa is characterized by predominantly carbonate-secreting primary producers, i.e. coccolithophorids. These algae which are key primary producers since millions of years are found in organic- and chlorophyll-rich zooplankton fecal pellets, which sink rapidly through the water column within a few days. Particle flux studies in the Mauretanian upwelling area (Cape Blanc) confirm the hypothesis of Armstrong et al. (Deep Sea Res II 49:219–236, 2002) who proposed that ballast availability, e.g. of carbonate particles, is essential to predict deep ocean organic carbon fluxes. The role of dust as ballast mineral for organic carbon, however, must be also taken into consideration in the coastal settings off NW Africa. There, high settling rates of larger particles approach 400 m day⁻¹, which may be due to a particular composition of mineral ballast. An assessment of particle settling rates from opal-production systems in the Southern Ocean of the Atlantic Sector, in contrast, provides lower values, consistent with the assumptions of Francois et al. (Global Biogeochem Cycles 16(4):1087, 2002). Satellite chlorophyll distributions, particle distributions and fluxes in the water column off NW Africa as well as modelling studies suggest a significant lateral flux component and export of particles from coastal shelf waters into the open ocean. These transport processes have implications for paleo-reconstructions from sediment cores retrieved at continental margin settings.     

ENSO循环过程与南极海冰变化

应用1951-2001年ENSO特征指数(NINO1+2、NINO3、NINO4、NINO3.4、SOI)和1973-1998年南极海冰北界范围以及1950-2001年SODA海洋温度资料,分析探讨了ENSO循环过程与南极海冰之间的关系,研究了南大洋和太平洋海表温度与南极海冰之间的内在联系。结果表明,南极海冰变化与ENSO循环过程存在一定联系,特别是东南极海冰的变化与ENSO循环过程较为密切。这种遥相关关系表明,ENSO循环过程不仅与热带海洋自身的海 气相互作用存在密切关系,而且与南极海冰之间也存在一定的联系。当东南极海冰范围出现异常增大和减小时,在时滞一年之后,NINO循环指数将出现减弱和加强,而南方涛动指数将出现加强和减弱。这种相关关系的机制是通过大洋环流这一载体将异常海温向北输送来实现的。南极海冰范围的异常增加或减少,会直接影响南极绕极流的冷暖结构进而影响经向水体输送的异常,从而导致热带和副热带太平洋上层海温场的异常变化,对ElNino和LaNina事件的发生起到推动作用。     

极地海洋钻探研究进展

南极和北极海域的深海钻探（DSDP）和大洋钻探（ODP）研究所取得的成就是举世瞩目的,为人类研究过去全球变化打开了新的视野。它们揭示了北大西洋高纬度海区新近纪的古海洋学和古气候的演化历史,发现了早更新世"41ka世界"千年尺度的气候波动,以及冰期表层水温与深层水的耦合颤动,说明冰期旋回中冰消期气候的不稳定性。检验了新近纪环南极洋流的形成历史,并揭示了南极新生代的气候变冷和冰盖的演变历史,以及证实了南大洋温度变化领先于全球冰量的变化。2004年北极罗蒙诺索脊的综合大洋钻探（IODP）将宣告科学探索时代的到来,其研究将重建北冰洋新生代环境变化和气候的演变历史,展示北冰洋在全球气候变化中的作用。     

Pleistocene biogeochemical record in the south‐west Pacific Ocean (images site MD97‐2114, Chatham Rise)

Through a multidisciplinary approach based on novel micropaleontological and geochemical analyses, the main paleoceanographic and paleoclimate changes that have influenced the surface‐ and deep‐water circulation in the SW Pacific Ocean (Chatham Rise, eastern New Zealand) during the last million years are reconstructed. This region represents a key area for investigating the climate evolution during the Pleistocene because here the largely wind‐driven Antarctic Circumpolar Current interacts with the west Pacific Ocean circulation via the Deep Western Boundary Current, the major source of deep water for the whole Pacific Ocean. To understand coupling or decoupling events between sea surface and bottom waters, a continuous marine sedimentary succession since 1.1 Ma, recovered by the IMAGES (International Marine Past Global Change Study) cruise in the SW Pacific Ocean (Core MD97‐2114), has been investigated based on calcareous planktonic and benthic microfossil content and C and O isotope record performed on planktonic and benthic foraminiferal tests. Results show the occurrence of long‐ and short‐term patterns of climate and ocean circulation in the last million years as the result of the interplay of ice‐sheet dynamics, surface tropical versus polar water inflow, and trophic status of the surface water. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Deglacial seasonal and sub‐seasonal diatom record from Palmer Deep,Antarctica

The Antarctic Peninsula is one of the most sensitive regions of Antarctica to climate change. Here, ecological and cryospheric systems respond rapidly to climate fluctuations. A 4.4 m thick laminated diatom ooze deposited during the last deglaciation is examined from a marine sediment core (ODP Site 1098) recovered from Basin I, Palmer Deep, western Antarctic Peninsula. This deglacial laminated interval was deposited directly over a glaciomarine diamict, hence during a globally recognised period of rapid climate change. The ultra‐high‐resolution deglacial record is analysed using SEM backscattered electron imagery and secondary electron imagery. Laminated to thinly bedded orange‐brown diatom ooze (near monogeneric Hyalochaete Chaetoceros spp. resting spores) alternates with blue‐grey terrigenous sediments (open water diatom species). These discrete laminae are interpreted as austral spring and summer signals respectively, with negligible winter deposition. Sub‐seasonal sub‐laminae are observed repeatedly through the summer laminae, suggesting variations in shelf waters throughout the summer. Tidal cycles, high storm intensities and/or intrusion of Circumpolar Deep Water onto the continental shelf introduced conditions which enhanced specific species productivity through the season. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Key Scientific Problems and Challenges of Studying Carbon Cycle Mechanism in Pacific Sector of the Arctic

Challenged by the enormous pressure to reduce the global carbon emission, it is expected that the Arctic Ocean could absorb additional atmospheric CO₂ with the retreating of sea-ice. The Chukchi Sea and adjacent waters, characterized by the highest carbon fixation in the global ocean and large carbon flux into the deep-ocean for sequestration, make substantial contributions to carbon cycling in the entire Arctic Ocean. Understanding the response mechanism of carbon cycling in this region to the rapidly changing environment is the foundation for the prediction of carbon sink in the Arctic Ocean. However, the response of carbon absorption and storage to climate change is still controversial, and the main controlling factors of the carbon cycle process remain unclear.Thus, to establish high-resolution coupled ocean-ice-carbon models can explore the influence of sea ice retreat on atmospheric CO₂ and the vertical sinking carbon fluxes in Chukchi Sea, estimate the effectiveness of growing inflow and slope upwelling on carbon sink/source patterns, discuss the response of deep-ocean carbon sequestration to the changing environment, and evaluate the effectiveness of continental shelf pump in the Chukchi Sea as well as its role in the global carbon sink. Based on the challenge for the research of the Chukchi Sea carbon cycle research with rapidly changing climate, the basic ideas of establishing Arctic Ocean carbon cycling model as well as its key scientific issues to be resolved were proposed.     

Atlantic ocean heat piracy and the bipolar climate see‐saw during Heinrich and Dansgaard–Oeschger events

The millennial‐scale asynchrony of Antarctic and Greenland climate records during the last glacial period implies that the global climate system acts as a bipolar see‐saw driven by either high‐latitudinal and/or near‐equatorial sea‐surface perturbations. Based on the results of recent modelling of generic Heinrich and Dansgaard–Oeschger scenarios, we discuss the possibility that oscillations of the deep‐ocean conveyor may have been sufficient to cause this bipolar see‐saw. The bipolar climate asynchrony in our scenarios is caused by the toggle between North Atlantic heat piracy and South Atlantic counter heat piracy. Ocean circulation has an enhanced sensitivity to the northern deep‐water source as the North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) cannot enter the Southern Ocean at depths shallower than the bottom of the Drake Passage. Any shoaling of the NADW can, therefore, increase the northward incursion of Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW), and trigger an interhemispheric climate oscillation. As hundreds of years are required to warm the respective high latitudes, the observed climate lead and lags between the two hemispheres can be explained entirely by the variability of the meridional overturning and by the corresponding change in the oceanic heat transport. Accordingly, it is entirely feasible for the global climate to work like a pendulum, which theoretically could be controlled by pushing at either of the deep‐water sources. Our model scenarios suggest that it is entirely feasible for the bipolar climate see‐saw to be controlled solely by variations in NADW formation. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geological Drilling in Polar Regions: Progress and Perspectives

The Antarctic and the Arctic regions play a key role in global sea level change and carbon cycle, and reserve key information of the Cenozoic transition from a green-house to an ice-house Earth. They have become hot spots in earth science studies. The geological drilling projects in both polar regions (e.g., DSDP/ODP/IODP/ICDP) have achieved remarkable successes, which have freshened the knowledge of global environmental and climatic evolution. Along with the Cenozoic global cooling, the timing of glaciation was almost synchronous on both the Antarctic and the Arctic. Accompanied with the Antarctic ice sheet build-up and increased terrestrial weathering, the enhanced formation of Antarctic Bottom Water exerts significant impact on global ocean circulation. The volume of unstable West Antarctic Ice Sheet fluctuates during glacial-interglacial periods showing 40 ka obliquity cycles, its volume significantly reduced or collapsed during several peak interglacials or long warm intervals. The Southern Ocean plays a significant role modulating atmospheric CO₂ concentration, global deep water circulation and nutrient distribution, productivity at different time scales. Sea level responses to the waxing and waning of polar ice sheets at different time intervals were tested, which provide valuable clue for predicting future sea level changes. The upcoming IODP drilling projects on polar regions will keep focusing on the high latitude ice sheet development, Southern Ocean paleoceanographic evolution, land-ocean linkages in the Arctic, and the impacts on the global climate, which will provide important boundary conditions for predicting global future climate evolution.     

The case for near-zero production of Antarctic Bottom Water

The most generally accepted production rate of Antarctic Bottom Water is 20 × 10⁶ m³/sec required by the Stommel and Arons (1960) abyssal circulation model. According to this model, after sinking in the Weddell Sea, this water flows northward into the ocean basins and upwells through the thermocline. Antarctic Bottom Water is rich in dissolved silicon but the thermocline and surface waters are almost silicon-free. If the model is valid, it follows that a removal of silicon must take place from the upwelled waters before they return southward as required by mass conservation. In the Pacific, the amount of silicon removal necessary to satisfy the model is calculated for a transpacific (SCORPIO) section at 28°S. This calculated removal is 30 × 10¹⁴g SiO₂/yr, which is many times the rate of silicon input to the world oceans. Two mechanisms for silicon removal north of 28°S are discussed, but reasons are given for rejecting both of them. It is concluded that production of Antarctic Bottom Water is negligible at the present time.     

Review on Researches of Aragonite Saturation State in the Southern Ocean:A Key Parameter of Southern Ocean Acidification

The Southern Ocean is a strong sink for atmospheric CO₂, making it especially vulnerable to ocean acidification (OA). The aragonite saturation state (Ω_arg) of seawater has been used as an index for the estimation of OA, which plays a critical role in evaluating the living environment of marine calcified organisms. However, it is very difficult to perform the studies of OA and Ω_arg in the Southern Ocean due to its harsh climate. Therefore, in order to better understand the OA and its further influences, the advances of Ω_arg studies were summarized in the oceans surrounding the Antarctica. Significant spatial and temporal variations of surface seawater Ω_arg are demonstrated in the Southern Ocean. In general, the surface seawater Ω_arg shows a lower value in the off-shore areas than in the open oceans. And, Ω_arg also exhibits a strong seasonal cycle with a higher value in summer than in winter. The distributions of Ω_arg in vertical water column generally present a declining tendency from surface to bottom. In addition, the shoaling of Ω_arg horizon at high latitude could be attributed to the ventilation and upwelling of deep waters in the Southern Ocean. There are many factors that could impact the Ω_arg in the Southern Ocean, including sea ice melting, sea-air CO₂ exchange, biological activities and hydrological processes, etc. Finally, the future changes and key scientific problems of OA in the Southern Ocean are proposed.     

Silica and the cycle of carbon in the ocean

Silicon is a key element whose major role in the control of the cycle of carbon in the ocean has been recently revealed. This is first illustrated through the resolution of the ‘opal paradox’ in the modern Southern Ocean. Second, the ‘silica hypothesis’ explains why, during the Last Glacial Maximum, the atmospheric concentration of CO₂ was about 40 % below that of the interglacial period. Increased deliveries of wind-borne silica to the surface ocean as well as of riverine inputs favoured the dominance of diatoms over coccolithophorids, resulting in a net emission decrease of CO₂ by coccolithophorids from the ocean surface to the atmosphere. To cite this article: P. Tréguer, C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 3–11     

南北极海区碳循环与全球变化研究

南北极是全球变化研究领域中十分重要的地区 ,也是世界大洋对全球变化反馈的一个重要窗口。文章论述了南北极海区碳循环研究的国内外研究动态 ,阐述了目前南大洋及北冰洋的生产力水平及碳收支平衡状态 ,讨论需要进一步研究的一些存在问题以及将来的发展方向。目前的研究表明 ,北极的生产力比历史上所认为的要高 ,在全球变化的作用下 ,其将成为越来越重要的碳汇区 ;南大洋主控着人为源CO2 的海气交换通量 ,而生产力所受到的限制也影响着其吸收CO2 的潜力。目前制约着对两极碳循环进一步认识所缺乏的资料包括 :极区碳汇的时空变异、南大洋的Fe限制及Fe假说、紫外增强对极区碳循环可能产生的影响等。今后研究的重点将集中在全球变化对两极碳循环的影响及其反馈 ,碳循环的机制及其动力学过程 ,以及通过碳循环人为干预全球变化的可行性。近年来 ,中国也十分重视极区碳循环的研究 ,取得了许多积极的成果。我们的研究结果表明 ,在 80°E～ 80°W之间 ,南大洋基本上是大气CO2 的汇 ,其中在 45°W～ 30°W及 10°W～ 10°E之间 ,是CO2 的强汇区。北冰洋的一些海区也表现为很强的碳汇区。计算得出 ,楚科奇海及其附近海区 7月到 9月CO2 吸收通量为 0 13g/ (m2 ·d) (碳 )。南大洋夏季CO2 吸收通量为 0 1g/ (m2 ·     

Holocene bipolar climate seesaw: possible subtle evidence from the deep North East Atlantic Ocean?

The occurrence of a millennial‐scale bipolar climate seesaw has been documented in detail for the last glacial period and Termination. There is, however, debate whether it occurs during interglacials and if it does what influence it could have on future climate. We present here new evidence from a North East Atlantic Ocean deep‐sea core which supports the hypothesis for a Holocene bipolar climate seesaw. BENGAL Site 13078#16, from the Porcupine Abyssal Plain, is 4844 m deep and situated at the North Atlantic Deep Water and Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) interface. Planktic foraminiferal fragment accumulation rate data at this site is an indicator of coarse carbonate dissolution, which is highly sensitive to the incursion of under‐saturated AABW. Five dissolution peaks have been identified, which seem to occur approximately 500 a after each of the North Atlantic 'Bond' ice rafting pulses, suggesting a subsequent subtle shallowing of AABW. This indicates a possible lagged climatic link between North East Atlantic surface water conditions and AABW production in the Southern Ocean during the Holocene. This provides the first tentative evidence that there was a Holocene bipolar climate seesaw and that the deep ocean was involved. This study also suggests that extremely sensitive locations need to be sought as the Holocene bipolar climate seesaw seems to be very subtle compared with its glacial counterparts. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

13C Record of benthic foraminifera in the last interglacial ocean: Implications for the carbon cycle and the global deep water circulation

The ¹³C/¹²C ratios of Upper Holocene benthic foraminiferal tests (genera Cibicides and Uvigerina) of deep sea cores from the various world ocean basins have been compared with those of the modern total carbon dioxide (TCO₂) measured during the GEOSECS program. The δ¹³C difference between benthic foraminifera and TCO₂ is 0.07 ± 0.04‰ for Cibicides and ?0.83 ± 0.07‰ for Uvigerina at the 95% confidence level. δ¹³C analyses of the benthic foraminifera that lived during the last interglaciation (isotopic substage 5e, about 120,000 yr ago) show that the bulk of the TCO₂ in the world ocean had a δ¹³C value 0.15 ± 0.12‰ lower than the modern one at the 95% confidence level, reflecting a depletion, compared to the present value, of the global organic carbon reservoir. Regional differences in δ¹³C between the various oceanic basins are explained by a pattern of deep water circulation different from the modern one: the Antarctic Bottom Water production was higher than today during the last interglaciation, but the eastward transport in the Circumpolar Deep Water was lower.     

Millennial-scale variations in hydrography and biogeochemistry in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific over the last 100 kyr

In this study, we use records of nitrogen isotope ratios (δ¹⁵N), UK’37 temperature estimates, organic carbon and opal percentages from high-resolution sediment cores located in the eastern equatorial Pacific (EEP) to explore the mechanisms linking millennial-scale changes in low-latitude sea surface temperature, water column denitrification and surface productivity to the timing of northern or southern polar climate during the last 100,000 yr. Our results support a hypothesis that the Southern Hemisphere, and its connection to the low latitudes via shallow subsurface ocean circulation, has a primary influence on the biogeochemistry of the EEP. In addition, our results suggest that, during the last glacial stage, denitrification rates fluctuated on millennial timescales in response to water-column ventilation rather than upstream oxidant demand in intermediate-depth waters.However, due to the poor age constraints available for Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 3, the EEP sedimentary data presented here could support two conflicting mechanisms, one driven by enhanced intermediate overturning circulation in the Southern Ocean during Heinrich Events/Antarctic Warm Events, implying that subsurface flow rates control thermocline ventilation, and a second one consistent with more sluggish intermediate circulation during Antarctic Warm Events and giving a central role to the temperature control on oxygen solubility in Southern Ocean surface waters.     

Pleistocene oceanographie changes indicated by deep sea benthic foraminifera in the northern Indian Ocean

An attempt has been made to understand the Pleistocene bottom water history in response to the paleoclimatic changes in the northern Indian Ocean employing quantitative analyses of deep sea benthic foraminifera at the DSDP sites 219 and 238. Among the 150 benthic foraminifera recorded a few species show dominance with changing percent frequencies during most of the sequence. The dominant benthic foraminiferal assemblages suggest that most of the Pleistocene bottom waters at site 219 and Early Pleistocene bottom waters at site 238 are of North Indian Deep Water (NIDW) origin. However, Late Pleistocene assemblage at site 238 appears to be closely associated with a water mass intermediate between North Indian Deep Water (NIDW) and Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW). Uvigerina proboscidea is the most dominant benthic foraminiferal species present during the Pleistocene at both the sites. A marked increase in the relative abundance ofU. proboscidea along with less diverse and equitable fauna during Early Pleistocene suggests a relative cooling, an intensified oceanic circulation and upwelling of nutrient rich bottom waters resulting in high surface productivity. At the same time, low sediment accumulation rate during Early Pleistocene reveals increased winnowing of the sediments possibly due to more corrosive and cold bottom waters. The Late Pleistocene in general, is marked by relatively warm and stable bottom waters as reflected by low abundance ofU. proboscidea and more diverse and equitable benthic fauna. The lower depth range for the occurrence ofBulimina aculeate in the Indian Ocean is around 2300 m, similar to that of many other areas.B. aculeata also shows marked increase in its abundance near the Pliocene/Pleistocene boundary while a sudden decrease in the relative abundance ofStilostomella lepidula occurs close to the Early/Late Pleistocene boundary.