<p>The present study was conducted to provide information about living coccolithophores from the northern Arabian Sea as potential proxies in palaeoceanographic studies. In all, 71 plankton samples from 16 stations collected in September 1993 were analysed for their contents of living coccolithophores. Absolute abundances range from less than 400 coccospheres per litre in surface waters to 35 000 spheres per litre at intermediate water depths. From 49 identified taxa, nine species contribute significant cell numbers of more than 2000 coccospheres per litre and comprise more than 10% of the communities in at least one sample. Important species are (in approximate order of cell abundances): Gephyrocapsa oceanica, Florisphaera profunda, Oolithotus antillarum, Calciosolenia murrayi, Umbellosphaera irregularis, Emiliania huxleyi, Umbellosphaera tenuis, Calciopappus rigidus, and Algirosphaera robusta. At most profiles, a vertical succession of coccolithophore species was found. Calciosolenia murrayi and C. rigidus were restricted to surface waters, whereas high numbers of F. profunda and A. robusta occurred at depths below 40 m. The coccolithophore communities reflected the local oceanographic situation and seemed to be more dependent on mixed layer depth and nutrient availability than on temperature and salinity changes. Additionally, synecologic competition with diatoms in part controlled the species composition and generally reduced the abundance of coccolithophores. Synecological and ecological tolerances of species were discussed with the help of cluster analysis.</p>
<p>Multivariate analysis was performed on percentages of 46 species of unstained deep-sea benthic foraminifera from 131 core-top to near-core-top samples (322–5013 m) from across the Indian Ocean. Faunal data are combined with GEOSECS geochemical data to investigate any relationship between benthic foraminifera (assemblages and species) and deep-sea properties. In general, benthic foraminifera show a good correlation to surface productivity, organic carbon flux to the sea floor, deep-sea oxygenation and, to a lesser extent, to bottom temperature, without correlation with the water depths. The foraminiferal census data combined with geochemical data has enabled the division of the Indian Ocean into two faunal provinces. Province A occupies the northwestern Indian Ocean (Arabian Sea region) where surface primary production has a major maximum during the summer monsoon season and a secondary maximum during winter monsoon season that leads to high organic flux to the seafloor, making the deep-sea one of the most oxygen-deficient regions in the world ocean, with a pronounced oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). This province is dominated by benthic foraminifera characteristic of low oxygen and high organic food flux including Uvigerina peregrina, Robulus nicobarensis, Bolivinita pseudopunctata, Bolivinita sp., Bulimina aculeata, Bulimina alazanensis, Ehrenbergina carinata and Cassidulina carinata. Province B covers southern, southeastern and eastern parts of the Indian Ocean and is dominated by Nuttallides umbonifera, Epistominella exigua, Globocassidulina subglobosa, Uvigerina proboscidea, Cibicides wuellerstorfi, Cassidulina laevigata, Pullenia bulloides, Pullenia osloensis, Pyrgo murrhina, Oridorsalis umbonatus, Gyroidinoides (= Gyroidina) soldanii and Gyroidinoides cf. gemma suggesting well-oxygenated, cold deep water with low (oligotrophic) and pulsed food supply.</p>
New and compiled Na/Ca measurements of the planktonic foraminifera Globigerinoides ruber. The dataset contains data from foraminiferal samples 1) collected from plankton tows and sediment traps which span a wide salinity range (32.5 - 40.7 salinity units) across the Bay-of-Bengal, Arabian Sea, and Red Sea, 2) cultured in the laboratory under varying carbonate chemistry, and 3) a globally-distributed suite of core-top samples. Na/Ca was measured using both solution and laser ablation ICP-MS. The foraminiferal Na/Ca data are provided alongside environmental parameters for each sample (e.g. temperature, salinity, pH, bottom water Omega calcite), in order to assess the environmental controls on Na/Ca in foraminifera. The data accompany the following manuscript: Gray et al. (2023, doi:10.1016/j.gca.2023.03.011).
The Sonne Cruise SO122 was carried out by the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR, Hannover) from 3rd August to 9th September 1997, in cooperation with GEOMAR (Kiel), the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO, Karachi) and the Hydrocarbon Development Institute of Pakistan (HDIP). During the joint project with R/V SONNE the Makran accretionary wedge off Pakistan should have been investigated in detail with multi-channel reflection seismics, magnetics and gravimetry. Intense fishery offshore Pakistan forced a change of the area of investigation to the south with the following objectives: investigation of the crustal structure and occurrence of the bottom simulating reflector (BSR) in the Makran accretionary wedge; investigation of the structure of the Murray Ridge System in order to reconstruct the geodynamic evolution of the eastern Indian Plate margin; determination of the origin of the crust underlying the Indus Fan and reconnaissance of the sedimentary history of the Indus Fan in order to reveal the uplift and erosion history of the Himalayas.
Ziele: Das Verbundprojekt CARIMA, das im Rahmen der regionalen Schwerpunktsetzung Zentralasien im Rahmenprogramm 'Forschung für nachhaltige Entwicklungen' des BMBF zur Förderung vorgeschlagen wurde, bemüht sich um ein besseres Verständnis der Monsundynamik in Zeiträumen, die von gesellschaftlicher Relevanz sind. Geplant ist, vorhandene und neu zu erhebende klimarelevante Daten in Modelle einzubeziehen, um natürliche von anthropogenen Einflüssen auf das asiatische Monsunsystem trennen zu können. Übergeordnetes Ziel ist der Vorsorgegedanke hinsichtlich der verbesserten Vorhersage von Extremereignissen und der Einschätzung des Gefahrenpotentials für die vom Monsun betroffenen Küstenregionen. Der Verbund besteht aus 5 Kooperationspartnern und einem assoziiertem Partner und die Arbeiten sind in 8 Teilprojekte mit unterschiedlichen Themenschwerpunkten gegliedert. Koordiniert wird der Verbund von der Universität Bremen.