Benthic foraminiferal fauna turnover at 2.1 Ma in the northern South China Sea

Quantitative analysis of benthic foraminifera from ODP Site 1146 in the northern South China Sea (SCS) shows that abundance of Bulimina alazanensis, sometimes up to about 90%, decreased gradually since 3.2 Ma, especially at 2.1 Ma. Abundance of other benthic foraminiferal species, Globobulimina sub-globosa and Cibicidoides wuellerstorfi, increased after 2.1 Ma. Comparison with changes in oxygen and carbon isotopes of planktonic and benthic foraminifera shows that high abundance values of B. alazanensis corresponded with lower values of oxygen isotope, but for carbon isotope, high values of the species were consistent with heavier carbon isotope of benthic foraminifera and lighter carbon isotope of planktonic foraminifera, respectively, and vice versa. Considering factors such as uplift of Bashi Strait, expansion of the North Hemisphere Glaciation, strengthening of East Asian winter mon-soon and variations in oxygen and carbon isotope of foraminifera, changes of B. alazanensis in ODP Site 1146 suggest that the source of deep water masses of the northern South China Sea changed from the warm Pacific deep water with high oxygen content to Pacific Intermediate water with low oxygen content at 2.1 Ma. In addition, the strengthened East Asian winter monsoon resulted in increased pri-mary productivity, high nutrient and suboxic bottom water. Variations in species of B. alazanensis seemed to be unable to tolerate environmental stress induced by deep water masses and productivity changes.     

Carbonate dissolution and deep-water paleoceanography of the South China Sea since the Middle Pleistocene

Based on the data of oxygen isotope, micropaleontology and paleomagnetism, we set up the detailed chronology of Core 17957-2 from the southern South China Sea and discuss the change of carbonate dissolution over the last 800 ka. Down-core variation of carbonate content records the “Pacific-type” cycle of higher glacial values and lower interglacial values, though the core lies above the modern lysocline. Carbonate dissolution indices indicate that several severe dissolution of CaCO₃happened during the transition from interglacial to glacial stages. Spectral analyses of these indices show that the carbonate dissolution periodicities are mainly made up of 500 ka and 100 ka. Compared with the cycles of carbonate dissolution of the Indian Ocean, the long-term (500-ka) periodicity reflects the characteristic of the deep-water circulation of the oceans.     

Radiolarian transfer function for paleo-primary productivity in the South China Sea

Basic data of radiolarian group and primary productivity were from 46 investigation stations of the South China Sea. The factor analysis of principal component and the least squares estimation in both linear regression and nonlinear estimation were applied to establishing the radiolarian transfer function for paleo-primary productivity in this sea area. The results show that the transfer function of nonlinear regression analysis for the radiolarian assemblage and primary productivity has much better parameters. Factors analysis has accumulating variance of 83.6% and communalities of more than 0.940347. Nonlinear regression analysis gives multiple correlation coefficient as 0.84888 and explained variance as 72.059%. The equation of transfer function is with an average estimated error of about 53.778 mg · C/m² · d, which is 14.69% in average observed values. Calculation accuracy is 85.31% for the system of transfer function.     

南海中部浮游有孔虫通量的季节变化

南海中部１９９３－１９９５年连续两年的浅层和深层时间系列沉积捕获器试验,揭示游游有孔虫总通量以及Ｇlobigerinoides saculifer,Globigerinoides ruber,Neogloboquadrina dutertrei,Globigerinita glutinata等种的通量和相对百分数在东北季风和西南季风盛行期出现高值,而Globigerina bulloides,Pulleniatina obiquiloculata和Globorotalia menardii等种则仅在冬东北季风盛行期出现高值。此外,还发现浮游有孔虫属种的通量呈现明显的年际变化,研究表明这种季节和和年际变化主要受与东亚季风相关的表层初级生产力和海洋水文条件变化的控制。     

Molecular biological research on Foraminifera

ForaminiferabelongstoSarcodina(Protozoa)andexhibitscytoplasmicorganizationandpseudopdial streamingcharacteristicbroadlyofamoeboidorgan ism[1].Itmainlylivesinthemarineenvironment withamembranous,agglutinatedorcalcareousshell.Asoneofthemostimportantgroupsinmicropaleon tology,Foraminiferahasbeenwidelyusedforthe stratigraphicsubdivision,correlationinpetroleum wellsandforthereconstructionofpaleo environments duringthelastseveraldecades[2,3].Furthermore,sincethe1960swiththestartofDeepSeaDrilling …     

南海海盆演变与深部海流

 南海在距今34 Ma之前的始新世从陆地变为海洋,古水深不断加深,至距今24 Ma之前的中新世/渐新世之交,由于T60构造运动,南海海盆整体进入深海环境。但是,自中新世以来随着吕宋岛弧向欧亚板块碰撞,南海海盆的半封闭程度在距今10.0、6.5、3.0和1.2 Ma之前加剧,导致南海深部海水只能来自巴士海峡海槛深度2600 m以浅的太平洋。此后,巴士海峡两侧的南海与太平洋深部海水交换,由于全球海平面变化,呈现冰期/间冰期模式。     

Molecular biological research on Foraminifera

As one of the most important groups in micropaleontology, Foraminifera is traditionally described to have a membranous, agglutinated or carbonate shell according to its morphology, which resembles the marine granuloreticuloseans. However, recent molecular analyses on its ribosomal RNA gene have disclosed the existence of the naked, and also freshwater and terrestrial species. Foraminiferal SSU rDNA sequence suggests that this group is positioned at the base of the Eukaryotes phylogenetic trees, between Euglenoida and Diplomonadida. Existence of a large amount of genetic types in planktonic foraminifera suggests an underestimation of the biodiversity for the nearly 50 species in world oceans and their close relationship with the ocean environment, such as bio-geographic distribution and water currents. This provides a more reliable proxy for future paleoenvironmental study.