Erdem, Zeynep, Schönfeld, Joachim and Glock, Nicolaas (2015) Benthic foraminifera as indicators of changing redox conditions: a 22,000 year record from the Peruvian margin. [Poster] In: The Micropalaeontological Society's Foraminifera and Nannofossil Groups Joint Spring Meeting 2015. , 14-18.06.2015, Plymouth, UK .

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Abstract

The Peruvian Oxygen Minimum Zone (OMZ) is one of the strongest and most pronounced OMZs in today’s world oceans and thus is a key area to understand changing redox conditions in relation with changing climate. Vertical and horizontal changes or an extension of the OMZ through time and space are investigated using a sediment core from the lower OMZ boundary. This core has a complete record since the Last Glacial Maximum. We focus on time intervals Late Holocene, Early Holocene, Bølling Allerød, Heinrich-Stadial 1 and Last Glacial Maximum to investigate changes in bottom-water oxygen conditions by using benthic foraminiferal assemblages. Living benthic foraminiferal faunas are structured with the prevailing bottom-water oxygen concentrations today (Mallon et al., 2012). Bolivina species are frequent at the most oxygen-depleted conditions. Cassidulina and Uvigerina species dominate the faunas under higher oxygen concentrations. Downcore distribution of benthic foraminiferal assemblages showed fluctuations in the abundance of the indicator species depicting variations in past bottom-water oxygenation. In addition, changes in bottom-water nitrate concentrations are reconstructed by using the pore density in tests of Bolivina spissa (Glock et al., 2011) for the same time intervals. Combination of both proxies will provide information on past bottom-water conditions and changes of oxygen concentrations for the Peruvian margin.

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