HR: 1330h
AN: PP23B-01    [Abstracts]
TI: Modern Foraminiferal Biofacies of the Antarctic Peninsula Continental Margin
AU: * Szymcek, P
EM: pszymcek@siu.edu
AF: Department of Geology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Mailcode 4324, Carbondale, IL 62901 United States
AU: Ishman, S E
EM: sishman@geo.siu.edu
AF: Department of Geology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Mailcode 4324, Carbondale, IL 62901 United States
AU: McCallum, S D
EM: mccallumsd@ornl.gov
AF: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, PO BOX 2008 MS6036, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 United States
AB: The changing climate and receding ice shelves of the Antarctic Peninsula have prompted the use of foraminifera as paleoecologic indicators in this region. These organisms have been widely used as environmental proxies, and their distribution in the Antarctic Peninsula region is greatly affected by glacial influences. This study determined the distribution of modern foraminifera from the Antarctic Peninsula, and their associations to environmental conditions using various statistical routines. Foraminiferal samples from the Antarctic Peninsula were statistically analyzed to show the biofacies of both agglutinated and calcareous taxa. Results of these analyses yielded distinct biofacies boundaries for both groups.
Although statistically distinct biofacies boundaries were defined by analyzing agglutinated foraminfera, these boundaries are gradational, and weakly associated with environmental conditions. This reflects the more general requirements of agglutinated taxa described in this study. The biofacies boundaries of calcareous foraminifera are more distinct, and show strong associations with environmental conditions. Close associations to glacial, water mass, productivity, current energy and dissolution of calcium carbonate were identified. Water masses associated with calcareous biofacies include Ice Shelf Water, Weddell Sea Transition Water, and Circumpolar Deep Water. The results of this study outline the usefulness of individual taxa, and foraminiferal assemblages as paleoecologic indicators in this region.
DE: 3030 Micropaleontology
DE: 4207 Arctic and Antarctic oceanography
DE: 4267 Paleoceanography
SC: Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology [PP]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly