Paleoproductivity from benthic foraminifera abundance: Glacial to postglacial change in the west-equatorial Pacific

Research Article| December 01, 1991 Paleoproductivity from benthic foraminifera abundance: Glacial to postglacial change in the west-equatorial Pacific Juan C. Herguera; Juan C. Herguera 1Scripps Institution of Oceanography 0215, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar W. H. Berger W. H. Berger 1Scripps Institution of Oceanography 0215, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (1991) 19 (12): 1173–1176. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1991)019<1173:PFBFAG>2.3.CO;2 Article history first online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share MailTo Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Juan C. Herguera, W. H. Berger; Paleoproductivity from benthic foraminifera abundance: Glacial to postglacial change in the west-equatorial Pacific. Geology 1991;; 19 (12): 1173–1176. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1991)019<1173:PFBFAG>2.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Surface productivity is correlated with the rate of accumulation of benthic foraminifera on the deep-sea floor. As a rule of thumb, for each 1 mg of organic carbon arriving at the sea floor, one benthic foram shell >150 μm is deposited. The correlation can be used to reconstruct organic flux to the sea floor in the past, and hence the productivity of past oceans. Applying the appropriate equations to box core data from the Ontong Java Plateau in the western equatorial Pacific, we found that productivity during the last glacial maximum exceeded present productivity by a factor of between 1.5 and 2.0, with intermediate values for the mid-transition period. Accumulation of benthic foraminifera was depressed on top of the plateau during the glacial and transitional period, presumably because increased winnowing removed part of the food supply. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.