Abstract
A dominant feature of present-day thermohaline circulation in oceans is the production of cold Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) in the Weddell and Ross Seas and along the continental margin off Antarctica. The cold, dense AABW formed at or near the surface sinks to abyssal depths and travels throughout the ocean basins. AABW circulation was suggested to have begun near the Eocene/Oligocene boundary with the development of the psychrosphere (lower cold layer of a two-layer ocean with temperatures <10°C) inferred from ostracode faunal data1 and oxygen isotopic evidence from closely-spaced samples in DSDP site 277 (ref. 2). Previous studies suggested that the temperature change associated with the development of the psychrosphere caused a crisis for deep-sea ostrocodes1 and deep-sea benthonic Foraminifera3. I consider here the response of benthonic Foraminifera to the development of the psychrosphere.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Benson, R. H. Lethaia 8, 69–83 (1975).
Kennett, J. P. & Shackleton, N. J. Nature 260, 513–515 (1976).
Douglas, R. G. Init. Rep. DSDP 17, 607–671 (1973).
Kennett, J. P. et al. Init. Rep. DSDP 29, 1197 (1975).
Kennett, J. P. et al. Init. Rep. DSDP 29, 1155–1169 (1975).
Shackleton, N. J. & Kennett, J. P. Init. Rep. DSDP 29, 743–755 (1975).
Boersma, A. Init. Rep. DSDP 39, 643–656 (1977).
Proto Decima, F. & Bolli, H. M. Init. Rep. DSDP 40, 783–809 (1977).
Jenkins, D. G. Init. Rep. DSDP 29, 449–467 (1975).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Corliss, B. Response of deep-sea benthonic Foraminifera to development of the psychrosphere near the Eocene/Oligocene boundary. Nature 282, 63–65 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1038/282063a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/282063a0
This article is cited by
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.