Benthic foraminiferal response to the Mid Pleistocene Transition in the subtropical Pacific Ocean (IMAGES 97-2114 and ODP 198-1209B sites)

Abstract

The present work aims to identify and understand the response of benthic foraminiferal assemblages to the paleoclimatical and paleoceanographical changes occurred during the last one million years as a consequence of the Mid Pleistocene Climate Transition (MPT). This interval represents a key point for the climatic evolution of the Earth marking the transition from low amplitude and periodicity climate cycles to the high amplitude and periodicity climate cycles occurring since about 700 Kyr to the present. To pursue this goal, two oceanic cores from the subtropical Pacific Ocean were studied through a highly multidisciplinary approach which involved Micropaleontology, Multivariate Statistics and Geochemistry.