| Title | Evaluation of organic-walled dinoflagellate cyst distributions in coastal surface sediments of the China Seas in relation with hydrographic conditions for paleoceanographic reconstruction |
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| Author | Li, Z ; Pospelova,
V; Mertens, N K; Liu, L; Wu, Y; Li, C; Gu, H |
| Source | Quaternary International 2023 p. 1-16, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2023.03.007 |
| Image |  |
| Year | 2023 |
| Alt Series | Natural Resources Canada, Contribution Series 20220344 |
| Publisher | Elsevier |
| Document | serial |
| Lang. | English |
| Media | paper; digital; on-line |
| File format | pdf |
| Area | China |
| Lat/Long WENS | 105.0000 130.0000 40.0000 15.0000 |
| Subjects | environmental geology; History and Archaeology; paleontology; Nature and Environment; marine environments; palynology; sediments; marine sediments; hydrography; oceanography; environmental
studies |
| Illustrations | location maps; tables; bar graphs; analyses; photomicrographs |
| Released | 2023 03 30 |
| Abstract | Dinoflagellate cysts are commonly used to reconstruct past climatic, oceanographic and environmental conditions. Such applications are based on the relationship between modern dinoflagellate cysts and
environmental parameters. To evaluate cyst diversity and driving factors of their distributions in sediments of the China Seas for paleoenvironmental reconstruction, dinoflagellate cysts were analyzed in 18 surface sediment samples from the Bohai
Sea, the Yellow Sea (YS), the East China Sea and the South China Sea (SCS). A total of 59 dinoflagellate cyst taxa were identified with the greatest diversity reported in the SCS. The highest cyst concentrations were found in the YS, where
Spiniferites ramosus, Spiniferites spp., and cysts of Pentapharsodinium spp. were predominant in the assemblages. The Yellow Sea Warm Current is likely creating the environment favoring the high numbers of Spiniferites ramosus in the YS. The highest
Brigantedinium spp. abundances were observed near the Pearl River mouth and are positively correlated with sea-surface temperature (SST) in August. Spiniferites hyperacanthus, S. mirabilis, S. pacificus, and Lingulodinium spp. were most abundant in
the SCS. In contrast, cysts of Protoperidinium spp. and Selenopemphix quanta were more common at the sites directly influenced by coastal upwelling rather than by river discharges. Redundancy Analysis results show that SST, sea-surface salinity (SSS)
and nitrate concentration in water are statistically significant parameters influencing the cyst assemblages. We also examined the morphological characteristics of Spiniferites ramosus and recommend grouping S. bulloideus with S. ramosus in the
northwest Pacific dataset for quantitatively reconstructing paleoceanographic conditions. |
| Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published)
Dinoflagellates are a major group of plankton in marine environments. Resistant to physical, chemical, and biological degradation, their cysts well
preserved in sediments are commonly used to identify past climatic, oceanographic and environmental conditions. Such applications are based on the relationship between extant dinoflagellate cysts and environmental parameters. In recent years,
scientists have been building global databases of recent dinoflagellate cysts relevant to environmental factors for quantitative reconstructions of past oceanographic conditions. However, the databases include very limited data from the western
Pacific region. In this study, we contribute to a regional western Pacific and to a global dinoflagellate cyst database through analysis of dinoflagellate cysts from surface sediments in the China Seas. We identified 59 cyst taxa and clarified three
significant factors influencing the cyst distribution: sea surface temperature, salinity and nitrate concentrations in water. |
| GEOSCAN ID | 330864 |
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