Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1999 Quaternary Benthic Foraminiferal Distribution in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, and Its Relationship to Oceanography. Pamela Jo Perry Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Perry, Pamela Jo, "Quaternary Benthic Foraminiferal Distribution in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, and Its Relationship to Oceanography." (1999). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 7006. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/7006 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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QUATERNARY BENTHIC FORAMINJEERAL DISTRIBUTION IN THE ROSS SEA, ANTARCTICA, AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO OCEANOGRAPHY A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Geology and Geophysics by Pamela Jo Perry B.S., Florida State University, 1994 August, 1999 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 9945733 UMI Microform 9945733 Copyright 1999, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Acknowledgments I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Barun Sen Gupta for his guidance. I feel honored to have worked with a researcher of his caliber. Few students are blessed with an advisor as distinguished or a mentor as supportive. I also appreciate the help of my committee members, Dr. Laurie Anderson, Dr. Tony Arnold, Dr. Greg Stone, and Dr. John Wrenn. Dr. Arnold of Florida State University deserves special mention, both for his guidance during my undergraduate career and the commitment he has shown by personally attending my General and Final Exams. Dr. Harry Roberts and Dr. Gene Turner, former committee members, have continued to provide support. Dr. John Anderson (Rice University) offered me the invaluable opportunity of shipboard research in Antarctica. I will always be grateful that I was provided with that experience. Xiaogong Xie showed unending patience while helping me with the SEM. Many people have edited this document. They include Broxton Bird, Kim Giesting, Ashley Lowe, Kevin McCracken, KT Moran, Kush Tandon, and Diane Winter. Thanks also go out to my mother, Dr. Nancy Perry, who has offered moral (and occasionally financial) support throughout my tenure as a graduate student. I would also like to acknowledge my father, Dr. Tom Perry, as a source of inspiration. This study was funded by grants from the Cushman Foundation and the Geological Society of America. Additional support for radiocarbon dating was provided by Dr. Anne Jennings and Dr. John Andrews at Colorado State University. ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. While a graduate student, I was generously supported by a Board of Regents Fellowship. iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Table of Contents Acknowledgments .............................................................................................. ii List of Tables .......................................................................................................v List of Figures ..................................................................................................... vi List of Plates ........................................................................................................viii Abstract................................................................................................................ x Chapter 1 Introduction ................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2 Oceanographic Control on the Distribution of Benthic Foraminifera in the Ross Sea in the Quaternary .................. 20 Chapter 3 Taxonomy of Ross Sea Benthic Foraminifera .......................... 83 Chapter 4 Relationship Between Benthic Foraminiferal Assemblages and Glacial Environments in the Ross Sea ..................172 Chapter 5 Opaline Spherule Distribution and Formation in Antarctic Waters .....................................................................................183 Chapter 6 Summary and Conclusions ..........................................................200 References ............................................................................................................205 Appendix Abundance Data of Benthic Foraminiferal Species in Ross Sea sediments ................................................................................ 216 Vita........................................................................................................................357 iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. 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List of Tables Table 1.1 Summary of previous foraminiferal studies in Antarctica .................................................................................................18 Table 2.1 Latitude, longitude and water depth of samples used in this study..............................................................................................34 Table 2.2 Percentage of abundant species in Modem-calcareous fauna cores ............................................................................................... 43 Table 2.3 Percentage of abundant species in carbonate-bank fauna cores ............................................................................................... 55 Table 2.4 Benthic foraminiferal abundance data from NBP9902 coretops (number of specimens)........................................ 66 Table 2.5 Radiocarbon dates, provided by the University of Arizona ..................................................................................................... 68 Table 4.1 Abundance data of benthic foraminiferal species in environments recognized by Domack et al. (submitted B ) ...............178 Table 4.2 Abundance data of benthic foraminiferal species in NBP9902 cores ........................................................................................ 180 Table 5.1 Weight percents of oxides in two opaline spherules ............... 193 Table 5.2 Foraminifera and opaline spherules per gram sediment in carbonate facies ...................................................................195 Table 5.3 Foraminifera and opaline spherules per gram sediment in siliciclastic facies .................................................................................196 V Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. List of Figures Figure 1.1 Locations of previous studies .......................................................2 Figure 2.1 Study area location ........................................................................ 22 Figure 2.2 a) Modem temperature profile across the eastern Ross Sea, with the position of the WMCO stippled, b) Modem temperature profile across the western Ross Sea, with the position of the WMCO stippled ....................................................................................................... 25 Figure 2.3 Summer and winter maximum, minimum,