Diatoms as paleoenvironmental proxies for seasonal productivity, sea-ice and surface circulation in the Bering Sea during the late Quaternary

Diatom assemblages in suspended particulate matter (SPM), surface sediments, and piston core samples in the southern Bering Sea and the western subarctic Pacific were examined. The distribution of diatom assemblages in the southern Bering Sea shows not only differences in species composition between the SPM and surface sediment samples, but also preferential dissolution of different species in the upper water column or surface sediments. Furthermore, we present the downcore profiles of selected diatom taxa for four piston cores to indicate changes in paleoceanographic conditions, e.g., seasonal productivity, sea-ice and surface-water circulation, of the glacial and deglaciation periods during the late Quaternary. In particular, we propose five models for the annual cycling of the water masses in the western subarctic Pacific and the southern Bering Sea during the late Quaternary. Significant regional differences in diatom accumulation rates and taxonomic composition between the southern Bering Sea and the western subarctic Pacific reflect spatial shifts in water masses caused by the variable extent of sea-ice cover and cold low-salinity surface waters in these regions. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.