Late Quaternay Paleoceanography as Recorded by Planktonic Foraminifera in the Ulleung Basin, East Sea

Paleoceanographic history of the East Sea is reconstructed based on several environmental parameters (coarse fraction content, planktonic foraminifera/benthic foraminifera ratio, fragmentation and assemblages of planktonic foraminifera, and coiling ratio of Neogloboquadrina pa-chyderma, etc,) of the late Quaternary sediments obtained from the Ulleung Basin. N. pa-chydeyma and Globigerina bulloides are dominant species (greater than 90% in abundance)among the total planktonic foraminifera assemblages in the late Quaternary sediments. The benthic foraminifera rarely occurred throughout the cores. Sinistrally-coiled specimens of N. pa-chyderma representing cold water temperature are observed more abundantly than dextrally-coil-ed ones. In addition, the sinistrally-coiled N, pachydeyma showed more the amount at the lower part of the cores than at the upper part suggesting the restriction of the Tsushima Warm Current into the East Sea during glacial period. G. bulloides, a species representative of upwelling condition, shows more abundant occurrence in the sediments of Core 941013 than those of Core 941006. This implies that Core 941013 is more influenced by upwelling than Core 941006. The upper part of the two cores contain more fragmentation of planktonic foraminifera suggesting significant dissolution by corrosive bottom wafer. Ascending CCD also played an important role for the absence of planktonic foraminifera at the upper part of the cores.