• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.175-185
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• 2004

To delineate Late Pleistocene paleoceanographic change of the West Pacific, we analyzed the oxygen and carbon isotopic ratios of two planktonic foraminifera species (G. sacculifer and N. dutertrei) from a piston core (KODOS-313) taken from the West equatorial Pacific, and they are compared with the published results of the East Pacific (ODP site 847 and RC 11-210), in terms of relative amounts and mass accumulation rates of $CaCO_3$ and eolian component, back to marine isotopic stage (MIS) 6. Differences in oxygen and carbon isotope values between two foraminifear species ($0.75%_{\circ}$ in ${\delta}^{18}O$, $0.05%_{\circ}$ in ${\delta}^{13}C$) are less than those of the East Pacific ($1.30%_{\circ}$ in ${\delta}^{18}O$, $0.14%_{\circ}$ in ${\delta}^{13}C$), which indicates smaller vertical contrasts in both temperature and nutrient between mixing-zone and thermocline in the West Pacific. Strong deviation in${\delta}^{18}O$ of G. sacculifer from SPECMAP suggests the carbonate fraction of KODOS-313 was subjected to partial dissolution by bottom water under lysocline. Lower accumulation rates of $CaCO_3$ and eolian component during glacial times are likely due to low sedimentation rate (ave. 0.75 cm/1000 yr) combined with carbonate dissolution in KODOS-313 site. However, the high $CaCO_3$ contents during the glacial periods clearly follow the general pattern of equatorial Pacific ocean.