Ecology of Recent Planktonic Foraminifera: Part I: Areal Distribution in the Western North Atlantic

Abstract

Modern planktonic foraminiferal assemblages from quantitative plankton samples collected in the western North Atlantic reflect broad ecologic zones. The relative abundance of eight species increases southward to the Sargasso Sea, whereas that offive other species increases northward to the colder slope waters. The greatest absolute abundance of planktonicforaminifera is in the Gulf Stream system, where strong temperature and salinity gradients exist. Ecology of Recent planktonic foraminifera: Part I Areal distribution in the western North Atlantic ALLAN W. H. BE Lamont Geological Observatory Columbia University Palisades, New York