Paleoceanographic Records from the Northern Shelf of the East China Sea since the Last Glacial Maximum

Abstract

Both benthic and planktonic foraminifera from Core 97-02 obtained in the northern East China Sea are quantitatively analyzed for reconstructing the paleocenography of late Quaternary. Since the earliest time of the core sediment (last not older than 18000 yr B.P.), the paleo-water depth has changed from less than 20 m to near 100 m at present, which is reflected by the benthic foraminiferal assemblages: before 14000 yr B.P., the water depth was shallower than 20 m; from 14000 to 7500 yr B.P., water depth was 20-50 m; and after 7500 yr B.P., water depth was 50-100 m. The foraminiferal fauna also disclose the water mass history: during the last glacial maximum, the water that dominated the study area might be the coastal water; at the end of the last glacial maximum(14000-9500 yr B.P.), the Yellow Sea Cold Water mostly affected this area; then it gave way to the Yellow Sea Warm Current after 9500 yr B.P.; and finally, the warm water has dominated this area since 9500 yr B.P. because of the westward shift and enhancement of the Kuroshio Current.