Reconstrucción de paleotemperaturas en el golfo de León durante los estadios isotópicos 6 y 7 utilizando la técnica de los análogos modernos

Abstract

Planktonic foraminifer assemblages from core PRGL1-4 have been studied to reconstruct sea surface temperatures (SST) in the Gulf of Lions during Marine Isotope Stages 6 and 7 based on the modern analog technique. This method consists of a comparison between core and modern sample assemblages assuming that similar planktonic foraminifer assemblages develop under the same ecological conditions and that foraminifer ecological preferences have not changed in time. During stage 6 (glacial) a strong millennial variability is observed in SST, whereas in stage 7 (interglacial) the astronomical forcing controls SST. These features have been already reported in temperature records from other areas out of the Mediterranean Sea, which means that SST in the Gulf of Lions during stages 6 and 7 was influenced by global climate changes. Moreover, some differences exist between paleotemperature records from different areas in the Mediterranean region. In the Gulf of Lions temperature records are more extreme since this area is directly influenced by Mistral and Tramontane winds, which cause important water cooling during cold periods. Furthermore, this study suggests that seasonality in the Gulf of Lions is not influenced by Northern Hemisphere summer insolation