VARIATIONS IN PALEOPRODUCTIVITY RECORDED BY BENTHIC. FORAMINIFERA DURING MIS 3 FROM THE WESTERN SOUTH CHINA SEA

Abundance of benthic foraminiferal species and benthic foraminifera accumulate rate(BFAR),as paleoproductivity proxies during MIS 3 from the core 17954-2,located in the modern summer upwelling area off the Vietnam coast in western South China Sea,was studied in this work.The results showed that changes in BFAR and the abundance of benthic foraminiferal species,which are related to productivity(such as Bulimina aculeata,Uvigerina peregrina,Cibicidoides wuellerstorfi),coincided with those of planktonic foraminiferal species(Neogloboquadrina dutertrei,Globigerina bulloides).Six distinct periods of shallower depth of thermocline(DOT)(referred to as S1~S6) were identified in this study.In S1~S5,the lower SST,shallower DOT and higher paleoproductivity indicated an enhanced upwelling,and the causes were supposed to be a strengthened East Asia summer monsoon during these periods.Changes in each proxy also supported a concept that an exceptionally strong summer monsoon could influence this region during the later stages of MIS 3.