Tracking the equatorial front in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean by the isotopic and faunal composition of planktonic foraminifera

Core-top samples from the eastern tropical Pacific (10 degrees N to 20 S) were used to test whether the ratio between Globorotalia menardii cultrata and Neogloboquadrina dutertrei abundance (R-c/d) and the oxygen isotope composition (delta O-18) of planktonic foraminifera can be used as proxies for the latitudinal position of the Equatorial Front. Specifically, this study compares the delta O-18 values of eight species of planktonic foraminifera (Globigerinoides ruber sensu stricto (ss) and sensu lato (sl), Globigerinoides sacculifer, Globigerinoides triloba, Pulleniatina obliquiloculata, Neogloboquadrina dutertrei, Globorotalia menardii menardii, Globorotalia menardii cultrata and Globorotalia tumida) with the seasonal hydrography of the region, and evaluates the application of each species or combination of species for paleoceanographic reconstructions. The results are consistent with sea surface temperature and water column stratification patterns. We found that in samples north of 1 degrees N, the R-c/d values tend to be higher and delta O-18 values of G. ruber, G. sacculifer, G. triloba, P. obliquiloculata, N. dutertrei, and G. menardii cultrata tend to be lower than those from samples located south of 1 degrees N. We suggest that the combined use of R-c/d and the delta O-18 difference between G. ruber and G. tumida or between P. obliquiloculata and G. tumida are the most suitable tools for reconstructing changes in the latitudinal position of the Equatorial Front and changes in the thermal stratification of the upper water column in the eastern tropical Pacific. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.