Benthic foraminiferal assemblages from the southern Kara Sea, a river-influenced Arctic marine environment

Calcareous foraminifers and hydrographic parameters in 113 bottom samples from the southern Kara Sea were examined to improve the usage of foraminifers as paleoenvironmental proxies for river-dominated high-latitude continental shelves. Foraminiferal taxa form a succession from near-estuarine to distal open-sea locations, characterized by a gradual increase in salinities. Foraminiferal assemblages are discriminated into three groups: river-proximal, -intermediate, and -distal. This succession appears to be controlled by a combination of feeding conditions and bottom salinities, and are related to riverine fluxes of freshwater, organic matter, and sediments. Morphological and behavioral adaptations of foraminifers to specific environments are discussed.