Sea surface temperature reconstruction in the southeastern Iberian Margin during the Last Glacial period by means of coccolithophore analyses

Detailed quantitative analyses of coccolithophore assemblages have been carried out in three sediment cores recovered from different locations in the Atlantic and Mediterranean sectors of the Iberian Peninsula. Biostratigraphical and oxygen isotope analyses show that these cores provide a high-resolution record of most of the last glacial period. Joint interpretation of the results reveals that higher sea surface temperatures (SST) were recorded in the Atlantic side during that interval. Dansgaard-Oeschger Interstadials are the warmer periods, while during Heinrich Events and Dansgaard-Oeschger Stadials SSTs suffered a substantial decrease, probably due to the appearance of turbid, fresher and colder surface water masses. These quantitative differences in the response of coccolithophore assemblages between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean cores indicate that the Mediterranean Sea shows a more intense response to climatic and oceanographic changes than the Atlantic area