Oxygen and carbon isotope records of calcareous nannofossils from the west Philippine Sea during the last 190ka

The piston core Ph05-5 recovered from the West Philippine Sea(16.049 degrees N, 124.344 degrees E, water depth 3382m) was used to study the delta (super 18) O and delta (super 13) C variations of calcareous nannofossils. The delta (super 18) O values of calcareous nannofossils were obviously lower in Holocene and the last interglaciation than those in the last and the penultimate glaciation. During the last 190 ka the nannofossil delta (super 18) O values were positively correlated with those of planktonic and benthic foraminifera from the same core. But the average delta (super 18) O value of nannofossils was 0.431X10 (super -3) , higher than that of planktonic foraminifera Globigerinoides rubber, and was 0.410X10 (super -3) , lower than that of planktonic foraminifera Neogloboquadrina dutertrei. All the above three average delta (super 18) O values were much lower than those of benthic foraminifera Cibicides wullerstorfi. The change of nannofossil delta (super 13) C values showed similar trends with the absolute abundance of calcareous nannofossils in core Ph05-5, which also indicates the primary productivity variations in the West Philippine Sea. The primary productivity stayed at a stable but relatively low level at MIS 6 and MIS 5e.There was an abrupt rise at the beginning of MIS 5d for the primary productivity which retained high value until 25 ka BP. The primary productivity showed a slight decline during MIS 2 and MIS 1, but still higher than that of MIS 6 and MIS 5e.