Results of Micropalaeontological Analyses on Sediment Core FA09 from the Southern Red Sea Continental Shelf

This study presents results of an examination of planktonic and benthic foraminiferal assemblages from the upper half of a 2.64 m-long sediment gravity core retrieved from the southern Red Sea continental shelf. The examined interval corresponds to the time period of the last 16 kyr. The microfaunal associations show concurrent and concomitant variations at long and short time scales. The examined deglacial interval suggests that the Strait of Bab al Mandab most likely remained open, connecting the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean, although this connection was extremely limited. Productive waters associated with inflow from the Gulf of Aden into the Red Sea prevailed during the Late Glacial and Early Holocene periods (~10 to ~6 ka BP), a phase of intensified summer monsoons in the Arabian Sea. The Late Holocene period shows a reduction of productivity and sea floor oxygenation during which time the winter monsoon was stronger. Short-term variations in the abundances of planktonic and benthic foraminiferal assemblages have been linked to events of increased aridity within the Late Glacial and Holocene intervals.