Abstract:Coccolithophores, as important primary producers in the marine ecosystem, respond sensitively to changes in environmental conditions. When coccolithophores die, the calcified plates (Coccoliths) that they secrete can reflect environmental changes. Hence, coccoliths are important indicators for studying paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic changes. However, most studies on coccolithophore sediments have been conducted in the Atlantic and the Northeast Pacific Oceans; studies on the continental shelf in the Northwest Pacific are rarely reported. This study aims to address this shortage of long-term records for coccolithophores in the Yellow Sea. The results from these experiments can be compared with climatic changes to explore the corresponding relationship. The results will also provide fundamental data and a theoretical basis for related research. In this study, the coccolith fossils from one box core taken from a sampling position (Station N02) on the coast of the Shandong Peninsula, China, in the northwestern part of the South Yellow Sea, were used for the research. Species identification and abundance statistics were carried out and obtained for the coccolith fossils in the sediment, which scaled 140 years. Eight species of coccolithophore were found. The absolute abundance of coccoliths from the N02 Station core ranged from 5.07×106 to 14.21×106 coccoliths/g, with an average value of 9.76×106 coccoliths/g. Gephyrocapsa oceanica and Emiliania huxleyi were the two species with the highest abundance. By comparing the sediment record with the climatic data from the station, a correlation with the sea level pressure was observed. Sea level pressure can be used as an indicator for the East Asian winter monsoon. The analysis showed that when the East Asian winter monsoon was strong, the coastal currents of the Yellow Sea provided a good nutrient-salt environment for the coccolithophores at the N02 Station, resulting in a high abundance of coccoliths.
