Influences of typhoon on planktonic foraminiferal fauna in the northern South China Sea

Eight plankton tow samples were obtained from the northern South China Sea(SCS) during Typhoon NURI (200812) in August 2008.Through planktonic foraminiferal analysis,together with in-situ measurements of environmental parameters,the influence of typhoon on the living planktonic foraminifera was discussed.Such study can improve our understanding of the environmental and ecological communities of planktonic foraminifera,and of applying basic data for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction.Compared with pre-typhoon oceanographic conditions,the abundance of living planktonic foraminifera decreased greatly after the typhoon passed,so did the relative abundance of dominated species Globigenoides sacculifer;in contrast,subsurface-dwelling species Globigerina calida and Globigerinella aequilateralis showed increased relative abundance in the after-typhoon waters.The results suggest that the enhanced vertical mixing of upper water caused by the typhoon was the main factor that leads to the changes of planktonic foraminiferal fauna in the northern SCS.