Quaternary organic‐walled dinoflagellate cysts from the South China sea and their paleoclimatic significance

Abstract

Dinoflagellate cyst assemblages from Quaternary sediments recovered in eight cores from the South China Sea add to our understanding of the climate signal recorded at low latitude sites. Changes in the cyst assemblages may relate to fluctuations in sea level and the accompanying alterations in nutrient supply rather than as a direct result of temperature change. In this respect, the cysts of the heterotrophic dinoflagellate genus Protoperidinium allow the recognition of times during which the nutrient supply may have been enhanced.