CONCLUSIONS

Planktonic foraminifers distribution and magnetic parameters integrated with geochemical analysis on sediments collected in the Western Mediterranean Sea document a paleoclimatic record that can be correlated with the trend recognized on a global scale for the last 140 k.y. The coherent pattern of different proxies suggests that they are dominated by the same factor—the climate.

The following conclusions can be drawn from our data:

1. The biological record corresponding to sapropel layers can be identified near the Gibraltar Strait, implying that the mechanism responsible for their deposition is not restricted to the eastern Mediterranean.
2. The sapropel layers yield a peculiar planktonic foraminiferal assemblage with high percentage of G. ruber and N. dutertrei.
3. High-resolution data show short-term climatic oscillations characterized by rapid cooling that can be correlated with the occurrence of Heinrich layers in the North Atlantic.
4. The Blake event has been identified in the Balearic Basin and appears constrained between about 119 and 123 ka.
5. Rock magnetic parameters show that different sources characterize the ferrimagnetic minerals from the Tyrrhenian sea, the Balearic Basin, and the Alboran Sea. The first exhibits the higher magnetic content, which is related to a possible volcanic source, whereas a bacterial and detrital source can be recognized at Sites 975 and 976.
6. Oscillations in the organic carbon content at Site 976 reflect variations in the primary productivity.
7. The high sedimentation rate observed at Site 976 provides a potential for high-resolution paleoclimatic investigations that can be compared with ice cores.