RESULTS

The data are displayed in Table T1. Here we list sample, depth in meters below seafloor (mbsf), taxon, size fraction, stable isotopic results of oxygen and carbon, and for planktonic foraminifers the number (N) of specimens analyzed.

Warm climatic intervals were previously thought to be periods of relative stability. However, our results reveal large shifts in the ¹⁸O values of the subtropical surface waters between –2 and 0 PDB (Fig. F1). The ¹⁸O values obtained from the benthic foraminifers show fluctuations between 0 and 1.5 PDB. Large variations are also seen in the planktonic foraminifer ¹³C values, between 0.7 and 3.1 PDB, whereas the ¹³C values of benthic foraminifer range from 0.2 to 1.3 PDB (Fig. F2). The results from Leg 171B will document how rapidly these changes took place and explore the stability of warm climatic phases. The data reported here are discussed and interpreted in Wade et al. (in press).