As a result of the sea-level drop at the last glacial maximum (about 100–120 m in the South China Sea, and 130–150 m in the East China Sea), the size and configurations of the China Seas changed greatly. The East China Sea with the Yellow Sea and Bohai Gulf was reduced into an elongated trough, while the South China Sea became a semi-enclosed gulf. Due to the southern shift of the polar front in the North Pacific and the reorganization of the surface current system, the winter temperature in the South China Sea was 6–10°C colder, and the seasonality was much stronger than it is now. The reduced sea area, and thus the increased distance to the coast, together with the declined sea surface temperature, led to intensified aridity on the land. The enhanced eolian processes related to the intensification of the winter monsoon caused an expansion of the loess deposition area reaching the southeastern part of China to the south of the Yangtze River and off the modern sea coast. Vegetation zones greatly shifted to the southeast. In north China, deserts and steppes were much more extensive than they are now and the modern areas of warm-temperate, broad-leaved forests were occupied by steppes or woodland. In south China, the deciduous, broadleaved forests were developed in areas now covered by evergreen forests, and the monsoon rain forest completely disappeared. The changes in the climate on land and the configurations of seas altered the sediment supply and sedimentation rate in the China Seas, giving rise to the Atlantic-type late Quaternary CaCO3 curve there.

Last glacial maximum in China: comparison between land and sea

Paleoenvironmental changes during the last 8400 years in the southern Yellow Sea: Benthic foraminiferal and stable isotopic evidence

Strontium, lead and zinc isotopes in marine cores as tracers of sedimentary provenance: A case study around Taiwan orogen

Late Quaternary paleoenvironmental changes in the southeastern Yellow Sea, Korea

Late Quaternary sediments from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Hole 1055B, Carolina Slope, western North Atlantic (32� 47.041¢ N, 76� 17.179¢ W; 1798 m water depth) were examined for deep-sea ostracod taxonomy. A total of 13 933 specimens were picked from 207 samples and c. 120 species were identified. Among them, 87 species were included and illustrated in this paper. Twenty-eight new species are described. The new species are: Ambocythere sturgio, Argilloecia abba, Argilloecia caju, Argilloecia keigwini, Argilloecia robinwhatleyi, Aversovalva carolinensis, Bytho- ceratina willemvandenboldi, Bythocythere eugeneschornikovi, Chejudocythere tenuis, Cytheropteron aielloi, Cytheropteron demenocali, Cytheropteron didieae, Cytheropteron richardding- lei, Cytheropteron fugu, Cytheropteron guerneti, Cytheropteron richardbensoni, Eucytherura hazeli, Eucytherura mayressi, Eucytherura namericana, Eucytherura spinicorona, Posacythere hunti, Paracytherois bondi, Pedicythere atroposopetasi, Pedicy- there kennettopetasi, Pedicythere klothopetasi, Pedicythere lachesisopetasi, Ruggieriella mcmanusi and Xestoleberis oppoae. Taxonomic revisions of several common species were made to reduce taxonomic uncertainty in the literature. This study provides a robust taxonomic baseline for application to palaeoceanographical reconstruction and biodiversity analyses in the deep and intermediate-depth environments of the North Atlantic Ocean.

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Y. Bian

Papers

Foraminifera and Ostracoda in bottom sediments of the East China Sea