简介:Benthicforaminiferalanalysisof29samplesinsurfacesedimentsfromthesouthernOki-nawaTroughiscarriedout.Theresultsindicatethatbenthicforaminiferalabundancedecreasesrapidlywithincreasingwaterdepth.PercentagefrequenciesofagglutinatedforaminiferafurtherconfirmthemodemshallowcarbonatelysoclineinthesouthernOkinawaTrough.FromcontinentalshelfedgetothebottomofOkinawaTrough,benthicforaminiferalfaunainthesurfacesedimentscanbedividedinto5assemblages:(1)Continentalshelfbreakassemblage,dominatedbyCibicidespseudoungerianus,corre-spondstosubsurfacewatermassoftheKuroshioCurrent;(2)uppercontinentalslopeassemblage,domi-natedbyCassidulinacarinata,Globocassidulinasubglobosa,correspondstointermediatewatermassoftheKuroshioCurrent;(3)intermediatecontinentalslopeassemblage,dominatedbyUvigerinahispi-da,correspondstotheOkinawaTroughdeepwatermassabovethecarbonatelysocline;(4)lowercon-tinentalslope-troughbottomassemblage,dominatedbyPulleniabulloides,EpistominellaexiguaandCibicidoideshyalinus,correspondstodeepwatermassoftheOkinawaTrough;and(5)troughbottomagglutinatedassemblage,dominatedbyRhabdamminaspp.,Bathysiphonflavidus,correspondstostronglydissolvedenvironmentofthetroughbottom.ThebenthicforaminiferalfaunainthesouthemOkinawaTrougharecontrolledjointlybywatermassesandfoodsupply.Watertemperature,oxygenconcentrationandcarbonatedissolutionofthewatermassesareimportantcontrollingfactorsespeciallyforthecontinentalshelfbreakandtroughbottomassemblages.ThefoodsupplyalsoplaysanimportantroleinthesebenthicforaminiferalassemblagesalongthewestemslopeoftheOkinawaTrough.Boththeabundanceandthe5assemblagesofbenthicforaminiferacorrespondwelltotheorganicmattersupplyalongthecontinentalslopeandalateraltransportofTSM(totalsuspendedmatter)andPOC(particulateorganiccarbon)fromtheshelfbreaktothedeepwaterisal