Regional features of variations in paleoproductivity of the Sea of Okhotsk in the Late Pleistocene and Holocene

Abstract

Variations in the content of chlorin (a derivate of chlorophyll a) in 11 cores of bottom sediments from different parts of the Sea of Okhotsk are studied. The data show variations in paleoproductivity of this sea for the past 160000 years from the end of marine isotope stage (MIS) 6 until recently. A common pattern of the variation in paleoproductivity is established for the entire Sea of Okhotsk. During the interglacials (MIS 5e and 1), productivity increased, and in glacial periods, it decreased, probably due to the longer lasting marine ice cover throughout the year. The features of variations in productivity through time are recorded in the eastern part of the sea, which is more prone to the influence of inflowing Pacific waters.