ELSEVIER Marine Micropaleontology 3 1 ( 1997) 157- 175 High benthic fertility and taphonomy of foraminifera: the Skagerrak, North Sea a case study of Elisabeth Alve a,*, John W. Murray b,l ’ Department ‘Department ofGeology, University qf Oslo, of Geology, Southampton Oceanography Received F!O. Box 1047 Blindem, Centre, European 8 July 1996; accepted 15 December N-0316 Oslo, Norway Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK 1996 Abstract The Skagerrak basin is a deep water extension of the North Sea. It is of particular interest as an analogue for past epicontintal shelf basins because it presents environmental contrasts with the adjacent shelf seas. In this study the distribution patterns of benthic foraminifera have been used to infer taphonomic and oceanographic processes. Only by separating living from dead assemblages is it possible to interpret taphonomic changes. The transport of foraminiferal tests to the Danish slope is inferred from the presence there of dead exotic tests whose provenance is considered to be from the south. The abundance of detrital organic matter on the Danish slope is likewise inferred to be sourced from the same direction. Thus, the Danish slope is interpreted to be a depositional sink. Apart from transport, another taphonomic process is the dissolution of calcareous tests. This is clearly demonstrated both by the fragility of some tests as viewed under the microscope and by the disparity between the composition of the living and dead factor associations. In the deep basin in particular, the two predominantly calcareous living associations are replaced by a single predominantly agglutinated dead association due to carbonate dissolution. The Danish slope of the Skagerrak Basin is demonstrated to be an area of high benthic fertility. This is based on the high density of living (stained) benthic foraminifera (comparable with that of the Mississippi delta), particularly the abundance of Stainforthia jiuiformis, an opportunistic species, and tubular agglutinated forms. The fertility is linked with the high abundance of particulate organic matter here. Previous regional studies have focused on total (living plus dead) distributions of > 100 or > 125 pm sized foraminifera. These factor assemblages are distinct from the >63 pm living and dead associations described here. Keywords: benthic foraminifera; benthic fertility; taphonomy; Skagerrak; dissolution; opportunism 1. Introduction The Skagerrak is a >650 m deep basin in a shelf setting in the eastern North Sea. It has particular * Corresponding author. Fax: +47-22854215. ’ Fax: +441703-593052. E-mail: elisabeth.alve@geologi.uio.no. E-mail: jwml@mail.soc.soton.ac.uk. 0377-8398/97/$17.00 0 1997 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PI1 SO377-8398(97)00005-4 interest as an analogue for past epicontinental shelf basins because its hydrography is influenced both by the ocean, via the Norwegian Trench, and by the Kattegat, with its brackish Baltic Water outflow. The Skagerrak is the major sink for fine-grained sediments derived from the North Sea (e.g., Van Weering et al., 1987; Kuijpers et al., 1993; Rodhe and Holt, 1996) and it also receives large quantities of anthro- pogenic total nitrogen and phosphorus (North Sea Task Force, 1993). A summary of the environment and a review of the foraminiferal literature are given by Alve and Murray (1995) and are not repeated here. The present study represents a continuation and conclusion of a regional ecological survey of benthic foraminifera initiated in 1992 as part of an environmental programme under the leadership of the Norwegian Geological Survey (NGU). In a preliminary study, foraminiferal results from 1992 and 1993 from the northwestern Skagerrak were compared with samples collected by Hoglund in 1937 (Alve and Murray, 1995). The principal conclusions were that there were no obvious signs of fauna1 change since 1937 on the Norwegian slope but there has been an increase in the rate of production of tests and a change in the dominant species in the deep basin (at depths of more than about 500 m). The comparison also showed a progressive increase in both the relative and absolute abundance of agglutinated tests with increasing water depth. This was attributed to carbonate dissolution (destroying calcareous tests) and increased production of agglutinated forms in the deep basin. Fauna1 analyses of dated sediment cores from the deep basin suggest that these changes have occurred primarily since the early 1970’s (Alve, 1996). The preliminary study was confined to the northwest and included the deepest parts of the Skagerrak Basin as well as the Norwegian and Danish slopes deeper than 285 and 266 m, respectively (Fig. I). This new study concerns the south western continuation of the Basin where it shallows progressively from around 550 to 400 m, and it also includes the adjacent Norwegian and Danish slopes (deeper than 59.00OSLO{ FJORD’ -+ GWEDENI 58.50 58.00- 10 7.50 8.00 8.50 9.00 9.50 10.00 10.50 Fig. 1. Bathymetry (m) of the Skagerrak and distribution of stations. Numbers are given only for stations not reported in Alve and Murray, 1995. dots = 1992; circles = 1993; double circles = 1994 (those with open inner circles were used for foraminiferal assemblage analyses; those with filled inner circles were examined only for organic detritus and tubular foraminifera). E. Ah, Table I Details of samples collected J.W. Murray/Marine Micropaleontology 31 (1997) 159 157-175 in 1994 plus samples 56 and 69 from 1993 Sample No. Latitude Longitude Depth Tubes (“N) (“E) (4 - 123 95 108 83 127 122 94 107 85 82 97 86 106 80 93 92 121 105 120 87 119 129 113 100 130 76 91 51.92 58.00 51.93 58.08 57.86 57.86 57.95 57.88 57.96 58.02 57.94 57.90 51.82 57.90 57.89 57.83 57.81 57.76 57.75 57.83 57.69 57.14 57.69 57.75 57.68 57.91 57.77 7.33 8.13 7.19 8.47 7.22 7.45 8.24 7.91 8.48 8.59 8.02 8.60 8.03 8.84 8.37 8.49 7.51 8.15 7.69 8.73 7.81 7.46 8.04 8.41 7.58 9.07 8.61 276 285 324 414 457 497 500 518 520 534 551 536 525 519 514 504 471 469 458 430 412 411 407 403 385 376 320 1 2 1 1 3 1 1 3 3 1 1 3 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 3 2 2 I I 2 4 2 4 2 3 2 3 2 4 2 3 2 3 2 4 3 I - OD 2 2 2 3 4 3 2 3 3 2 1 4 Sample No. Latitude Longitude Depth (%) (“N) (“E) (ml 2.0 2.0 2.2 2.2 1.9 2.2 2.3 2.1 2.3 2.3 2.6 2.1 2.3 2.8 2.3 2.5 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.6 2.2 2.2 1.8 2.4 2.3 2.3 1.6 118 104 101 114 77 117 1:5 102 89 56 69 78 79 81 84 88 90 96 98 99 103 109 110 111 112 116 128 51.63 57.68 57.70 57.62 57.86 51.56 57.58 57.65 57.73 58.16 58.09 57.79 57.84 57.96 58.02 57.78 57.71 58.00 57.88 57.82 57.64 57.93 57.87 57.81 57.75 57.53 57.80 7.94 8.32 8.50 8.20 9.17 8.08 8.28 8.62 8.95 9.29 8.95 9.06 8.96 8.72 8.36 8.84 8.73 7.90 8.13 8.26 8.39 7.55 7.68 7.80 1.92 8.14 1.34 284 262 240 218 188 188 168 140 117 652 640 148 248 521 468 197 163 TOC 176 504 515 197 329 504 512 473 162 440 Tubes OD TOC (So) 2 2 4 4 4 3 4 3 2 1.8 2.8 1.8 2.0 0.5 0.9 0.5 0.4 I 1 0.5 2 I 3 2 n.d. n.d. 3 4 1 3 3 I I 2 2 2 4 4 2 3 3 3 2 2 2 3 3 2.2 2.1 0.4 I .3 2.3 2.4 I.1 0.9 1.3 2.2 2.3 0.9 2.2 2.3 2.1 2.2 0.6 2.2 I 2 3 1 3 2 2 1 2 I I I I 3 3 2 Tubes = abundance of tubular agglutinated foraminifera on a relative scale from I (few) to 4 (abundant); OD = organic detritus (>63 LLrn wet fraction) on a relative scale from 1 (little) to 4 (abundant): n.d. = no data. The upper part lists those samples studied for foraminiferal assemblages. The lower part on the right includes the additional samples for which no foraminiferal assemblage studies were carried out. 276 and 117 m, respectively). The primary aims of this study are to discuss transport and benthic fertility regimes. Additional themes are other taphonomic processes and a broader discussion of the living and dead assemblage distributions as compared to previous distributional works in the same area (Conradsen et al., 1994; Bergsten et al., 1996). For completeness, there is discussion of the new results presented here for 1994 together with those for 1992 and 1993 (Alve and Murray, 1995). 2. Material and methods The new surface sediment samples (O-2 cm of short cores using a multicorer) were collected in 1994 during University of Bergen cruise no. 9404 (Table 1; Fig. 1). On the ship, a portion of each surface O-2 cm of sediment was transferred to a plastic bottle and preserved in 70% ethanol. In the laboratory, the precise sample volumes (mostly 50-80 cm’) were determined by measuring the height and diameter of the sediment in the containers. The samples were washed on a 63 Frn sieve, stained with rose Bengal for about one hour, then washed again on the same sieve and dried at 50°C. A total of 52 surface sediment samples were processed as described above. However, before the 1993 and 1994 samples were dried, it was obvious that there were major differences in the content of organic detritus. Therefore, each whole sample was subjected to a visual examination under the microscope and the relative content 160 E. Ah, J. W Murry\/Marine Micropalrontolog~ of this organic detritus was expressed on a subjective scale from 1 (few) to 4 (abundant). Likewise, a visual assessment of the abundance of agglutinated tubes was performed on each whole sample after it was dried. Again, this was because there were major differences between samples and the results were expressed on a subjective scale from 1 to 4. The reason for this procedure is that it was impossible to measure the number of tubes in a quantitative way because of unknown effects of fragmentation. For foraminiferal assemblage analyses, at least 250 living (stained) and 250 dead (unstained) individuals were picked from each of 36 samples. Fragments of tubular agglutinated forms were treated as a separate category and are not included in the assemblage calculations (for rationale see Murray and Alve, 1994). Details of measurement of species diversity of the assemblages are presented in Alve and Murray (1995). Varimax factor analysis was carried out on species making up 25% of the assemblages in each of the living and dead assemblage data using the Q-mode factor analysis program CABFAC (Imbrie and Kipp, 1971; Klovan and Imbrie, 1971). For the factor analysis of the data for the dead assemblages, all results from 1992, 1993 and 1994 were considered together. Data on living foraminifera were not available for 1992 so the factor analysis comprises just the 1993 and 1994 data. A species references list is given in Appendix A. With the exception of Textularia truncata all the agglutinated species referred to in this paper have non-calcareous cements. Total organic carbon (TOC) analyses of replicate surface samples from all stations were performed by the Leco combustion method (courtesy of NGU). 3. Results The foraminiferal data, including only those species making up a minimum of 5% in at least two of the 1994 samples, are presented in Tables 2 and 3 (including two newly processed 1993 samples, nos. 56 and 69). In order to show the regional picture and to prepare for discussion, Figs, 2-8 include our previously published data as well as the new information for the south western part. However, in this section, only the new 1994 results are described. .I1 (IYY7) 157-175 3.1. Density of tests The density of living individuals is highly variable (overall range: 8-332 tests/cm’). However, the lowest densities (5-39 tests/cm3) are generally confined to areas deeper than 400 m whereas all values 280 tests/cm3 are on the Norwegian and Danish slopes (Fig. 2A). The maximum values (236-332 tests/cm’) are found on the Danish slope between 200 and 300 m. In a similar fashion, the abundance of dead tests shows a very orderly pattern (Fig. 2B). The lowest values are in the basin and on most of the Norwegian slope with highest values on the Danish slope. 3.2. Associations For the living assemblages, the 1994 data plus stations 56 and 69 from the 1993 area have been combined with the previously published 1993 data (56 stations in total). The varimax factor associations are named after the species with the highest absolute score within each factor. In two instances, the difference between the highest and second highest score was 50.07, so both names were used. Four factor associations are distinguished (Table 4) and account for 83% of the variance. Factor 1, comprising Nonionella iridea with Melonis barleeanum and Pullenia osloensis as important components, occupies the deep eastern parts of the study area whereas factor 4, H. membranaceum/E. vitrea, occupies the western part (Fig. 3A). Factor 3, Globobulimina auriculata association with accessory l? osloensis and Textularia tenuissima, covers most of the Norwegian slope. The Danish slope is dominated by factor 2 characterised by Stainforthia fusiformis. There is only a single occurrence of factor 2 (station 123) on the Norwegian slope. For the dead assemblages, the 1994 data plus station 56 and 69 from the 1993 area have been combined with those previously published for 1993 and 1992 (69 stations in total, Table 5). The four factor associations account for 88% of the variance. They show a clear pattern of distribution which is not entirely tied to water depth (Fig. 3B). The deep basin is occupied by factor 3 comprising Haplophragmoides bradyi, with subsidiary Saccammina SpQ., Trochamminopsis pusil- live o-2 goes, Of sp*c1es agglutmated r&x 2 0 20 16 2 6 14 4 22 25 4 17 11 16 11 12 9 0 3 9 1 3 1 4 1 12 7 * 6 1, 20 3, 25 19 94 90 21 44 70 16 24 29 6.010.0 33 22 4 4, 4, 33 36*632625o2621o11oo,o,,3 264 261 265 286291 200 3 4 3 1 0 1 0 3 15 6 13 13 3 2 4 12 4 72 90 22 30 266 9 63 70 32 25 263 0 3 6 2 10 32 65 19 21 260 4 5 5 36 21 516 94 107 500 ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo,o7o~5l4 6 29 12 5 15 16.0 2 0 ,1 021O*30,6303,*02,,79,o~~6~,0~,00~~~~o0 7 7 0 2 4 1 2 2 0 1 3 36 17 123 95 108 83 127 122 276 285 324 414 457 497 3 3 2 6 16 60 14 31 349 1 6 7 17 17 17 520 85 19 66 10 25 296 3 0 1 6 0 7 0 2 2 16 534 82 1 1 1 7 3 114 95140 64 33 302 16 7 10 10 4 651 97 2 26 24 43 297 9 6 13 2 9 1 3 , 24 536 27 70 1, 2, 322 9 1 1 8 4 1 6 4 17 30 525 86 106 4 126 65 1 7 26 324 3 11 4 0 0 6 0 44 28 40 267 4 12 2 15 8 20 34 I6 293 4 4 10 1 1 1 4 26 20 477 23 105 36 13 297 1 4 1 4 1 5 * 16 12 30 469 22 90 1 7 4 32 13 312 2, 1 6 6 2 13 19 458 92 121 105 120 504 1 1, 6 70130100 10 27 377 10 4 7 2 0 0 93 514 1 28 1 1 4 1 2 II 74 519 80 slope across the basin to the Danish slope 6 60 65,2.0,,0 34 16 437 5 6 26 15 10 6 1 3 3 B”,,mi”a margrnata ,!&a barleeanum medrus SCBb,“S spp f*““l*srma index dead/cm In SW dead/cm’ Transported Alpha 0, speues -b agglutlnaled No NOcounted s.3ccamm,na Textularia Hapiophragmordesbradyl EggsENordes Eggsre~lardes P”lle”ia oskxnsrs Sfaintorthia fusA7rms No”io”el,a M*,o”l* B”lalKla s.4agemkens~~ Cawdubna ,aewgata Elphrdium Eprstcvnl”ella excavalum wma 0 2 11 2, 14 30 35 35 36 7 7 10 19 0 253 0 255 0 87 II 3, 313 0 32 0 162 41 12 6 7 7 22 2 , 3 122 497 290 37 41523 1 4 15 o IO 1, 14 252 4, 12014~1101,0140~10140110110,,014012012060 41 39 1s 7 6 457 12, 1 6 10 3 5 110 0 44 271 43 1, 16 500 94 6 6 7 6 84 0 49 263 35 11 12 6 11 516 107 0 49 0 46 271 37 2 8 16 3 7 5 5 0 62 534 0 103 6, 260 35 2 61622 10 16 3 15 13 4 520 65 10 1 4 85 0 47 236 40 77 0 37 39 276 6 a 16 12 16 5 3 66 536 15 4 7 6 16 551 9, 8 1 * 3 88 0 56 264 36 6 2 23 7 14 525 106 3 7 0 4 0 0 19 4 ZOI 0 14 257 26 6, 519 60 slope across the basin to the Danish slope 83 414 10 3 4 16 9 6 3 106 324 260252268254 0 __6131513 0 2 ,o 3 19 10 2 19 6 96 265 12 7 19 4 123 276 deplh (m) dead X. O-2 cm Sample no. Water 1994. depth trnnscct from the Norwegian 12 3, 263 16 2 7 4 25 16 2 6 92 504 121 0 42 265 3 16 6 5 13 13 6 477 188 0 148 0 74 0 39 30 47 160,20120,30,00120,40,10,4090 56 572 3 6 5 9 14 7 7 93 514 105 0 4 3 104 0 46 46 29, 7 4 2 14 6 15 469 120 16 6 6 0 110 31 33 263 6 5 7 6 10 19 456 595 5 9 36 259 0, 2 0 , 5: 3 6 67 430 2 7 , 60 30 35 9 13 265 3 7 2 12 11 IO 411 2 1 6 6 0 3 1 6 90 6 32 10 279 13 43 407 012 2 2 30 9.012.5 32 4 26, 1 2 2 16 96 6 17 0 4o3 0 6 9 62 38 39 269 376 6 , 2 6 0 9 6 13 3 1 69 5 3 9 50 294 32 1 , 14 15 12 26 70,6O,25 24 196 ,I 11 5 2, 22 41 306 ,, 0 0 9 7 14 3 1 4 13 1, 264 332 4.5 0 1 0 2 16 253 240 0 , 60 60 27 16 277 60 4 3 3 1 0 0 7 1 3 1 0 1 0 0 0 85 262 44 6.0 61, 68 34 2, 7.0300 27 46 1 0 0 7 0 0 12 236 22 262 1 0 0 0 4 7 0 0 56 166 37 7.0 18 26 1 8 5 4 34 279 1 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 166 67 46 19 337 62 140 469 0 68 o 0 1 0 5 o 1 89 117 6 94 50 16 22 0 0 1000 0 0 0 o 0 4 0 0 77 117 115 102 166 0 1 18 I 3 0 2 0 3 1 6 22 4 304 70 216 91 118 104 101 114 320 t 11 I 4 6 5 2 14 ,6 365 9 189 22 37 292 o 3 5 4 10 1, ,: 129 41, 113 214 3 34 43 276 4 o 5 5 o 36 272 0 0 49 2 12 8 0 3 35 275 0 2 19 7 2 ,“, 116 264 10 0 60 296 0 3 32 7 6 7 4 3 6 1 91 320 : 76 376 21 1, ,30,,0,90,,0120 39 269 3 5 10 13 ,“, 9 130 365 4 2 5 9 4 2 0 11 37 256 0 2 46 104 262 2 9 15 12 50 0 0 2 6 0 57 514 0 2 15 0 0 6 2 7, I66 31 160140 616 6 36 370 150 4 1’: 114 216 12 0 0 45 340 140 1 0 6 50 101 240 I,, 6 3 0 22 43 300 0 5 19 7 11 ,“, 166 0 2 25 1406.5 47 279 0 3 14 0 1, I”, 3 115 166 43 23, 886 735 371 1124 1596 ,614 491 2431 300 143 6 1 0 34 32 0 0 0 3 0 26 2433 ,018 90 o 5, 56 9 10 52 91 0 77 0 6 3 0 6 91 0 59 62 746 11 9 0 69 640 155155 62 ,65 2015 20 6 00 1 6 0 1 00; 66 0 1 4 9 46 392 1 4 5 12 o D 69 640 662 0 00 * 0 9 29 0 3 15615.0 69 117 303 10 0 30 269 0 9 0 23 1 0 0 102 140 7 0 ff0 95 14 4, 335 158285 498193465 352 10 31 264 0 0 2 39 10 ,: 100 403 12 3 7 14 3 4 15 7 13 407 * 0 16 362 1943 652 66 1993. Samples arranged as a 1994 data plus sta. 56 and 69 from 1993. Samples arranged as a 10 143 40 44 3 TO ,; 6 34 10 306 6 4 26 ,; 119 412 3 5 2 38 272 1, ,6 16 ,O 412 76 1994 data plus -aa. 56 and 69 from 87 119 129 113 100 130 430 Percent abundance of important species (see text) and calculated faunal parameters of dead assemhluge\, Table 3 Lwhl’ % Pia. nlpha Texfularia fen”,SSima NO counted Liebusella msdius scottu &7ere,hvdes Leproha~prs f”srkmnis bulloldes osloenss Pu,lenra S,ai”folvlra P”l,e”ra aunculata badeeanum rndea Melonrr Na”,o”e,,a Globobulrmine cm “,,,a klev,gat* BxcB”Bt”ln x, Epistnminella Cassid”,i”a Elphidrum 1994, Sample no Waterdepth(In, depth transect from the Norwegian Percent abundance of important species (see text) and calct~latcd fauna! parameters of live acsemhlages, Table 2 s z - s ,u “Ji 162 Pors runn Live / cm3 5-39 ll / > 200 I OS,I0 Fjoro %_J Arendal/ /“/y 58.0". 57.0". Pors runn Oslo Dead / cm3 59.0°. Fjord a < 200 m - w 200 - 450 pYJJ 450 - 1000 58.5'. A >I000 58.0"- 7.50 Fig. 2. Numerical 8.0' 8.5" density (no. tests/cm3). 9.0" (A) Live assemblages. 9.5" lo.o" (B) Dead assemblages. 10.5O E. Abe, J. l+! Murray/Marine Micropaleontology 163 31 (1997) 157-17.5 Live factor associations 59.0”. m N. iridea S. fusiformis 58.5”. G. auricula ta lizss! n N. H. membranaceum E. vifrea 58.0”. Dead factor associations 58.5” 58.0” 3 7.5” 8.0” 8.5” 9.0” Fig. 3. Varimax factor associations. 9.5” (A) Live. (B) Dead 10.0” 10.5” 164 58.5" 58.0' 58.5" 58.0' ................ @........ ....... 57.5O 7.0" Fig. 4. Abundance 7.5O ofshelf/marginal 8.0" 8.50 9.r marine species inferred to be transported 9.k lo:50 into the urea. (A) Percent. (B) Numerical density (no./cm3) E. Alve, J.W Murray/Marine Micropaleontology Table 4 Varimax factor score matrix for live associations, 1993 and 1994 data (1992data for living assemblages not available) Variable C. luevijiutu E. e.xcavutum G. auriculatu P. bulloidrs P. osloensis S. fus[fiwmis N. irideu E. medius E. vitretr H. bradyi L. goesi H. membmnuceum ?: tenuissima R. micucea M. barleranum L. scottii 1 2 3 4 0.173 0.128 -0.125 0.172 0.366 0.046 0.687 0.267 0.036 -0.033 0.059 -0.202 -0.008 -0.098 0.417 -0.005 -0.012 -0.040 0.063 0.024 0.099 -0.982 0.018 -0.022 -0.059 0.025 0.026 0.064 0.004 0.046 0.078 -0.036 0.023 0.065 0.665 -0.061 0.413 0.120 -0.188 0.091 -0.106 0.028 0.298 0.068 0.354 0.265 0.141 -0.012 0.057 -0.089 -0.002 0.165 0.071 0.032 0.154 0.020 0.618 0.203 -0.045 0.688 -0.003 0.170 -0.057 31 (1997) 157-175 about 200 m while at shallower depths there is factor 4, Cassidulina laevigata and Elphidium excavatum. Brizalina skagerrakensis has an anomalously high varimax factor score value in these samples (Table 5) as it is not common in the shallow southem area (Table 3). In addition to E. excavatum, the samples represented by the factor 4 association include the following species known to be typical of the shelf or marginal marine environments (Murray, 1991): Ammonia beccarii, Cibicides lobatulus, Eggerelloides scabrus, Gavelinopsis praegeri, Haynesina germanica, Planorbulina mediterranensis and Textularia truncata. With the exception of E. scabrus, these are not included in the factor analysis because they do not make up ~5% of the assemblages in at least two samples. Fig. 4 shows the relative and absolute abundance of this group of species in the dead assemblages. 0.000 3.3. Relative abundance Table 5 Varimax data factor score matrix for dead associations, 1992-1994 Variable B. skqerrukensis B. marginuta C. luevigutu E. excavutum H. balthicu R os1oensi.r S. fu.sifi?rmis N. irideu E. mrdius E. scabru~ E. vitreu H. bradyi 7: pusillus 7: tenuissima Saccammina spp. M. barleeunum 165 I 2 3 4 0.168 0.038 0.272 -0.049 0.078 0.734 0.006 0.107 0.123 -0.030 0.057 -0.078 -0.057 0.544 -0.084 0.080 0.106 -0.024 -0.054 -0.117 0.009 0.003 -0.979 -0.011 0.079 -0.021 -0.071 0.006 0.004 -0.016 0.018 0.018 0.214 -0.006 0.020 -0.068 -0.010 0.124 0.069 0.175 0.337 -0.030 0.064 0.668 0.341 -0.180 0.424 0.074 0.472 0.192 0.486 0.476 0.093 -0.261 -0.019 -0.048 0.289 0.217 0.026 -0.117 -0.099 -0.129 -0.110 0.122 lus and Eggerelloides medius. Factor 1, l? osloensis with 7: tenuissima, occurs on the Norwegian slope and at the western periphery of the basin. Factor 2, with a high dominance of S. fusiformis, characterises the Danish slope at depths greater than of agglutinated tests The proportion of agglutinated forms in the living assemblages show an irregular distribution pattern with only two values higher than 40% (Fig. 5A). On the other hand, the proportions in the dead assemblages show a consistent pattern with high abundance in the basin (40-61%) and progressively decreasing values up the adjacent slopes (Fig. 5B). In the shallower waters at the top of the Danish slope (~200 m) the percent agglutinated values again increase due to the presence of shelf taxa such as E. scabrus and T. truncata. 3.4. Species diversity The living assemblages have a range of Fisher alpha values from 4; to 18. Values of 10 or greater are confined to a cross-basin field in the western area and the lower part of the Danish slope (Fig. 6). Those of the dead assemblages are generally higher (8;-18) but do not show any systematic distribution pattern. 3.5. Tubes As previously noted in the methods section, tubular agglutinated foraminifera were counted separately from the assemblages. This data set includes 166 58.5" 58.0' 57.5". 59.0" 58.5" 58.0° 57.5" 8.0" Fig. 5. Percent agglutinated 8.5" tests. (A) Live assemblages. (B) Dead assemblages. E. Alve, J.W Murray/Marine 167 Micropaleontology 31 (1997) 157-175 59.0”. 58.5". 58.0". 57.5". 7.5" 8.0" Fig. 6. Distribution 8.5" 9.5" 10.0" 10.5" of Fisher alpha values for live assemblages. all available 1994 samples including those which were not picked for foraminiferal analysis (Table 1). Tubes are rare on the Norwegian slope and most abundant on the Danish slope between about 200 and 500 m (Fig. 7). 3.6. TOC and particulate 9.0" organic matter The TOC values are relatively constant (generally between 2.0 and 2.3%) from the Norwegian slope, through the basin, and up the Danish slope to around 200 m (Table 1). At depths shallower than 200 m, the values drop to a minimum of 0.4%. The visual examination of organic detritus in the >63 pm fraction (wet sample) shows a pattern with maximum values between 200 and 500 m on the Danish slope (Fig. 8) even in those areas with minimum TOC values. As for Figs. 7, Fig. 8 also shows data from stations which were not included in the foraminiferal analysis. 4. Discussion There is much evidence that the Danish slope is a disturbed environment from both natural and human-induced causes (e.g., trawling). Atlantic water in the deeper (~200 m) and North Sea water in the shallower parts enter at high velocities (> 10 cm/s, Rodhe, 1987). This is the region of highest sand content (lo-80% increasing up slope, Bee et al., 1996) and also the area richest in organic detritus (Fig. 8) in the Skagerrak Basin. 4.1. Evidence of transport The first line of evidence comes from the foraminifera. The shallowest samples (sta. 89, 102) from ~200 m on the Danish slope show a marked difference in dominant species and general composition between the living and dead assemblages. The living assemblages have a high dominance of S. fusiformis whereas the dead assemblages are domi- I68 Tubular agglutinated foraminifera 59.0”. 58.5”. 58.0”. 57.50. ; Fig. 7. Distribution of tubular agglutinated foraminifera on a subjective relative scale from I (few) to 4 (abundant). those 1994 stations where foraminiferal assemblage analyses were not carried out (see text). nated by E. excavatum and E. scabrus. The differences can be accounted for in several ways. The first two explanations relate to Stainforthia fusiformis. There may have been blooms of living S. fusiformis at the time of sampling and therefore the samples would be unrepresentative of the main living assemblages. However, since it reproduces throughout the year, seasonal blooms are unlikely (Murray, 1992; Alve, 1995a). Second, they might be lost through dissolution and this may be partially correct. Third, and more probably, exotic species may be being transported in from shelf areas. There are no living representatives of A. beccarii, H. germanica, or F! mediterranensis, whereas C. lobatulus, E. scabrus, E. excavatum, Gavelinopsis praegeri and r truncata are represented by one or two living individuals but never at more than one station. Therefore, they are all considered to be exotic. In addition, tests of C. lobatulus, E.excavatum and P mediterrunensis show chamber breakage and The map also includes those of A. beccarii are worn, consistent with some bedload transport. Because foraminiferal tests are hollow, tests and quartz sand of the same size will have different threshold velocities. Ciao and Collins (1995) calculated that if the test is 50% hollow then their settling velocities would be 70% of that of the equivalent sized sand grain. However, once a mixture of foraminifera and sands have been hydraulically sorted (i.e., there will be larger foraminifera than the sand grains), both the foraminifera and the sand grains have similar thresholds of movement. Therefore, the dynamic behaviour of the tests would be essentially the same as the bulk sediment. It follows from these arguments that medium sandsized foraminifera will be transported with silt grade quartz (Oehmig, 1993); transport will include short periods as bedload (when some damage may occur to tests due to impact and abrasion) but will be mainly in suspension (during which damage will be mini- E. Alve, J.W. Murray/Marine Micropaleonrolog~ 31 (1997) 157-175 I69 Organic detritus 59.0” j 1 and 2 cl ‘..:. ;..~.‘..‘.,.‘,.‘,,.‘, ;.,: :.,:,: ....,:, .. 3 p;y>&& :::&a 4 .>:.*....., LzJ 58.5” Kristiansandb 4 _ 58.0° 57.5” Fig. 8. Distribution of organic detritus (>63 km wet fraction) on a subjective relative scale from I (little) to 4 (abundant). includes those 1994 stations where foraminiferal assemblage analyses were not carried out (see text). mal). In this way, tests can be transported over considerable distances without suffereing severe damage or abrasion. On the Danish slope the median grain size is fine sand but there is a wide range of particles sizes from clay to gravel (Bge et al., 1996) implying that there are no theoretical arguments against foraminiferal transport and deposition here. Source areas for the benthic foraminifera can be determined reliably only on the basis of distributions of living species. The only relevant study to distinguish live and dead assemblages is that of Murray (1992) who showed that living and dead E. excuvuturn and E. scabrus are widespread in the southern North Sea. Total assemblages (living plus dead) off the west coast of Denmark contain A. beccarii, C. laevigata, C. lobatulus, E. excavatum and 7: trunrata (Jarke, 1961; Gabel, 1971; Conradsen et al., 1994; Bergsten et al., 1996). However, it is not known whether these occurrences represent in situ living populations or already transported dead ones. Al- The map also though this is a potential source area, material might just be in transit from the southern North Sea. On the other hand, E. scabrus is extremely rare on the Danish shelf (op. cit.). The most likely source of transported individuals is from the south under the influence of the north flowing cyclonic current which has been shown to extend from the surface water to at least 40&500 m (Rodhe, 1996). The relative and absolute abundance of transported tests systematically decrease downslope (Fig. 4). Another indication of transport is that radiocarbon dating of foraminiferal samples (E. excavatum assemblage) from the upper part of a boring on the northernmost tip of Denmark showed them to be up to 3300 years old, indicating a strong influence of reworking which was attributed to the Jutland Current (Conradsen and Heier-Nielsen, 1995; Heier-Nielsen et al., 1995). The second sources of evidence are organic detritus and barium. Observation of wet sediment showed that particulate organic matter was most abundant 170 E. Alrv, J. N! Murru~~ /Marine Micropaleotttolo~~ there between 200 and 500 m (Fig. 8). This suggests that the Danish slope is a depositional sink area for detrital organic material transported from the south. This statement is supported by the fact that some of the suspended material transported into the Skagerrak and northern Kattegat is river borne (e.g., from the Rhine, Elbe) suspension load from central western Europe (Kuijpers et al., 1993). Another indicator of provenance and deposition is the Ba content of the sediment. Ba analyses have been performed on the surface sediments (bulk top O-2 cm) for all 1992, 1993 and 1994 stations (S&her et al., 1996) and the source areas are believed to be drilling platforms in the North Sea. The areas of maximum Ba concentrations (160-435 ppm) coincide with the areas of maximum organic detritus. All these lines of evidence demonstrate that the Danish slope is a depositional sink for transported foraminiferal tests and particulate organic matter originating from the south. A similar sink for transported foraminiferal tests has been documented by Hughes Clarke and Keij (1973) in the Persian Gulf at the foot of the 36 m terrace. 4.2. Evidence oj”high benthic fertility The distribution of benthic foraminifera is known to be patchy on a scale of centimetres to hundreds of metres (Murray, 1991, p. 19). In a study specifically designed to test microdistribution patterns, Hohenegger et al. (1993) found that in shallow water (14.5 m) major controls on species distributions included their individual food requirements and the presence of microhabitats such as burrows with oxygenated haloes in otherwise low-oxygen sediments. Some species preferentially live around burrow openings. The same controls are thought to pertain in the deep sea (Gooday, 1990) and may be universal for benthic foraminifera. In a separate study from the northern Skagerrak area (between outer Oslo Fjord and Arendal, Fig. l), Rygg and Alve (1995) analysed two replicate samples from each of nine stations (50-400 m water depth, collected in July 1994) which revealed major patchiness in standing crop. The maximum standing crop values ranged from 1.3-12.0 times the minimum values at each station but most (5 out of 9) were in the range 1.5-2.2 times the minimum. .il (1997) 157-171 In the present study, there is an overall pattern in the abundance of standing crop (Fig. 2A). The deeper areas (generally >400 m) have the lowest abundance values, whereas those on the surrounding slopes range from low to very high suggesting local patchiness. However, the relatively low deep basin values are within the average range for many open shelf areas (50-200 per 10 cm3, Murray, 1973, p. 201). The 1993 data from the Danish slope were limited (three samples shallower than 500 m) and therefore no firm conclusions could be reached but we suggested that this is the area of highest food availability (Alve and Murray, 1995). The new 1994 data set from the slope are more comprehensive (20 samples) and strongly reinforce the trend seen in the 1993 data. The TOC values in the sandy sediments on the Danish slope are low compared with those of the deep basin muds and this is not surprising as the TOC content of the sediment is generally inversely linked to grain size. However, these measurements do not discriminate between the nutritional value of the various organic carbon compounds and consequently, they can not be directly equated with potential food availability for the foraminifera. While processing, we recorded that particulate organic detritus is abundant in the Danish slope sands and it was for this reason that we measured the presence of potential food in the form of the particulate organic detritus observed in the >63 km fraction. Even though some of this organic material may be refractory (e.g., Van Weering et al., 1987), the associated bacteria may still provide an additional food source for the foraminifera (for discussion see Alve, 1995b). The maximum standing crop in the 1994 samples is more than twice that recorded in 1993 and one to two orders of magnitude higher than that recorded for the southern North Sea (Murray, 1992). On a regional scale there is a zone of high densities between 200 and 500 m on the Danish slope which broadly correlates with the area of high organic detritus (Fig. 8). Two biological studies, one of the macrofauna (Rosenberg et al., 1996) and the other of the meiofauna (De Bovee et al., 1996), used essentially the same samples from a NNW-SSE transect across the Skagerrak (Table 6). Since the benthic foraminifera are primarily deposit feeders, the most reasonable E. Alve, J.W. Murray/Marine Micropaleontology 31 (1997) 157-175 Table 6 Meiofaunal (surface O-2 cm) and macrofaunal deposit feeder data for a transect across the Skagerrak from the Norwegian slope (0%) to the Danish (AD3) Station No. __-._ Depth OS5 OS3 OS1 S6 AD7 s4 AD3 251 41 I 637 393 294 194 177 (m) Meiofauna a (No./10 cm2) Macrofauna (No./m’) 999 292 112 2278 _ 1342 847 705 1635 1826 _ a After De Bovee et al. (1996). h After Rosenberg et al. (1996); and subsurface deposit feeders. h 5395 only includes deposit feeders comparison is with the density of macrofaunal deposit feeders, In both cases, minimum numerical density of individuals are found in the deep basin and the highest numbers are those on the Danish slope. These results are in very good agreement with those presented here but they made no attempt to measure biological usable organic matter. Rosenberg et al. (1996) attributed the abundance differences to water transport, sediment grain size, and sedimentation rates. De Bovee et al. (1996) suggested that at sta. S4 “the benthic fauna may be stimulated by an adequate input of organic matter”. They also linked this with sedimentation rates. In the present paper, we made some attempt to quantify organic matter available as food and suggest that this relates to input from external sources. In fact, the numerical density of the benthic foraminifera on the Danish slope is comparable to that of the Mississippi delta which is a well known area of high benthic fertility (e.g., Lankford, 1959). Lankford found that the zone of maximum standing crop (average about 2500 live individuals per 10 cm’) was located on the bottomset beds off the major distributaries, and it decreased abruptly away from the delta into the open continental shelf. The tests were small in size and he considered that the turnover rate was only a few weeks thus the species were opportunistic and utilising the rich food source (i.e.. high concentration of nutrients, large bacterial populations, abundance of organic solids) in an area of rapid sediment accumulation. Off Newfoundland, 171 Schafer and Cole (1982) found the highest standing crops (average 2356 per 10 cm*) on the lower slope/rise (2695 m) on relatively coarse sediments (0.15-0.04 mm) with low TOC values (~0.4%) under the influence of the Western Boundary Undercurrent. They attributed these high values to the reduced macrobenthos there and hence reduced predation. The dominant species are small in size. The living S. fusiformis factor association dominates the main part of the Danish slope. Stainforthia fusiformis is an opportunistic species which inhabits stressed environments and is one of the most rapid recolonisers of formerly anoxic environments especially where there is an abundance of food (Alve, 1994, 1995a). Consequently, it is reasonable to assume that such an opportunistic species might rapidly colonise other similar marine environments (like the Danish slope) subsequent to environmental disturbances, for instance from the activity of trawlers scouring the seabed for prawns. An additional indicator of high fertility is the abundance of tubular foraminifera. Jones and Charnock (1985) classified tubular astrorhizids as erect, sessile, epifaunal/semi-infaunal passive suspension feeders. Confirmation of this has been made for species of Bathysiphon which have been observed to project from the sediment surface in box cores taken from the North Carolina slope. Furthermore, their cytoplasm contains a variety of particles consistent with both suspension and detritus feeding modes of life (Gooday et al., 1992). In the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, Murray and Alve (1994) found the highest abundance of tubular forms off northwestern Africa, in an area of upwelling and therefore high food supply, and also in areas under the influence of Mediterranean Water. Gooday (1990) considers that the large astrorhizids of continental margins require relatively large amounts of food because of their cytoplasmic volume. Also, based on both modem and fossil examples, Kaminski and Kuhnt (1995) suggested that there is an increased abundance of tubular agglutinated foraminifera in eutrophic regimes. The Danish slope is subject to the greatest bottom current velocities in the whole study area (mean velocity in from the Norwegian Trench, z 10 cm/s at depths > 100 m, Rodhe, 1987). The greatest concentration of abundance of tubular tests is on the 172 E. Ah, J. W Murray/Murine Micropalrontolog~ Danish slope, especially in the zone of organicrich sediments between 200 and 500 m. Most are not branched. Some have very finely agglutinated tests while others are relatively coarse-grained and both can occur in the same sample although coarse grained ones are dominant. To conclude, it is inferred that on the Danish slope the high standing crop values and abundance of tubular agglutinated foraminifera (with their high biomass volume because of their large size compared with other benthic foraminifera living here) reflect high food supply and therefore high benthic fertility. 4.3. Taphonomic processes There are major contrasts between the basin living factor associations of 1993 and 1994 sampling areas. The 1994 area has an H. membranaceumlE. vitrea association whereas the 1993 area has a N. iridea association with subsidiary M. barleeanum (all calcareous except H. membranaceum). However, the time-averaged dead assemblages show a single H. bradyi association with subsidiary Saccammina spp., I: pusillus, and E. medius (all agglutinated) throughout the deep water area from northeast to southwest. G. auriculata, H. membranaceum, N. iridea and E. vitrea show some postmortem reduction in abundance. Indeed, N. iridea is scarcely preserved in the dead assemblages (generally t5%), although it is one of the most common living species (generally lO-30%) and its empty tests are well preserved at pre-1970 levels in sediment cores from the deep basin indicating a recent increase in the intensity of carbonate dissolution (Alve and Murray, 1995; Alve, 1996). It appears that the dissolution of either of the two calcareous dominated living associations gives rise to essentially the same agglutinated dominated dead association. Dissolution leads to an increase in dead agglutinated tests so that whereas most slope dead assemblages are 2O-39% agglutinated those of the basin have 50-79%. Not only are these values higher but the pattern is more ordered than that of the living assemblages (compare Fig. 5A and B). The high numbers of dead agglutinated tests in the shallow area of the Danish slope are considered to be due to the introduction of transported species, such as E. scubrus (discussed above) rather than to dissolution. .?I (IYY7J 4.4. Distribution palaeoecology 157-l 75 patterns as a model for Patterns of modern foraminiferal distribution serve as models for the palaeoecological interpretation of fossil assemblages, especially those from the Quatemary. Recent regional distributional studies of Skagerrak foraminifera include those of Conradsen et al. (1994) and Bergsten et al. (1996). The former authors summarised the results from several studies which used different methods of sample collection and different sieve sizes (> 100 or > 125 pm) during processing. Bergsten et al. (1996) used the > 125 pm fraction of thirteen cores (along a transect from 177 m on the Norwegian side to 58 m on the Danish side) extending down 8 cm into the sediment and therefore time-averaged over several decades, In both cases, total (living plus dead) assemblages were described. This contrasts with the >63 pm fraction and the separation of living and dead assemblages used here. The latter is essential if taphonomic processes are to be interpreted. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that there have been fauna1 changes, particularly in the deep basin, over the last 5 decades. These changes are obscured in the average total data of Bergsten et al. (1996). Conradsen et al. (1994) recognised a basinal association of Bolivina skagerrakensis (= Brizalina of this paper), with a Cassidulina laevigata association on the southern Norwegian slope and an Elphidium excavatum association on the Danish slope and shelf. Bergsten et al. (1996) found a Huplophragmoides bradyi basinal association, a Uvigerina peregrina association on the Norwegian slope and the deep part of the Danish slope but over most of the latter there is a S. fusiformis association. In addition, at depths of < 100 m there is an E. excavatum association. These results contrast markedly with those presented here (except for the S. fusiformis association on the Danish slope). This is due partly to the differing sieve sizes and partly to their use of total assemblages. However, it is curious that there is scarcely any similarity in the dominant species between the two studies based on total assemblages. In both studies it was inferred that the distribution patterns were related to (unspecified attributes of the) bottom water masses. For example, Bergsten et al. (1996) related the S. fusiformis association E. Alve, J.W Murray/Marine Micropaleontology 31 (1997) 173 157-175 to inflowing North Atlantic water. However, this is inconsistent with the known hydrography of silled Norwegian fjords in which this species is dominant (Alve, 1995b). We regard this as an opportunistic species (as discussed above) and therefore not linked to a specific water mass. The Norwegian slope lacks the abundant organic detritus of the Danish slope and has a different living association (G. auriculata). The deep basin has two different living assemblages but there is no obvious water mass explanation for this except that the basin water has a longer residence time. However, the water is not oxygen deficient (Aure and Dahl, 1994). A common feature of all these studies is that only a few associations are differentiated in this large area. Consequently, the foraminifera show essentially the same broad pattern of high fauna1 similarities over large areas as recognised in the macrofauna (Rosenberg et al., 1996). There is a broad correlation between higher live Fisher alpha values (> 10) and the inflow of oceanic water along the foot of the Danish slope and the deeper parts of the Basin (Fig. 6). The dead assemblages are more diverse throughout the whole area with few alpha values (10. This is a consequence of the time averaging of species populations together with the effects of postmortem alteration. At the top of the Danish slope ~200 m, the dead assemblages are enriched in transported species. abundance of tubular agglutinated foraminifera both of which have responded to the high availability of food (particulate organic matter and associated bacteria). The numerical densities are comparable with those of the Mississippi delta, which is a well known area of high benthic fertility. On the other hand, the Norwegian slope and deep basin have average standing crop values compared with shelf seas elsewhere and show no evidence of the introduction of transported exotic tests. Apart from transport, another active taphonomic process is the dissolution of calcareous tests. This is evident from the increase in the abundance of non-calcareous agglutinated foraminifera in the dead compared with the living assemblages especially in the deep basin. Additionally, some calcareous tests were extremely chalky and fragile. The distribution of living and dead foraminiferal associations recognised in this study differ from those of previous studies based on different size fractions and total (live + dead) assemblages. Sfainforthia ,fus(formis is an opportunistic species which colonises the disturbed parts of the Danish slope in the area of high particulate organic matter. The area of living high diversity in the deep western part of the basin may be a reflection of incoming Atlantic Water. 5. Summary We thank the Norwegian Geological Survey (NGU) and the University of Bergen, particularly Hans Schrader, for providing the samples, Per Ivar Steinsund for providing the factor analysis program, Terje Thorsnes for providing the raw data for the bathymetric map and Eigil Whist for help with the final preparation of the maps. NGU is also thanked for providing the TOC data and, with the Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, for funding E.A. and conclusions The Skagerrak basin is an epicontinental shelf sea basin and provides a modem analogue of past examples. In this paper new data on both live and dead assemblages are presented on each of 36 foraminiferal samples and a discussion of the whole data set (56 samples for living and dead plus an additional thirteen for dead only), including those published by Alve and Murray (1995), is given. Indicators of transport to the Danish slope include the abundance of exotic dead foraminiferal tests and particulate organic matter, and concentrations of barium. This suggests that the Danish slope is a depositional sink for these components. Likewise, the Danish slope is considered to be an area of high benthic fertility based on the high standing crop values of benthic foraminifera and the Acknowledgements Appendix Generic A. Fauna1 reference list names are in accordance with Loeblich and Tappan (1987) (Link) = Nautilus beccarii Link. 1758. (Qvale and Nigam) = Bo/i\?ncr .ska,syrrakensis Qvale and Nigam, 1985. Bulimina marginata d’orbigny. 1826. Ammonia beccarii Brixdina skagerrukensis 174 E. Alve. .I. U! Murray/Marine Micro~,aleontolng~, 31 ( IYY~J 157-175 Cassidulina laevigata d’orbigny, 1826. Cibicides lobatulus (Walker and Jacob) = Nautilus lobatulus Walker and Jacob, 1798. Eggerelloides medius (Hoglund) = Verneuilina media Hoglund, 1947. Eggerelloides scabrus (Williamson) = Bulimina scabra Williamson, 1858. Elphidium excavatum (Terquem) = Polystomellu excavatu Terquem, 1875. Epistominella vitrea Parker, 1953. Guvelinopsis praegeri (Heron Allen and Earland) = Discorhinu pruegeri Heron Allen and Earland, 1913. Globobulin~ina auriculata (Bailey) = Bulimina auriculata Bailey, 1851. Haplophragmoides bradyi (Robertson) = Trochammina bradyi Robertson, 1891. Haplophragmoides membranaceum Hoglund, 1947. Haynesina germanica (Ehrenberg) = Nonionina germanica Ehrenberg, 1840. Leptohalysis scottii (Chaster) = Reophax scottii Chaster, 1892. Liebusella goesi Hoglund, 1947. Melonis barleeanum (Williamson) = Nonionina barleeana Williamson, 1858. Nonionella it-idea Heron-Allen and Earland, 1932. Planorbulina mediterranensis d’orbigny, 1826. bulloides (d’orbigny) = Nonionina bulloides Pullenia d’orbigny, 1846. Pullenia osloensir Feyling-Hanssen, 1954. Stuinforthia fus(formis (Williamson) = Bulimina pupoides d’orbigny var. ,fusiformis Williamson, 1858. Textularia tenuissima Earland, 1933. Textularia truncuta Hoglund. 1947. Trochamminopsis pusillus (Hoglund) = Trochammina pusilla Hoglund, 1947. References Alve, E., 1994. Opportunistic features of the foraminifer Stainforthiafusiformis (Williamson): evidence from Frierfjord, Norway. J. Micropalaeontol., 13: 24. Alve, E., 1995a. Benthic foraminiferal distribution and recolonization of formerly anoxic environments in Drammensfjord, southern Norway. Mar. Micropaleontol., 25: 169-I 86. Alve, E., 1995b. Benthic foraminiferal responses to estuarine pollution: a review. J. Foraminiferal Res., 25: 190-203. Alve, E., 1996. Benthic foraminiferal evidence of environmental change in the Skagerrak over the past six decades. Nor. Geol. Unders. 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