The relative abundance (%) of planktonic foraminifera over time in core MD 002361, located on the shelf edge, offshore Western Australia

The advent of deep-sea drilling in the 1950's prompted the use of planktonic foraminifera (unicellular protozans) as palaeoceanographic indicators. They provide a natural archive of past environmental changes due to their global distribution, their prolific productivity and sensitivity to environmental variations. The most abundant species within core MD002361 is the subtropical species Gs. ruber. High abundances =30% are seen during the interglacial periods Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 11, 9, 7, 5 with peak abundance (37.7%) during the Holocene. Other tropical and subtropical species follow this pattern. The transitional, deep dwelling species Gr. inflata has the most distinct abundance change within core MD002361. This species is absent during the interglacial periods but achieves high relative abundances (~20-30%) during glacial periods.

1950年代深海钻探技术的出现，推动了浮游有孔虫（planktonic foraminifera，单细胞原生动物）作为古海洋学指标（palaeoceanographic indicators）的应用。由于其全球分布、高生产力及对环境变化的敏感性，它们为过去的环境变化提供了天然档案。岩芯MD002361中最丰富的物种是亚热带物种Gs. ruber。丰度≥30%的情况出现在间冰期海洋同位素阶段（Marine Isotope Stages, MIS）11、9、7、5，其中全新世的丰度达到峰值（37.7%）。其他热带和亚热带物种也遵循这一模式。过渡性深海栖息物种Gr. inflata（deep dwelling species）在岩芯MD002361中的丰度变化最为显著：该物种在间冰期消失，而在冰期达到较高的相对丰度（约20-30%）。