Benthic foraminiferal raw counts and manuscript data

Quantitative palaeobathymetric reconstructions based on foraminiferal proxies have been used in a wide variety of geological studies on tectonic, climatic and environmental changes in sedimentary basins. However, palaeo-water depth estimates are frequently biased due to taphonomic processes (dissolution, transport) as well as local conditions (primary productivity, oxygen content, and organic matter fluxes). This study evaluated the level of reliability of three commonly used transfer equations based on planktic and benthic foraminiferal proxies that produce different palaeobathymetric results. The most trustworthy method involves removing abundant infaunal benthic foraminifera before applying the paleo-water depth equation based on benthic foraminiferal water-depth ranges and presence/absence of species. This new approach provides sound palaeobathymetric results that improve estimations of long- and short-term relative sea-level changes with negligible influence of taphonomic as well a...