Temperatures, salinity, wind speed, grain sizes and foraminifera abundance in the Great Belt Channel, western Baltic Sea

The Great Belt, the largest inlet to the Baltic Sea, has a deep and well defined channel system. A distinct thermohaline layer at roughly 18 to 20 m of water depth separates the saltier and generally cooler deeper North Sea water from the brackish and warmer surface water. It is practically a current dominated area, with the strongest bottom currents due to prolonged west winds. The size and shape of the surface sediments and their grain size distributions show a close relationship with the prevailing hydrographical conditions. Southerly current marks predominate while northerly directions are confined to 10 to 14 m of water depth. […]大贝尔特海峡（The Great Belt）是波罗的海最大的入海通道，拥有深邃且轮廓清晰的航道系统。在约18至20米水深处存在一层清晰的温盐层（thermohaline layer），将盐度更高、整体温度更低的深层北海水体与盐度较低、温度更高的表层海水分隔开来。该区域几乎完全受海流支配，长期的西风会形成最强的底层海流。表层沉积物的尺寸、形态及其粒度分布与区域主要水文条件存在密切关联。海流方向以向南为主，向北的海流则仅分布于10至14米水深区间内。[…]