Benthic foraminiferal diversity response to the climate induced changes in the eastern Arabian Sea oxygen minimum zone during the last 30 ka BP

A high resolution record of deep sea benthic foraminiferal diversity variations in the eastern Arabian Sea for the last 30 ka BP was obtained from two sediment cores (SK17 and MD131) retrieved from the present day Oxygen Minimum Zone (OMZ) in the Indian margin off Goa. The benthic foraminiferal diversity is represented in terms of Sander's rarefaction number (S100), Shannon Wiener Index [H(S)], Equitability (E′) and Alpha Index (α). Records of diversity indices exhibit millennial scale changes during the late glacial and deglacial periods, corresponding to the Northern Hemisphere climatic events. We compared the faunal diversity with proxy records of primary productivity (Corg %) and bottom water oxygen (low-O2 taxa %). We suggest that benthic foraminiferal diversity in the eastern Arabian Sea OMZ is largely controlled by the primary productivity induced organic carbon flux and strength of bottom water oxygenation. The less diverse fauna along with increased percentages of Corg and low- O2 taxa during the last glacial maximum (18–22.5 ka BP) suggest eutrophic and oxygen-poor benthic environment, attributed mainly to a strong OMZ associated with intense winter monsoon wind induced productivity and a weak deep ocean circulation. The intervals of distinct increase in diversity closely correspond with North Atlantic cold Heinrich events, when eastern Arabian Sea experienced significant declines in monsoon driven productivity and better deep sea ventilation due to enhanced inflow of Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW).