Calcareous nannoplankton dating of the Late Quaternary deposits in Greece and the eastern Mediterranean: Case studies from terrestrial and marine sites

The distribution and abundance of Emiliania huxleyi (E. huxleyi) assemblages in the marine sediments of the Aravonitsa Plateau, Greece, and from the eastern Mediterranean are used (1) to evaluate the calcareous nannoplankton NN21a and NN21b biozones and the NN21a/NN21b boundary, and (2) to analyze the palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic conditions prevailing in this interval. The sediment succession displays varied E. huxleyi assemblages and these are interpreted as reflecting climatic variability during marine isotope stages MIS 1–8.