Estimation of sea surface temperature from sediment core PS1768-8

The criteria which justify the exclusion of samples and species out of the raw data set in order to define a reference database are outlined and discussed.

Sensitivity tests with eight data sets were achieved evaluating the effects of overall dominance of single species, different methods of species abundance ranking, and no-analog conditions (e.g., Eucampia Antarctica) on the estimated paleotemperatures. The defined transfer functions were applied on a sediment core from the northern Antarctic zone. Overall dominance of Fragilariopsis kerguelensis in the diatom assemblages resulted in a close affinity between paleotemperature curve and relative abundance pattern of this species downcore.