Ostracoda in five sediment cores from the Laptev and Kara seas

Cores from the western Laptev Sea (12.3 cal.ka, assemblages 1-4) and the Kara Sea (8.1 cal.ka, assemblages 2-4) demonstrate similar pattern in assemblage replacement, but contain a number of relatively deep-water species reflecting stronger influence of open-sea waters. Core from the continental slope, water depth 270 m (~ 17 cal.ka) encompasses assemblages 5 and 6, which are absent in the shelf cores. Assemblage 5 stands out as a specific community dominated by relatively deep-water Arctic and North Atlantic species together with euryhaline ones.

The assemblages indicate inflows of Atlantic-derived waters and downslope slides due to the proximity to the paleocoastline. Assemblage (6) is similar to the modern local ostracod assemblage at this site.