Can benthic foraminiferal morpho-groups be used as indicators of paleomonsoonal precipitation?

Abstract

A technique is proposed for the quick and easy assessment of paleomonsoonal precipitation through the study of morphological groups of foraminifera in a shallow water (20 m water depth) sediment core collected off Karwar, near Kali river mouth, central west coast of India. The percentage distribution of two morpho-groups (i.e. rounded-symmetrical and angular-asymmetrical morphogroups) showed considerable fluctuation which correlate well with the 7 years average rainfall over a period of 116 years of the catchment area of Kali river. The dominance of rounded-symmetrical forms indicates a period of higher rainfall whereas angular-asymmetrical forms tend to increase in abundance during dry periods (poor monsoons). The inferences drawn shown high potential in generating proxy data for paleomonsoonal precipitation required to developed predictive climatic models