Antarctic Ocean-Floor Fossils: Their Environments and Possible Significance as Indicators of Ice Conditions

Abstract

Seven Antarctic marine environments are examined with respect to their geology and to the skeletal remains of marine microorganisms. While all assemblages live in the same water mass, they vary significantly from place to pl ace. Geology and oceanography of each locality appear to produce less effect upon the character of populations than do topography and bay ice. The latter features suggest a possible use of fossils as indicators of conditions of bay ice.