ABRUPT COLD SPELLS IN THE NORTHWEST MEDITERRANEAN

Hitherto unknown abundance peaks of left coiling (I.c.) Neogloboquadri napachyderma from a Gulf of Lions piston core indicate that abrupt col d spells associated with Atlantic Heinrich events affected the Mediter ranean. N. pachyderpna (I.c.) is typical of(sub) polar waters in the o pean ocean. The southern edge of its glacial North Atlantic bioprovinc e reached south Portugal, Only trace abundances of N. pachyderma (l.c. ) ape known from Quaternary Mediterranean sediments, suggesting that n o significant ''invasions'' occured via the Strait of Gibraltar. The G ulf of Lions abundance peaks therefore seem to reflect area-specific t hriving of a normally rare but indigenous taxon in the western Mediter ranean through local favorable habitat development. The general plankt onic foraminiferal record suggests that the basic hydrographic regime in the Gulf of Lions, with wintertime deep convective overturn, was re latively stable over the past 60 kyr. Under these conditions, high abu ndances of N, pachyderma (I.c.) would essentially imply temperature re ductions of the order of 5 degrees-8 degrees relative to the present.