(Appendix table DR1) Foraminiferal distribution data for ODP Hole 178-1098B

The earliest Holocene represents a period of transition from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Cold bottom waters, similar to saline shelf water (SSW), dominated the middle Holocene.

The late Holocene in the Palmer Deep has been characterized by alternating dominance of circumpolar deep water (CDW) and saline shelf water. These changes have global oceanographic and climatic implications. We suggest that the middle Holocene bottom-water record, in the absence of circumpolar deep water on the western Antarctic Peninsula shelf, indicates high saline shelf water production and/or weakened circumpolar deep water production during the middle Holocene climatic optimum.