Climatic "pause" during Termination II identified in shallow and intermediate waters off the Iberian margin

The sequence of Termination II, from the end of marine isotopic stage 6 (MIS 6) to MIS 5e, is observed through an isotopic study (delta(18)O) of planktic and benthic foraminifera in core MD99-2331 (42degrees09'N; 09degrees41'W), collected in the North Atlantic, on the Iberian margin. First, to build an approximate time scale, a record of the planktic 6180 signal is achieved from the top of the core (Holocene) to MIS 6. The remarkable similarity of this planktic record to the Greenland Ice Core Project ice core delta(18)O record allows a rough dating of our core. A focus on Termination II reveals one "standstill" in the benthic record. This "pause" can be linked either to a perturbation of North Atlantic oceanic circulation pattern, as a slowing down of the North Atlantic Deep Water formation, or to an interruption in polar ice sheet melting, which could be a more global phenomenon. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.