Recent benthic foraminifera as tracers of water masses along a transect in the Skagerrak, north-eastern North Sea

Recent benthic foraminifera have been investigated in surface samples (0–8 cm) from thirteen sites along a profile in the Skagerrak, between Norway and Denmark. The investigated transect is sampled in an oceanographically well investigated area. Principal component analysis based on the 32 most abundant taxa is used to recognize similarities within the large data set of benthic foraminifera (a total of 93 samples), which is shown to cluster into four assemblage groups (A–D). The spatial distribution of these foraminiferal groups indicates that they inhabit areas that correspond with the delimitations of different water masses. We have identified areas where it is possible to investigate effects on the sea floor of different tracers, natural or anthropogenic contaminants, related to specific water masses.