For planktonic foraminifera counts, 9–12 cc of 68 bulk sub-samples were wet-weighed, freeze-dried, and re-weighed, then ultra-sonicated in a water bath, washed and sieved with tap and distilled water at the end through two grain-size fractions (63–150 μm and >150 μm) at the IGME. These fractions were dried on paper filters in the oven at 40 °C and weighed. Samples in the fraction >150 μm were split into adequate aliquots of at least 300–400 individuals for planktonic foraminifera census. The identification of species follows the taxonomy of Loeblich and Tappan (1964). Biogenic groups other than foraminifera and detrital minerals were counted in the same sample split. To trace the temperature of the surface water masses, planktonic foraminifera species were counted and classified into four assemblages, following the studies in the area (Bé and Tolderlund, 1971; Hemleben et al., 1989; Kucera, 2007; Reguera, 2001, 2004): polar (Neogloboquadrina pachyderma), subpolar (Neogloboquadrina incompta, Neogloboquadrina pachyderma-dutertrei, Neogloboquadrina dutertrei, Globigerina bulloides, Turborotalita quinqueloba), transitional (Globorotalia uvula, Globorotalia scitula, Globorotalia glutinata, Globorotalia inflata, Orbulina universa, Globorotalia truncatulinoides, Globorotalia hirsuta) and subtropical (Globigerinoides ruber-white, Globigerinoides ruber-pink, Globorotalia crassaformis, Globorotalia aequilateralis, Globigerina rubescens, Globigerina falconensis, Globigerinoides trilobus, Globigerinoides sacculifer).