Dataset: Santa Barbara Basin Foraminiferal Flux 2014-2021

The geologically rapid response of foraminiferal assemblages to changing climate makes their shells an invaluable geological record of the past. However, just how rapid these changes are is unknown and the specific drivers of assemblage composition and abundance are complex. Understanding how modern foraminifera respond to and record a climate event that would appear nearly instantaneous in the sediment record can inform paleontological interpretations and help to place foraminifera in a broader ecological context. We focus on the impact of ongoing, rapid climate change on planktic foraminifera in the California Current ecosystem. The Santa Barbara Basin sediment trap, located off the coast of California, USA since 1993, provides a 28-year record of particulate and foraminiferal flux to the basin. The sediment trap captures the superposition of the annual cycle of seasonal upwelling in Santa Barbara Basin, Pacific multiannual ENSO-driven temperature changes, and anthropogenically forced climate change. We present data on planktic foraminiferal flux collected between 2014-2021 from the Santa Barbara Basin sediment trap, at two-week intervals (164 samples). The dataset contains species-level planktic foraminiferal flux values from May 24, 2014 to November 11, 2021. The most abundant species from 2014-2021 were Globigerina bulloides, Neogloboquadrina incompta, and Turborotalita quinqueloba.