通过对海洋沉积物的调查分析, 探讨地质历史上海洋环流模式和海水物理化学性质的变化是古海洋学研究的重要内容之一。深海底栖有孔虫对环境变化敏感、其壳体稳定同位素和微量元素与海水性质密切相关使得它成为研究古海洋学的有力工具。但同时, 底栖有孔虫的生命效应、分布的区域性以及海水自身等因素在一定程度上制约了其应用。本文总结了底栖有孔虫在古海洋学研究中的应用以及限制因素, 以利于在具体研究中客观分析, 提高古海洋环境重建的可靠性。

Exploring ocean circulation patterns and variations in physical and chemical properties of seawater in the geological history through analyses on marine sediments is one of the important contents of paleoceanography. High sensitivity of deep-sea benthic foraminifera to environmental changes, and close correlation of their shell stable isotopes and trace elements with seawater properties make benthic foraminifera a useful tool of paleoceanography. However, the applications are restricted by several factors to a certain degree, such as vital effects, benthic foraminiferal regional distributions and factors from seawater. This review summarizes the applications of benthic foraminifera and their shell isotopes and trace elements in paleoceanog-raphy, and possible limiting factors in the process of application, to facilitate objective analyses in specific research, thus im-proving the reliability of paleoceanographic reconstructions.