Investigating paleoecological changes in the Oman Sea (Negour area) Holocene deposits based on calcareous nannoplanktons

Coccolithophores are unicellular marine phytoplankton characterized by calcareous scales called coccoliths. Cocclithophores appeared in the fossil record during Late Triassic. They live at different depths in the photic zone owing to their requirement of sunlight for photosynthesis. Their distribution in the upper water column is influenced by surface oceanic circulation and different parameters such as temperature, salinity (Winter et al., 1994).The Gulf of Oman is located between 22 and 26°N and 56 and 62°E and opens on the Northwestern Indian Ocean and on the Arabian Sea. The general orientation of the gulf is northwest-southeast. The basin narrows down and gets shallower towards the Strait of Hormuz-the western most boundary of the Oman Sea. The Negour Area is located 25 and 20°N and 61 and 8°E.