Record isotopico bentonico ad alta risoluzione del MIS 19 nella sezione di Valle di Manche (Bacino di Crotone, Calabria)

The main goal of this Thesis was providing a paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic reconstruction of the interglacial Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 19 from the Lower-Middle Pleistocene Valle di Manche section (Ionian Calabria, southern Italy). For this purpose, I performed stable isotope analyses (oxygen and carbon) on two different benthic foraminiferal species, namely Uvigerina peregrina and Melonis barleanum. The results achieved, as regard Uvigerina peregrina, are consistent with the data obtained from previous studies on the section. My results confirm the importance of Uvigerina peregrina for stable isotope studies and support the employment of this species for paleoenvironmental and paleoceanographic reconstructions at the global scale. The oxygen isotope record of Uvigerina peregrina displays a succession of light δ18 O peaks (up to 0.5‰VBDP) superimposed on the large-scale glacial-interglacial trend. These oscillations are particularly frequent during the glacial termination, confirming that this interval was characterized by a strong climate instability. The new data confirm that the average metabolic effects amount to 0.0‰ for Uvigerina peregrina and are much higher for Melonis barleanum, which yielded consistently lighter δ18 O values. By means of these stable isotope records, it was possible to improve significantly the local documentation on the Early-Middle Pleistocene transition