Use of dinoflagellate cysts to determine changing Quaternary sea-surface temperature in southern Australia

Cluster analysis and principal component analysis of dinoflagellate cyst assemblage data from two cores, SO36-7 and VI8-222, off southern Australia clearly separate glacial from interglacial environments. However, those species causing much of the differentiation respond differently to changing sea-surface temperature in the two cores. This varying response emphasises the complexity of dinoflagellate interactions with the environment and underlines the need for caution in interpretation, particularly with sea-surface temperature.