Climatic changes in the northern Red Sea during the last 22,000 years as recorded by calcareous nannofossils

We present a high‐resolution record of calcareous nannofossils from the northern Red Sea for the last 22 kyr. Extreme conditions with enhanced salinities during the Last Glacial Maximum are characterized by high values ofGephyrocapsa ericsonii. The dominance ofEmiliania huxleyiin Heinrich event 1 indicates a climatic cooling favoring the bloom of opportunistic species. The calcareous nannofossils record a two‐step onset of the postglacial humid climate, punctuated by the Younger Dryas. Both steps show an early oligotrophic phase dominated byFlorisphaera profundaandGladiolithus flabellatusand a subsequent fertile phase characterized byE. huxleyi. The Younger Dryas is described by high values ofGephyrocapsa oceanica, indicating an increased mixing of the water column. In the late Holocene, repetitive increases in abundance ofF. profundaandG. flabellatusreflect restricted oligotrophic conditions, caused by the high aridity following the Holocene humid period.