*3.2. Micropaleontological Analyses*

All samples were prepared following standard micropaleontological procedures. For the faunal analyses, approximately 3 cm<sup>3</sup> of dried sediment was washed and sieved through a 63 µm screen, and residues were dried in an oven at 50 ◦C. Qualitative and quantitative analyses have been performed on both planktonic foraminiferal and pteropod assemblages for the >125 µm size fraction, split into aliquots, each one containing at least 300 specimens. It should be noted that the 125 µm fraction was selected since is the most common studied fraction in relevant investigations within the Aegean Sea, which analyze the Late Quaternary foraminiferal record [10,18,21,32,36], and implement a paleoclimatic analysis [6,15,20,72]. All shells were handpicked, identified following [73], counted in each sample, and then converted into percentages, based on the extrapolation of a counted split. Planktonic species with phylogenetic affinities and similar ecological characteristics [35,74] were counted together and grouped to better interpret distribution patterns. On this regard, all *Globigerinoides ruber* morphotypes ("Normal," "Platys," "Elongate," and "Twin" types; [32]) were plotted together, distinguishing only the "alba" and "rosea" varieties due to their different ecological characteristics [75]. Furthermore, *Globigerina bulloides* group includes the species *G. bulloides* and *Globigerina falconensis*, the *Globigerinoides sacculifer* group includes *Globigerinoides trilobus* and *G. sacculifer*, and the *Globigerinella siphonifera* group includes the species *Globigerinella aequilateralis*, *Globigerina calida*, and *Globigerina digitata*. The species *Globigerinita glutinata* includes the morphotypes with and without bulla. Within the group of Neogloboquadriniids, two types were discerned: *Neogloboquadrina pachyderma* and *Neogloboquadrina dutertrei*.
