The stable isotope composition of one epifaunal and three infaunal benthic foraminiferal species of a sediment core from 1800 m water depth of the western Arabian Sea was determined to evaluate deepwater oxygenation, organic matter remineralization, and early diagenetic processes during the past 190,000 years. The δ18O records reveal species-specific metabolic effects, susceptibility to changes in carbonate ion concentration, and supralysoclinal calcite dissolution. The foraminiferal δ13C records reveal changes in the stable carbon isotope gradients of pore water dissolved inorganic carbon (δ13CDIC) and in the microhabitat depth of infaunal species. Maximum δ13CDIC offsets between bottom and pore waters ranged between mean values of 0.8 and 1.2? corresponding to estimates of deepwater oxygen concentration between approximately 1 and 2.7 mL L-1. Intervals of improved deepwater oxygenation coincided with high benthic foraminiferal diversity and indicate the admixture of well-oxygenated deepwater masses during interglacials. During interglacial maxima the δ13C difference between epifauna and shallow infauna indicates highest organic matter remineralization rates at times of maximum organic matter fluxes.