Census data of subpolar planktonic foraminifera in high-latitude sediment cores obtained using a 149 μm mesh can be directly related to past surface water conditions. In contrast, analyses performed using material sieved with a 62 μm mesh produce results that must be interpreted with regard to past dissolution conditions of the local deep or bottom waters. This conclusion bears directly on the validity of several recent papers purporting to relate Baffin Bay and Labrador Sea paleo-oceanography with Wisconsinan glacial events in northeastern Canada.