To reconstruct the variation in paleoproductivity and nutricline of sea water over the last 20 ka, we analyzed the relative abundance of coccolithophores in deep sea core MD98-2178 (3.62°N, 118.70°E), Sulawesi Sea. Three coccolihophores species, Emilania huxleyi, Gephyrocapsa oceanica and Florisphaera profunda, representing 80%~90% relative abundance, dominate the coccolith assemblage. Owing to the absolutely different ecological niche between G.oceanica and F.profunda, they experienced inverse variation trend, the former being sensitive to nutritive material in sea water and representing high productivity, and the latter indicating low productivity and deep nutricline. The authors suggest that two models can be attributed to coccolihophores responding to paleoenvironment around the timing 13.5 ka in the deglacial.