A reference data base of dinoflagellate cyst assemblages was developed from the palynological analyses of surface sediment samples collected at ∼ 450 sites from middle to high latitudes of the North Atlantic and adjacent basins. The data set is representative of a wide range of sea-surface conditions with respect to sea-ice cover (0-12 months/year), temperature (up to 25°C), salinity (20-36 psu), and seasonality. The analyses reveal relatively high dinoflagellate cyst concentrations especially along the continental margins (up to 106 cysts/cm3). The distribution of species and assemblages show close relationships with the salinity, the temperature of the warmest and coldest months, and the seasonal duration of the sea-ice cover. On these grounds, transfer functions using the best analogue method were developed in order to reconstruct the following sea-surface parameters with a reasonable degree of accuracy, i.e. within the range of interannual variations: temperature in February (± 1.2°C) and August (± 16°C), salinity (± 0.7 psu) and sea-ice cover extent (± 1.1 months/year). The transfer functions based on dinoflagellate cysts are original and yield paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic data complementary to those produced currently on the basis of transfer function using planktonic foraminifera.