Reconstructing Holocene Climate Change across the Polar Frontal Zone (PFZ)
Project Leader(s): Louise Taylor
Staff: Supervisors: Dr Emma Pearson, Dr Steve Roberts (BAS), Dr Steve Juggins, Dr Dominic Hodgson (BAS) and Prof Darrel Maddy
My research is a palaeolimnological study using novel geochemical, sedimentological isotopic and biomarker techniques to reconstruct climatic changes during the Holocene. The study area for the research includes sub-Antarctica, the Antarctic Peninsula, South America and East Antarctica with particular focus on a latitudinal transect from the Antarctic Peninsula to the southern tip of Chile. This region encompasses the PFZ, which affects southern hemisphere climates, thus allowing changes in the movement of the PFZ during the Holocene to be investigated.
Reconstructing climate change in Antarctica is of particular interest as the Antarctic Peninsula is one of the fastest warming regions on Earth. Intense warming in the region has led to increased summer melting, reduced sea-ice cover and the retreat and collapse of ice shelves. Studying these past changes in climate allows us to put current changes into context and is fundamental in order to improve predictions of future environmental responses to climate.
Thus my research objectives are:
- To develop the use of glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) as indicators of palaeotemperature in Antarctic lakes.
- Reconstruct changes in Holocene temperature and temperature-driven nutrient flux in Antarctic lakes.
- Compare records along the PFZ transect to reconstruct changes in the position of the PFZ during the Holocene and how variations in the PFZ relate to climatic changes.
- Identify how rapidly temperature changes occurred during the Holocene and if the present day changes exceed this natural variability.