Climate and Palaeoclimate Variability

Based on the joint activities in paleoclimate research of the African continent and adjacent oceans carried out in close co-operation between NEBROC teams in the frame of PAGES, IMAGES, and ODP, we were able to establish an internationally well-recognized record of Neogene climate history for the tropics so far. NEBROC scientists have successfully submitted national and international proposals for ship expeditions and research projects for this working area and now South African scientists are ready to join this activity as a tri-lateral co-operation, not only related to the research programme, but also for exchange of expertise and training, mutual support with laboratory facilities, and as a very important component the training and encouragement of mobility for young scientists from Europe and Africa. Here, NEBROC will allow to implement a powerful co-operation structure between the three countries involved and will help to effectively co-ordinate the paleoclimate research activities in the South and Central African region and adjacent oceans anticipated by many European research teams for the future.
 
Furthermore, the NEBROC co-operation for climate history should expand also back into older geological times, because methodologies, climate proxies, and laboratory tools used by Royal NIOZ and GeoB geochemists and geologists can be very successfully applied also to marine and continental sediment sections from older, e.g., Cretaceous strata. In this context, it is planned for NEBROC phase II to intensify and closely co-ordinate the investigation of the processes that have caused rapid global changes and associated black shale formation (oceanic anoxic events, OAE) under Cretaceous greenhouse conditions, that are still poorly constrained, especially with regard to the impact of orbital and higher frequent forcing and the link to continental climate dynamics. Improving the understanding of these processes for Cretaceous times is essential to provide information on the function of global biogeochemical cycles, possible feedback mechanisms, source rock genesis, and finally will foster predictions of future climate.

Within Theme B two topics will be offered as Advanced Courses in ECOLMAS: “The hydrological cycle and climate change” and “Proxies for continental climate in marine sediments”