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Paleo-climate studies
under construction
| Hydrogen isotope signals of the 20th century Sahel drought |
We analyse plant-wax D/H compositions in an ultra high-resolution sediment core off the Senegal River to detect hydrogen isotope changes associated with rainfall variations during the late 20th century Sahel drought.
People involved:
- Britta Beckmann, Enno Schefuss (MARUM)
- Martin Werner, Barbara Haese (AWI)
| Molecular isotopic signals of the African Humid Period |
Analysing Holocene sediment cores off NW Africa and in the Gulf of Guinea, we investigate how the onset and end of the African Humid Period is reflected in hydrogen isotope changes of plant lipids in marine sediments.
People involved:
- Britta Beckmann, Enno Schefuss (MARUM)
- Martin Werner, Barbara Haese (AWI)
| Hydrologic variability at the Sahara/Sahel boundary during the last glacial cycle |
Using sediments from ODP site 659, we investigate how hydrologic chnages at the Saharan/Sahelian boundary in NW Africa are reflected in offshore sediments predominantly influenced by high-level dust transport.
People involved:
- Rony Kuechler, Lydie Dupont, Enno Schefuss (MARUM)
| Time-slice analyses of vegetation and hydrology in West Africa |
Using samples from a transect of sediment cores along the West african margin, we investigate how continental vegetation and hydrology changed during distinct climate conditions in the past by analysing compound-specific isotope compositions of plant lipids.
People involved:
- James Collins, Stefan Mulitza, Andre Paul, Matthias Zabel, Enno Schefuss (MARUM)
- Martin Werner (AWI Bremerhaven)
| Hydrologic evolution of East Africa over the last 20,000 years |
We investigate sediment cores taken along the East African margin to investigate how continental hydrologic changes are related to changes in the Intertropical Convergence Zone, Indian Ocean temperatures, high latitude climate changes and ocean circulation.
People involved:
- Enno Schefuss, Holger Kuhlmann, Gesine Mollenhauer, Juergen Paetzold (MARUM)
| Northwest African hydrology in the Pliocene |
We investigate Pliocene sediment sequences of ODP site 659 to study how tectonic changes (closure of the Isthmus of Panama), changes in the strength of the meridional overturning circulation and higher atmospheric CO2 levels affected NW African hydrology during the Pliocene 'Golden age', a potential future analogue.
People involved:
- Rony Kuechler, Francesca Valle, Lydie Dupont, Enno Schefuss (MARUM)
| Southwest African climate during C4 plant expansion |
By analysing Miocene-Pliocene sediments from ODP site 1085 offshore southwest Africa by organic-geochemical and isotopic methods as well as by marine palynology, we investigate how C4 plant expansion in southwest Africa was related to climatic changes.
People involved:
- Florian Rommerskirchen, Lydie Dupont, Gesine Mollenhauer, Torsten Bickert, Enno Schefuss (MARUM)
| Natural-anthropogenic interactions in the south-east Asian monsoon system |
By investigating high-resolution Holocene marine sediments offshore the Pearl River in southern China, we study how human influences affected the southeast Asian monsoon system.
People involved:
- Astrid Contreras Rosales (MARUM, ZMT)
- Tim Jennerjahn (ZMT)
- Andreas Lueckge (BGR)
- Enno Schefuss (MARUM)
| Thermal and hydrologic evolution of southern Patagonia during the last 55,000 years |
Sediments from the PASADO drill core in Laguna Potrok Aike are investigated by molecular isotopic methods to unravel the thermal and hydrologic history of southern Patagonia over the last 55,000 years.
People involved:
- Katja Hockun, Gesine Mollenhauer, Enno Schefuss (MARUM)
- Christoph Mayr (Uni Erlangen)
- Andreas Luecke (FZ Juelich)
- Bernd Zolitschka (Uni Bremen)
| Continental retention times of terrigenous organic matter as a function of climate |
By using compound-specific radiocarbon analyses, we investigate how changing climate conditions (aridity, temperature) are reflected in the ages of terrigenous lipids discharged into the Ocean.
People involved:
- Enno Schefuss (MARUM)
- Ralph Schneider (University of Kiel)
- Piet Grootes (Leibniz-Laboratory Kiel)
- Juergen Rullkoetter (ICBM Oldenburg)
- Tim Eglinton (ETH Zurich)
