Publications

 

Prof. Dr. Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté       E-mail: damste@nioz.nl   Direct Phone: (+31) (0)222-369550

ROYAL NETHERLANDS INSTITUTE FOR SEA RESEARCH (NIOZ)   Postal address: P.O. Box 59, NL-1790 AB Den Burg (Texel) The Netherlands   Visiting address: Landsdiep 4 NL-1797 SZ ’t Horntje (Texel) The Netherlands Room: C10-12     Phone (reception): (+31) (0)222-369300 Fax: (+31) (0)222-319674

 

Research Interests
The marine fossil record contains a myriad of organic molecules, which derive from marine (algae, (cyano)bacteria, archae) and terrestrial organisms living at the time of deposition. These so-called biomarkers contain information which, if properly decoded, can give insight in past climatic and palaeo-environmental changes. This can help in (i) understanding natural and anthropogenic influences on present-day climates and depositional systems, and (ii) deciphering the conditions which have led to sequestration of organic carbon in the geological record, and thus to the formation of marine petroleum source rocks. Sedimentary organic components are derived from biochemicals of primary producers and organisms processing primary produced carbon.
On a molecular level three different features of biochemicals can be discriminated: (i) the carbon skeleton, (ii) functional group(s), (iii) stable carbon isotopic composition. If these three types of information are fully preserved in sedimentary biomarker counterparts the most accurate palaeodepositional reconstruction can be obtained. However, a wide range of microbial and (physico)chemical processes during settling of the detritus to the sediment and during subsequent burial of the sediment affect biochemicals. Therefore, molecular biogeochemists have to unravel the diagenetic and catagenetic processes which alter the structures of primary biochemicals in order to properly decode the sedimentary record. A very important process in this respect is reaction of reduced inorganic sulfur species with organic molecules during early diagenesis which leads to sequestration of biochemicals in complex sulfur-rich macromolecular aggregates.
The structural identification and quantitation of sedimentary biomarkers, the determination of their 13C content, the unravelling of their origin through understanding of their diagenetic pathway of formation, and the application of concentrations and 13C contents of biomarkers to trace changes in past depositional systems are all topics of prime interest in my research.
The structure, properties and origin of the major form of organic carbon in the geosphere, kerogen, is a second item of major interest. Kerogen is defined as the fraction of organic matter insoluble in common organic solvents and typically represent >90% of the total organic matter in immature sediments. Kerogen is the major precursor of petroleum and its properties determine the timing of petroleum generation during burial of kerogen in the subsurface and the quality of the petroleum formed. However, the origin and chemical structure of kerogen are still a matter of debate and my research aims to solve these questions.
For a recent CV and publication list, see also Researcher ID.
Current Projects
The nitrogen cycle: foraminifera, bacteria and molecular paleontology of the marine deeper redox zone (2004-2008)
People involved: J. Brandsma (Ph.D. student), Prof. Dr. M.S.M. Jetten (KUN), Prof. Dr. J.S. Sinninghe Damsté (promotor).
Rapid global change during the Cenomanian/Turonian oceanic anoxic event in the tropical ocean: Examination of a natural climatic experiment in Earth history (2004-2008)
People involved: E. van Bentum (Ph.D. student), Prof. Dr. J.S. Sinninghe Damsté (promotor), Dr. G.-J. Reichart (UU).
Conditions and forcing mechanisms for the deposition of black shales during Mid-Cretaceous Oceanic anoxic events (OAEs)
People involved: Prof. Dr. C.J. van der Zwan (UU/Shell), Prof. Dr. J.S. Sinninghe Damsté (UU/NIOZ), Prof. P. de Boer (UU), Dr. R. van de Wal (IMAU), Prof. Dr. H. Dijkstra (Colorado State), Dr. P. Meijer (UU), Dr. F. Hilgen (UU), Dr. N. Frewin (Shell).
Impact of benthic processes on biogeochemical organic carbon cycling and organic proxy records in marine sediments People involved: S. Lengger (Ph.D student), Dr. S. Schouten (PI), Prof. Dr. J.S. Sinninghe Damsté (promotor).
Impact of CO2 concentrations and pH on marine microbial membrane lipids People involved. P. Schoon (Ph.D student), Dr. S. Schouten (PI), Prof. Dr. J.S. Sinninghe Damsté (promotor).
Bacterial anaerobic methane oxidation in high temperature environments People involved: Ph.D student, Prof. Dr. J.S. Sinninghe Damsté (promotor), Prof. Dr. A.J.M. Stams, Dr. S. Schouten, Dr. E.C. Hopmans.
Ladderane and other lipids of anammox bacteria as tracers for present-day and past oceanic nitrogen cycling People involved: D. Rush (Ph.D student), Dr. S. Schouten, Dr. E. Hopmans, Prof. Dr. M. Jetten (RUN), Prof. Dr. J.S. Sinninghe Damsté (promotor).
Past Continental Climate Change: Temperatures from marine and lacustrine archives (ERC,  PACEMAKER) People involved: Dr. J-H. Kim (post-doc), J. Blokker, L. Buckles (Ph.D student), C. Zell (Ph.D student), Prof. Dr. J.S. Sinninghe Damsté (PI).
How salty was the sea? A crucial question to predict future climate change People involved: Dr. M.T.J. van der Meer (post-doc), Dr. S. Schouten, Prof. Dr. J.S. Sinninghe Damsté (PI).
The nitrogen cycle and changes in the carrying capacity of coastal waters (NICYCLE; ZKO, 2009-2011) People involved: Dr. N. Bale (post-doc), Prof. Dr. J.S. Sinninghe Damsté (PI).   Testing a new terrestrial palaeothermometer: Tracing the transport of terrestrial soil membrane lipids through a major river system (Yenisei, Russia) to the Arctic Ocean (NWO) People involved: C. de Jonge (Ph.D student),  A. Stadnitskaia, Prof. Dr. J.S. Sinninghe Damsté (promotor).
Biogeochemical cycling of organic matter in coastal marine sediments (DARWIN, 2010-2014) People involved: (Ph.D student),  Prof. Dr. J.S. Sinninghe Damsté (promotor), Prof. dr. ir. Fons Stams (Wageningen University and Research Centre).   Contribution of nitrite-dependent methane oxidation to the past and present nitrogen cycle in coastal and estuarine ecosystems (DARWIN, 2010-2014) People involved: (Ph.D student),  Prof. Dr. J.S. Sinninghe Damsté (promotor), Prof. dr. ir. M.S.M. Jetten (Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen).   Tracing Amazon soil organic carbon input from land to the ocean (SOURCE, EU) People involved: J-H. Kim (post-doc), J.S. Sinninghe Damsté.