Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research

NESSC_Improved reconstruction of pCO2 using the stable carbon isotopic composition of algal biomarkers (WP1)

This is part of Work Package 1 of NESSC (Netherlands Earth System Science Centre)

In this NESSC project we want to develop novel organic geochemical tools to reconstruct past atmospheric CO2 concentrations. The stable carbon isotopic composition of alkenones has been used as a proxy for pCO2 but with large uncertainties.

Our recent cultivation studies show that the 13C of certain algae, including those producing specific long-chain diols, show a strong relationship with pCO2.

Improving methods to reconstruct past pCO2 

In this project we will extend these cultivation studies as well as perform environmental studies to quantitatively test the relationship between CO2 concentrations and the 13C of algal biomarkers. The results of this project should lead to improved methods for reconstructing past CO2 concentrations.

Project information
Linked department:
Funder:
Ministerie van OCW
Duration:
11 Jul 2015 - 5 Mar 2021
Partners
  • Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands
  • Universiteit van Amsterdam (UvA), The Netherlands
  • Utrecht University, The Netherlands
  • VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  • Wageningen University & Research Centre (WUR), The Netherlands

Meet the team

 
Schouten, Stefan
Senior Research Leader

Linked projects

Reconstructing sea surface temperatures in deep time
Supervisor
Stefan Schouten
Funder
Ministerie van OCW
Project duration
1 Jan 2019 - 31 Dec 2023
NESSC_High-resolution organic geochemical proxy records of critical time intervals III (WP2)
Supervisor
Stefan Schouten
Funder
Ministerie van OCW
Project duration
6 Dec 2015 - 10 Jul 2025
NESSC_A salinity proxy based on specific algal biomarkers δD values (WP1)
Supervisor
Stefan Schouten
Funder
Ministerie van OCW
Project duration
6 Nov 2015 - 28 Feb 2021
NESSC-WP2_High-resolution organic geochemical proxy records of critical time intervals I
Supervisor
Stefan Schouten
Funder
Ministerie van OCW
Project duration
11 Jul 2015 - 5 Mar 2022
NESSC_Towards reconstructing past atmospheric methane concentrations using organic biomarkers (WP1)
Supervisor
Stefan Schouten
Funder
Ministerie van OCW
Project duration
10 Jul 2015 - 5 Nov 2025
NESSC_Improving past climate records (WP2)
Supervisor
Gert-Jan Reichart
Funder
Ministerie van OCW
Project duration
1 Jan 2014 - 31 Dec 2023
NESSC_Foraminiferal salinity proxy (WP1)
Supervisor
Gert-Jan Reichart
Funder
Ministerie van OCW
Project duration
1 Jan 2014 - 31 Aug 2018
NESSC_New generation of foraminiferal proxies (WP1)
Supervisor
Gert-Jan Reichart
Funder
NA
Project duration
1 Jan 2014 - 31 Dec 2023
NESSC_High Resolution Organic Geochemical Records (WP2)
Supervisor
Stefan Schouten
Funder
Ministerie van OCW
Project duration
31 Dec 2013 - 11 Jul 2025
NESSC_Developing biomarker proxies for aerobic and anaerobic methane oxidation (WP1)
Supervisor
Stefan Schouten
Funder
Ministerie van OCW
Project duration
31 Dec 2013 - 11 Jul 2025

Linked publications

  • 2017
    Frieling, J.; Gebhardt, H.; Huber, M.; Adekeye, O.A.; Akande, S.O.; Reichart, G.-J.; Middelburg, J.J.; Schouten, S.; Sluijs, A. (2017). Extreme warmth and heat-stressed plankton in the tropics during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum. Science Advances 3(3): e1600891. https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1600891
    Loomis, S.E.; Russell, J.M.; Verschuren, D.; Morrill, C.; De Cort, G.; Sinninghe Damsté, J.S.; Olago, D.; Eggermont, H.; Street-Perrott, F.A.; Kelly, M.A. (2017). The tropical lapse rate steepened during the Last Glacial Maximum. Science Advances 3(1): e1600815. https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1600815
    O'Brien, C.L.; Robinson, S.A.; Pancost, R.D.; Sinninghe Damsté, J.S.; Schouten, S.; Lunt, D.J.; Alsenz, H.; Bornemann, A.; Bottini, C.; Brassell, S.C.; Farnsworth, A.; Forster, A.; Huber, B.T.; Inglis, G.N.; Jenkyns, H.C.; Linnert, C.; Littler, K.; Markwick, P.; McAnena, A.; Mutterlose, J.; Naafs, B.D.A.; Püttmann, W.; Sluijs, A.; van Helmond, N.A.G.M.; Vellekoop, J.; Wagner, T.; Wrobel, N.E. (2017). Cretaceous sea-surface temperature evolution: Constraints from TEX86 and planktonic foraminiferal oxygen isotopes. Earth-Sci. Rev. 172: 224-247. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2017.07.012
    Rush, D.; Sinninghe Damsté, J.S. (2017). Lipids as paleomarkers to constrain the marine nitrogen cycle. Environ. Microbiol. 19(6): 2119–2132,. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.13682
  • 2016
    Johnson, T.C.; Werne, J.P.; Brown, E.T.; Abbott, A.; Berke, M.; Steinman, B.E.; Halbur, J.; Contreras, S.; Grosshuesch, S.; Deino, A.; Lyons, R.P.; Scholz, C.A.; Schouten, S.; Sinninghe Damsté, J.S. (2016). A progressively wetter climate in southern East Africa over the past 1.3 million years. Nature (Lond.) 537(7619): 220-224. dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature19065