Project Details
Vegetation- and climate history during the Neogene, Mc Murdo Sound area (Antarctica)
Applicant
Privatdozentin Dr. Barbara Mohr
Subject Area
Atmospheric Science, Oceanography and Climate Research
Term
from 2007 to 2010
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 44664970
Neogene sediments planned to be recovered by ANDRILL from the McMurdo Sound area (Antarctica) will be studied palynologically. The vegetation, most likely Nothofagus-Podocarp forests to tundra-like shrublands, changes dramatically during this time period because of several severe global cooling events. Southern high latitude environments react very sensitively to climate change; thus studies on palaeovegetation will result in a set of useful proxydata for reconstructing the Antarctic glacial history. Palaeoclimate studies over longer time scales are needed to understand the general mechanisms that are responsible for environmental variations. These mechanisms are also relevant to relatively short time periods, as seen today in what we circumscribe with the term „global change“.
DFG Programme
Infrastructure Priority Programmes