Applicant

Dr. Sonja Berg
Universität zu Köln
Department für Geowissenschaften
Institut für Geologie und Mineralogie

Project Description

With the proposed project we want to continue the research on compound specific radiocarbon analysis (CSRA) on Antarctic sediments, a method which is currently established and expanded at the University of Cologne. Our objectives are to extend the application of CSRA from dating diatom sterols to other biomarkers (e.g., specific fatty acids, alcohols, hopanes, pigments) characteristic for different groups of organisms like algae other than diatoms (e.g., Phaeophyceae), phyto/zooplankton, terrestrial plants and bacteria and to apply our concept of CRSA on other archives and regions of Antarctica. In the proposed project two case studies will be accomplished: the first one will focus on the quantification of reservoir effects in a coastal marine record from South Georgia, the second one will deal with the validation of MIS 3 age of a marine record from East Antarctica. Our aim is to improve radiocarbon-based sediment chronologies and to establish CSRA as a broadly applicable method to obtain high-quality age models.

DFG Programme: Infrastructure Priority Programmes

Term from 2014 to 2018