Reconstructing Earth’s climate using cave stalagmites

Synopsis

Understanding how climate and environmental conditions have changed in the past provides important context for predicting how Earth’s climate may respond in the future.

Cave stalagmites are an important archive of past climate and environmental conditions. They form slowly, layer by layer, often growing for thousands of years. Different chemical markers are recorded in each layer, that reflect climate and environmental conditions, such as rainfall, temperature or vegetation activity. They can also be dated very precisely with a radiometric technique called uranium-thorium dating.

Various Honours projects are available using cave stalagmites to reconstruct climate changes over the last few hundred thousand years. Projects range from studying abrupt climate changes during glacial periods, glacial terminations and climate during interglacial periods.

Aims

Analyse the geochemical properties of cave stalagmites to produce high resolution and precisely dated records of past climate and environmental change. Improve our understanding of how the climate system works, and develop data to evaluate palaeoclimate models.

Student benefits

Direct scholarships are available.

Projects provide the opportunity to develop skills in the laboratory, geochemical analysis and data analysis. Opportunities to visit caves may also be available.

Supervisor: Ellen Corrick