Tracing marine hypoxic conditions during warm periods using a microanalytical approach

In my PhD project, I will investigate the onset, rate, and magnitude of climate events foremost in terms of hypoxic periods, but also for temperature, salinity and carbonate chemistry. I will use trace element analyses (Mg/Ca, Mn/Ca, Ba/Ca) on benthic foraminifera from Eemian (130-115 ka BP) and Holocene (11.5 ka BP to present) in the southern Baltic Sea region, together with additional available proxy data sets, to generate quantitative proxy records of past bottom water conditions. Reconstructing past oxygenation conditions is difficult because few quantitative proxies exist for oxygen levels, and there are currently many efforts to improve and develop better proxies for past oxygenation of bottom waters. Recently, we have focused on Mn/Ca in benthic foraminifera as a potential proxy variable for low oxygen conditions. In this project we plan to use a combination of inductively coupled plasma (ICP) – and synchrotron-based methods to analyze Mn concentration, distribution, and speciation and other trace elements in foraminiferal shells.