Evolving carbon sinks in the young South Atlantic: Drivers of global climate in the early Cretaceous greenhouse?

• Applicants: Dr. Sascha Flögel; Professor Dr. Jens O. Herrle; Dr. Peter Hofmann
• Subject Area: Palaeontology
• Term: from 2014 to 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 261060006

This project tests the potential of young ocean basins as driving factors for global climate perturbations and biotic evolution in the past. The proposed work is phase 2 of an ongoing project which aims to test and quantify organic carbon burial in young oceanic basins and its impact on global climate perturbations using the early Cretaceous South Atlantic opening as a case study. To achieve our goal, we use a combined approach of proxy-based paleoceanic reconstructions in conjunction with climate and bio-geochemical modeling.

• DFG Programme: Infrastructure Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 527: Bereich Infrastruktur - "International Ocean Discovery Program" (IODP)
• Cooperation Partner: Professor Dr. Martin Frank
• Co-Investigator: Professorin Dr. Janet Rethemeyer