Biomineralisation, proxy incorporation and animal skeletons as palaeoclimate indicators
- Photo: Miguel Saavedra
PD Dr. Dorrit Jacob (FB 09 Geosciences)
Prof. Bernd Schöne (FB 09 Geosciences)
Prof. Denis Scholz (FB 09 Geosciences)
Prof. Meinrat O. Andreae (MPIC)
Prof. Heinz. C. Schröder (Medicine)
Many recognized and potential palaeoclimate archives are to be found in skeletal materials deposited by animals such as corals and mussels. This deposition of biominerals is a complex and, as yet, poorly understood process by which biological processes operate between the source solution of the skeletal material (usually carbonate, silica or phosphate, often in amorphous states) and the formation of the skeleton. The incorporation of elements such as Mg, Sr, Mn, Ba and C-isotopes that are commonly used as proxies for temperature and other environmental parameters is similarly poorly understood. Studies of biominerals integrating geosciences, biology, biochemistry and microchemistry will involve an extensive palette of interdisciplinary analytical techniques (e.g. ICP-MS, EMPA, TEM, Nano-SIMS, Raman and IR-Spectroscopy).
The group studying biominerals and their calibration as palaeoclimate archives will interact with an expanding group at the university interested in palaeoclimate research applications.