Paleo-environmental and paleo-climatic changes

Paleo-environmental and paleo-climatic changes

The ultimate goal in this research theme is driven by the need to assess the causes and consequences of past climatic changes, how they have affected Mediterranean civilizations and whether those are likely to occur in the future. Detailed investigation of organic biomarkers (alkenones, n-alkanes, n-alkanols, sterols, diols/ ketols, isoprenoid compounds, etc) in selected marine sediment records permitted to:

i) quantify in detail proxy-records for marine and terrestrial environmental changes due to natural climate shifts

ii) determine the sequential structure and timing of environmental responses to rapid climate changes with identification of first (e.g. early warming) responses and recovery times and

iii) distinguish between effects of anthropogenic and natural-induced climatic changes. We focus on the Eastern Mediterranean as a “natural laboratory” for high-resolution geochemical studies of environmental response to natural rapid climate shifts

North Aegean climate variability during the last 1500 years based on proxy-reconstructions (Gogou et al. QSR 2016)
Nutrient dynamics – Eutrophication Marine pollution Organic Biogeochemistry Diagenetic and sedimentation processes in marine sediments Dissolved and greenhouse gasses and their role to the biogeochemistry of sea water Climate and human-driven changes and associated impacts on the biogeochemical cycles in the marine ecosystems Study of Extreme Environments Paleo-environmental and paleo-climatic changes Marine litter, macro- and micro-plastics in seawater and sediments Marine biotoxins