PHYCASO - Phytoplankton evolution and carbonate dynamics during past regimes in the Southern Ocean (IODP Expedition 392)
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Oxford
Department Name: Earth Sciences
Abstract
Given the threat of a sixth mass extinction event as a result of human-based climate breakdown and habitat disruption, implications about the long-term outlook of marine species and ecosystems are now of paramount importance. Coccolithophores (also known as calcareous nannoplankton) are an abundant group of eukaryotic unicellular phytoplankton that are widespread in the sunlit upper oceans and represent the base of the food chain in marine ecosystems. These miniscule organisms precipitate a multitude of elaborately shaped scales of calcium carbonate (coccoliths- composed of bonded calcium and carbon) to form a protective armour known as a coccosphere. When these microscopic plankton die, their skeletons begin to fall to the ocean floor forming carbon-rich sediments and populating the fossil record. Studying the preserved communities of fossil coccolithophores, we can understand the evolution and diversity of marine life through time and reconstruct past environmental conditions that played out to predict how modern communities will respond to ongoing and future climatic changes. International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 392 will drill deep-sea sediments in the Agulhas Plateau, Southern Ocean that span Cretaceous to early Quaternary time, a key interval in Earth's history that represents a long-term transition from warm and high CO2 states into much cooler 'icehouse' worlds with large Antarctic ice sheets. These are related to perturbations similar to the present-day global warming, but the precise impact on the oceanic primary production and carbonate development still remains elusive. In this research, we aim to produce records of diversity, evolutionary morphological change, and accumulation rate and compare these with pCO2 proxies of geologically abundant coccolith species to determine the relationship between coccolithophore (plankton) evolution and pelagic primary carbonate production with the palaeoclimate in the Southern Ocean. An understanding of this relationship is key to predicting the impact of climate change on the functionality of the present-day oceanic ecosystems.
People |
ORCID iD |
Rosalind Emily Mayors Rickaby (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Bohaty S
(2023)
Agulhas Plateau Cretaceous Climate
Bohaty S
(2023)
Agulhas Plateau Cretaceous Climate
Bohaty S
(2023)
Agulhas Plateau Cretaceous Climate
Bohaty S
(2023)
Agulhas Plateau Cretaceous Climate
Uenzelmann-Neben G
(2023)
Agulhas Plateau Cretaceous Climate
Uenzelmann-Neben G
(2022)
Expedition 392 Preliminary Report: Agulhas Plateau Cretaceous Climate
Uenzelmann-Neben G
(2023)
Agulhas Plateau Cretaceous Climate
Uenzelmann-Neben G
(2023)
Agulhas Plateau Cretaceous Climate
Description | Light microscopical evaluation of microfossils |
Organisation | University College London |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Processing of sediment samples via smear-slide techniques, identification and categorisation of microfossils based on light microscopy, biostratigraphic assessments in collaboration with Prof. Paul Bown and Dr. Jeremy R. Young (Department of Earth Sciences, University College London). |
Collaborator Contribution | Access to facilities, cutting edge equipment (e.g., light microscope with polarising light, phase contrast) and guidance for the identification and assessment of microfossils. |
Impact | Knowledge acquisition on taxonomy and biostratigraphy of microfossils and identification via light microscopy. |
Start Year | 2023 |
Description | Participation in IODP Expedition 392 |
Organisation | Integrated Ocean Drilling Program |
Country | Global |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Participation of Odysseas A. Archontikis as a UK scientist and one of the limited micropalaeontologists (nannofossil expert) in the shipboard party of the international scientific ocean drilling expedition 392 in the Agulhas Plateau, Southern Ocean that took place in February-April 2022 onboard the research vessel JOIDES Resolution; a drilling vessel operated on behalf of the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the USA (and international partners) by Texas A and M University (TAMU). |
Collaborator Contribution | Organisation of the expedition, provision of lab consumables for research conducted on the vessel. |
Impact | Preliminary report on International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 392 (https://doi.org/10.14379/iodp.pr.392.2022) based on multi-disciplinary research conducted on the vessel. Contribution of participants of this award was made for aspects of micropalaeontology, biostratigraphy, microscopy and chronostratigraphy presented in the preliminary report. Micropalaeontological data presented as conference contributions: "Cretaceous-Paleogene calcareous nannofossils from International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 392 to the Agulhas Plateau, Southwest Indian Ocean" "Well-preserved calcareous nannofossils across the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Site U1580, central Agulhas Plateau, southwestern Indian Ocean". |
Start Year | 2022 |
Description | Scanning Electron Microscopy |
Organisation | Natural History Museum |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Analysis of samples collected during IODP Expedition 392, generation of image data on microfossil assemblages. |
Collaborator Contribution | Access to facilities with cutting edge equipment for scanning electron microscopy (SEM); usage of an Ultra Zeiss Plus field emission SEM for automatic image acquisition. |
Impact | Technical skills regarding usage of scanning electron microscopes, processing techniques of samples for imaging, generation of image data for subsequent biometric analyses of microfossils. |
Start Year | 2023 |
Description | Expedition 392: Agulhas Plateau Climate |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Report on experience of ocean scientific drilling, life style on a research vessel operating 24/7 and activities undertaken during drilling and analyses on the ship. Initial data were also reported for interested science audience. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://issuu.com/uk-iodp/docs/news_2022_2_february |
Description | Expedition 392: Agulhas Plateau Cretaceous Climate (2nd update) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | An update on research conducted on the ship, fruitful discussion on data emerged and establishment of collaborations on the ship for future plans. A report of additional data on freshly collected sediments from various targeted locations of the expedition to achieve its principal goals. The newsletter was communicated with institutions, individuals and schools. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://issuu.com/uk-iodp/docs/news_2022_3_march |
Description | IODP Expedition 392 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Report of plans and research principles of the IODP Expedition 392 at 'The Micropalaeontological Society' Newsletter, with a strong focus on time intervals, types of sediment and palaeontological research to be conducted on board the JOIDES Resolution Research vessel. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.tmsoc.org/publications/ |
Description | IODP Expedition 392, Agulhas Plateau Cretaceous Climate |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Announcement of initial plans of IODP Expedition 392 and the UK-based scientists. Introduction to the scientific interests of the expedition and the research main areas of focus of the participating UK scientists. Requests from various institutions and individuals were made to the participants for further enquiries of research after the newsletter. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://issuu.com/uk-iodp/docs/news_2021_12_december_preview |
Description | Initial results of IODP Expedition 392: Agulhas Plateau Cretaceous Climate |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Invited talk at the UK-IODP Workshop 2022 that took place on 2-3 November 2022 at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton & Online to discuss progress and initial results from International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 392. Talk was implemented in collaboration with Prof. Tom Wagner (University of Edinburgh). Questions with regards to the current analysis and future plans were asked and observations on current data and how ocean drilling operates were communicated with the audience. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.ukiodp.org/ukiodp-workshop-2022 |
Description | UK IODP 2022 Workshop on Ocean Scientific Drilling |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | An Introduction to Scientific Ocean Drilling. The worship primarily addressed fundamental questions about Earth's climate, deep life, geodynamics and geohazards. This UK-IODP workshop took place on the 2nd and 3rd of November 2022, to introduce participants to Scientific Ocean Drilling, how it works and how it can benefit their research. The workshop will include presentations from experienced scientists and experts from IODP and ECORD, as well as practical activities. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.ukiodp.org/ukiodp-workshop-2022 |