Cel Atmospheric CO2 concentrations have risen rapidly since pre-industrial times and our current climate is not yet in equilibrium with this; it will change. To obtain insight in the type and magnitude of this change and to validate climate models used to project these changes, we need to look back at past climates. The most recent time in Earth history with CO2 levels that were similar to today is the Pliocene. The Pliocene thus provides a unique window into a world that exhibited many of the climate characteristics that we might experience. These are documented by proxies locked into sedimentary archives, especially marine sediments. It remains a challenge for palaeoclimatologists, however, to quantify past terrestrial temperatures. I have recently developed a novel proxy for quantitative annual mean air temperature reconstruction, which is based on the distribution of membrane lipids synthesised by soil bacteria. Upon soil erosion these molecules are transported to the marine realm where they become part of the marine sedimentary archive.The PlioProx project aims at a quantitative reconstruction of continental temperatures and latitudinal temperature gradients for the Pliocene. This will be achieved by applying this new palaeothermometer to high resolution marine sediment records near river outflows to generate river-basin integrated records of continental air temperature. This approach also allows for a direct comparison to reconstructed sea surface temperatures. Using globally distributed sediment records, latitudinal temperature gradients will be constructed which will be compared to moisture transport and rainout, reconstructed using stable hydrogen isotopes from plant wax lipids. Results will provide vital new insights in climate evolution on land under elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations. It will also contribute to improving the next generation earth system models that are used to predict future climate. Dziedzina nauki natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologybacteriologyhumanitieshistory and archaeologyhistorynatural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculeslipidsnatural sciencescomputer and information sciencessoftwaresoftware applicationssimulation software Program(-y) FP7-IDEAS-ERC - Specific programme: "Ideas" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Temat(-y) ERC-SG-PE10 - ERC Starting Grant - Earth system science Zaproszenie do składania wniosków ERC-2012-StG_20111012 Zobacz inne projekty w ramach tego zaproszenia System finansowania ERC-SG - ERC Starting Grant Instytucja przyjmująca UNIVERSITEIT UTRECHT Wkład UE € 1 500 000,00 Adres HEIDELBERGLAAN 8 3584 CS Utrecht Niderlandy Zobacz na mapie Region West-Nederland Utrecht Utrecht Rodzaj działalności Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Kierownik naukowy Johannes Weijers (Dr.) Kontakt administracyjny Bas Leeflang (Dr.) Linki Kontakt z organizacją Opens in new window Strona internetowa Opens in new window Koszt całkowity Brak danych Beneficjenci (1) Sortuj alfabetycznie Sortuj według wkładu UE Rozwiń wszystko Zwiń wszystko UNIVERSITEIT UTRECHT Niderlandy Wkład UE € 1 500 000,00 Adres HEIDELBERGLAAN 8 3584 CS Utrecht Zobacz na mapie Region West-Nederland Utrecht Utrecht Rodzaj działalności Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Kierownik naukowy Johannes Weijers (Dr.) Kontakt administracyjny Bas Leeflang (Dr.) Linki Kontakt z organizacją Opens in new window Strona internetowa Opens in new window Koszt całkowity Brak danych