Phd Studentship: New North Atlantic Palaeo-Temperature Reconstruction from Terrestrial Sedimentary

The Icelandic Plume is the most vigorous mantle convection cell within Earth's mantle at present. The Greenland-Scotland Ridge (GSR) is the hotspot track of the Icelandic Plume and forms one of the most important gateways in the global circulation system. Relatively small (c. 100 m) changes in GSR elevation have a strong influence on oceanic circulation. Pulsing behaviour of the Icelandic Plume has driven 100 m-scale changes in GSR elevation on a million-year timeframe throughout Cenozoic time, resulting in variations in oceanic circulation. North Atlantic palaeo-temperature records are required to ask how these circulation changes influence climate. Surprisingly, there is relatively little high quality Cenozoic palaeo-temperature information in the vicinity of the GSR itself.
The few available North Atlantic palaeo-temperature reconstructions are predominantly based on marine sedimentary archives, for which temperature proxies are well established. Recent advances in organic geochemistry have developed the use of branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) in organic-rich terrestrial sediments as a proxy for air temperature. Such new tools open up the possibility of significantly increasing the number of North Atlantic Cenozoic palaeo-temperature records by analyzing lignite-bearing sedimentary packages.
The centrepiece of this project is to obtain new palaeo-temperature records from Miocene-Recent lignites exposed onshore Iceland. The new Icelandic palaeo-temperature record will be extended back to the Oligocene using lignites from Northern Ireland, close to the south-eastern end of the GSR. There are several other opportunities to work on Cenozoic lignites from Norway and Greenland.
The second principal project aim is to build a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between mantle convection, ocean circulation and climate in the North Atlantic. Elevation changes at the GSR will be modelled based on our existing Cenozoic mantle temperature records. The resulting predictions of ocean circulation changes will be compared with the new North Atlantic palaeo-temperature record. This analysis will work alongside and benefit from IODP drilling in the North Atlantic south of Iceland planned for 2021. Building a more complete understanding of climate change through the Cenozoic has the potential to help better predict how anthropogenic climate change might affect world in the coming century.
Dr Thomas Denk (Naturhistoriska Riskmuseet, Stockholme) edited summary volume on Icelandic plant-derived sedimentary record. He will provide access to samples in Stockholm, advise on fieldwork in Iceland, and contribute to data interpretation.
Dr Rob Raine (Geological Survey of Northern Ireland) will provide access to core through Oligocene lignites in Northern Ireland and core analysis facilities.
Dr Steve Jones (PI) is on the lead science writing group of IODP-892 "Mantle Dynamics, Paleoceanography and Climate Evolution in the North Atlantic Ocean"; project results will be written up in collaboration with this team, based primarily at Cambridge, Southampton and Scripps (USA).
Contact Dr Stephen Jones (s.jones.4@bham.ac.uk) for project-specific information. See CENTA web page for information on how to apply and general information (https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/centaphd).

References

Denk, T., Grimsson, F., Zetter, R. and Símonarson, L.A., 2011. Late Cainozoic floras of Iceland: 15 million years of vegetation and climate history in the northern North Atlantic (Vol. 35). Springer Science & Business Media.
IODP (2017) IODP-892: Mantle Dynamic, Paleoceanography and Climate Evolution in the North Atlantic. Available at: https://docs.iodp.org/Proposal_Cover_Sheets/892-Full2_Parnell-Turner_cover1.pdf.
Parnell‐Turner, R., White, N.J., McCave, I.N., Henstock, T.J., Murton, B. and Jones, S.M., 2015. Architecture of North Atlantic contourite drifts modified by transient circulation of the Icelandic mantle plume. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 16(10), pp.3414-3435.
Schouten, S., Hopmans, E.C. and Damsté, J.S.S., 2013. The organic geochemistry of glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether lipids: a review. Organic geochemistry, 54, pp.19-61.