Understanding how climate signals are recorded by proxies

Paleoclimate proxies record past climate changes in an indirect manner. Most of the proxies we use are based on chemical measurements of components preserved in marine sediments. However, these signals can be influenced by multiple factors—from the transformation of proxy carriers in the water column and during their descent to the seafloor, to the processes occurring during burial and laboratory analysis.

 

To better understand and quantify these uncertainties, our lab studies a range of sample types, including suspended and sinking particles collected from the ocean (even marine snow!) as well as deep-sea sediments. We also evaluate how different analytical procedures and sample treatments may affect the proxy data obtained. Through this integrated approach, we aim to improve the reliability of marine geochemical proxies as archives of Earth’s past climate.