SGER: Use of Novel Biogeochemical Techniques on Core Sediments from the Tibetan Plateau

University Of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth MN

Investigators

Abstract

This SGER will support preliminary analyses of sediment cores (covering approximately the last 18,000 years) recovered from a remote, high-elevation Tibetan lake - Peiku Co. The PI will use novel biogeochemical techniques (TEX86 and MBT/CBT), as well as emerging high-resolution (<= 2mm) sedimentological analyses (utilizing a XRF core scanner) to complement climatic interpretations based on standard stable isotope techniques. This will facilitate future work on sedimentary archives taken from lakes in a part of the world where long, high-resolution lacustrine records are extremely difficult to obtain. The specific objectives of the present proposal are: a) To apply three novel biogeochemical proxies to sedimentary material from Peiku Co in order to provide quantitative estimates of past temperature changes on the Tibetan Plateau; b) To measure the elemental composition of core sediment, in order to provide information about the sedimentology of cores from the lake; and c) To establish a preliminary chronology for the sediment cores, using short-lived radioisotopes and AMS radiocarbon dating.