Objective
CO2 exerts a major control on Earth’s environment, including ocean acidity and global climate. Human carbon emissions have elevated CO2 levels to above 400 ppm, substantially higher than at any time in the 800,000 year ice core record. If we want to understand how Earth’s environment and climate will respond to a high CO2 world, we need to look deeper into the geological past. This project provides a novel way to reconstruct ocean pH and atmospheric CO2 levels over the last 100 Myr. This will allow us to fathom the fundamental mechanisms governing Earth’s environmental evolution, and improve predictions of environmental response to CO2 change in the future.
Atmospheric CO2 and ocean pH are closely coupled, because CO2 is acidic and is readily exchanged between the ocean and atmosphere. If ocean pH is known, we can place strong constraints on atmospheric CO2. Thanks to recent developments in geochemistry, it is possible to reconstruct changes in ocean pH using the boron isotope composition (d11B) of fossil shells. The well-studied systematics of this method and its underlying thermodynamic framework provide confidence in its application to the geological record. However calculation of pH from carbonate d11B requires knowledge of the boron isotope composition of past seawater d11Bsw. Here I propose novel strategies and techniques with new or underutilized archives (evaporites, shallow carbonates, and infaunal foraminifera) to constrain this crucial parameter.
With d11BSW constrained, new d11B records from benthic foraminifera will provide a 100 Myr record of ocean pH. This benchmark reconstruction will be used to test key hypotheses on major environmental change in the geological record, and to constrain atmospheric CO2 using a state-of-the-art biogeochemical model. These paired data and modelling outcomes will provide a major step forward in our understanding of the fundamental processes regulating Earth’s climate and long-term habitability.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences geochemistry
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry inorganic compounds
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry metalloids
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
ERC-STG - Starting Grant
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2018-STG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
KY16 9AJ ST ANDREWS
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.