Global warming represents a significant threat to Earth's marine ecosystems and human societies. This framework has led to an increase in the number of studies regarding past climate conditions, with the intent of understanding their potential impact on biological resources over time. One of the main tools employed is the use of marine carbonate fossils as proxies for environmental change. This study aimed to provide a multi-proxy approach by combining geochemical analyses of planktonic, benthic foraminifera, and deep-sea corals to help reconstruct past ocean settings. Elemental ratios were measured through ICP-MS and ICP-OES analyses to provide proxies of temperature and nutrient values in the Southern Portuguese Margin over the last millennium. The reconstructed temperatures for corals ranged from 4.4 to 17.9 °C, while the three foraminiferal species (Globigerina bulloides, Globorotalia inflata, and Uvigerina spp.) exhibited temperature ranges of 16.4 – 24.8 °C, 15.0 – 27.9 °C, and 5.2 – 12.2 °C, respectively. Furthermore, Ba/Ca ratios exhibited a range from 6.0 to 12.6 µmol/mol in corals and from 0.3 to 42.8 µmol/mol in foraminifera, thus providing insights into the historical nutrient availability at the southern Portuguese margin. The preliminary data indicates variations in temperature and nutrient availability over the considered time period, which may have consequences for marine organisms.
promotor/supervisor feedback
nothing yet
