South Atlantic project:

Late Quaternary environmental change and ecological response inferred from marine sediment cores on a north-south transect off south-eastern South America

Southeastern South America harbor highly diverse and species-rich ecosystems, such as the Atlantic rainforests, Araucaria forests and grasslands, which occur in a tropical/subtropical transition zone. This climatic sensitive region is influenced by different climatic factors such as the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), the South American Monsoon System (SAMS), polar cold fronts and the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The Brazil Current (BC) from the north, as well as the Malvinas Current (MC) and Brazil Coastal Current (BCC) from the south influence the adjacent South Atlantic Ocean. To reconstruct vegetation, climate and ocean dynamics over long time periods, three marine sediment cores located on a 1400 km long latitudinal transect from ca. 27 to 38 °S off southeastern South America have been studied by pollen, spore, dinocyst and freshwater algae analyses. The study of the three marine sediment cores contributes to a better understanding of vegetation dynamics, climate change, in southeastern South America and the changes of surface environment in southwestern South Atlantic since the late Quaternary.

PhD supervisor: Prof. Dr. Hermann Behling, Prof. Dr. Markus Hauck and Prof. Dr. Erwin Bergmeier
Keywords: South America, South Atlantic, palynology, palaeoceanography
Project duration: 10.2014 – 02.2018
Funding: CSC (10. 2014/09.2017) and Uni-scholarship (09.2017 to 02.2018)