| Module Identifier |
EA30710 |
| Module Title |
GEOCHEMICAL RECORDS OF QUATERNARY ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE |
| Academic Year |
2004/2005 |
| Co-ordinator |
Dr Geoff Duller |
| Semester |
Semester 2 |
| Other staff |
Dr Sarah J Davies |
| Pre-Requisite |
GG21110 |
| Course delivery |
Seminars / Tutorials | 2 Hours 1x2 hour (for 'open literature' exam) |
| |
Lecture | 20 Hours 10 x 2 hour |
| Assessment |
| Assessment Type | Assessment Length/Details | Proportion |
|---|
| Semester Exam | 2 Hours in-course examination | 60% |
| Semester Assessment | Combined: In-course presentations of key papers and associated essay. Course work presentations occur throughout the semester, and essays are due in at the same time. A timetable is arranged in the first lecture. | 40% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Resit: 2 hour written examination (60%); In-course assessment marks to be carried forward. | |
|
Learning outcomes
On completion of this module students should be able to :-
-
describe the variety of geochemical records that are available for reconstructing Quaternary environmental change.
-
critically assess the importance of a particular piece of work in this field of research
-
synthesise the results of different geochemical techniques to form a coherent picture of Quaternary environments at various times over the last 130 kyr
Aims
This module describes in detail various records of environmental change through the Quaternary, building upon the knowledge acquired in GG21110. The physical principles of each technique will be covered, along with the records of environmental change that they provide.
Content
Subject areas:
1. Polar and Non-Polar Ice Cores:
Dust records
Oxgen isotopes
Accumulation rates
Trapped gases
2. Deep ocean cores:
Oxygen isotopes (more detail than in GG21110)
Sea surface temperatures
Palaeoproductivity
3. Loess:
Magnetic susceptibility
Accumulation rates
Grain size
4. Terrestrial calcite:
Oxygen and carbon isotopes
Growth intervals
5. Lake records:
Sr/Ca ratios
Biogenic silica production rates
6. Corals:
Oxygen isotope records of temperature and salinity
Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca records of sea surface temperature
Reading Lists
Books
Lowe, J.J. and Walker, M.J.C. (1997) Reconstructing Quaternary Environments
2nd ed.. Longman
Bradley R S (1999) Paleoclimatology
2nd. Academic Press
Ruddiman, W.F. (2000) Earth's Climate: Past and Future
Freeman
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6