Poppy Harding
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PhD Title
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Ecosystem resilience to abrupt climatic and environmental change in Southern Siberia during the Late Quaternary |
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Research Theme
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Past Life and Environments |
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Primary Supervisor
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Primary Institution
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Secondary Supervisor
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Secondary Institution
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Abstract
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This project will evaluate evidence for ecosystem response to abrupt climatic forcings in Siberia, at Lake Baunt. This relates to ongoing work in the region at key sites including Lake Baikal, where interpretations are hampered by catchment size and variable preservation of some proxies. The study period is characterised by abrupt climatic change that is well documented in the North Atlantic Region, but the scale of climatic impact in Siberia is uncertain. Siberia has the highest level of continentality in the world, providing a key region to understand climatic change away from oceanic influences. Siberia has undergone a 2°C rise in temperatures since 1970, and is thus particularly sensitive to abrupt climate change. The primary methods in this PhD are diatoms and calcium carbonates, supplemented by isotopic and tephrochronological analysis. Additional data will be provided by the Russian Academy of Sciences. The primary data from this PhD will be integrated with these results to allow consideration of ecological responses to both intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of change. This study will also be compared to other key Siberian and global sites, including Lakes Baikal and Kotokel, and the Greenland ice cores to examine the regional scale impacts of abrupt climatic changes. |
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Policy Impact
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Background Reading
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Publications
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None |
