Compound-specific radiocarbon dating - approaching the problems of dating Antarctic sediments

• Applicant: Dr. Sonja Berg
• Subject Area: Palaeontology
• Term: from 2014 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 257051270

With the proposed project we want to continue the research on compound specific radiocarbon analysis (CSRA) on Antarctic sediments, a method which is currently established and expanded at the University of Cologne. Our objectives are to extend the application of CSRA from dating diatom sterols to other biomarkers (e.g., specific fatty acids, alcohols, hopanes, pigments) characteristic for different groups of organisms like algae other than diatoms (e.g., Phaeophyceae), phyto/zooplankton, terrestrial plants and bacteria and to apply our concept of CRSA on other archives and regions of Antarctica. In the proposed project two case studies will be accomplished: the first one will focus on the quantification of reservoir effects in a coastal marine record from South Georgia, the second one will deal with the validation of MIS 3 age of a marine record from East Antarctica. Our aim is to improve radiocarbon-based sediment chronologies and to establish CSRA as a broadly applicable method to obtain high-quality age models.

• DFG Programme: Infrastructure Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 1158: Infrastructure area - Antarctic Research with Comparative Investigations in Arctic Sea Ice Areas