Radiolarian and sedimentological studies on Neogene sediments of the Benguela Upwelling System
Final Report Abstract
Our study looked at sediments from an important low latitude upwelling region - the Benguela Upwelling System off Africa. In these sediments numerous previous studies have determined a reliable history of paleoproductivity to use for comparison. Dozens of samples were taken from sediments of different ages, covering time intervals of the last several million years, and at much higher resolution, the last several ice-age cycles. From these samples we extracted radiolarian and benthic foraminifera microfossils, measured sediment geochemistry (carbonate and organic carbon), and measured the oxygen isotope composition of foraminifera shells. These data allowed us to accurately determine the geologic age of our samples and to directly compare radiolarian faunal changes with changes in other sediment characteristics. We were able to demonstrate that radiolarian faunas do indeed change in past ocean sediments in concert with other indicators of paleoproductivity, and that radiolarian faunal changes are thus a promising new way to reconstruct how the ocean has cycled carbon over time.
Publications
- 2003. Paleoproductivity reconstructions using radiolarians. Special Session PP06 - Paleoproductivity, Proxies, aiid Preservation: Records of Neogene Evolution of the Oceans. Eos. Trans. AGU, Fall Meet. Suppl.
Lazarus, D.
- 2004. Radiolarian and sedimentologic paleoproductivity proxy record from the Benguela upwelling system. DSDP Site 532, 0-6 Ma. Eos Trans. AGU, Fall Meet. Suppl.
Bittniok, B. and Lazarus, D.
- 2005. A brief review of radiolarian research. Paläont. Zeit, 79(1): 183-200
Lazarus , D.B.
- 2006. Comparison of radiolarian and sedimentologic paleoproductivity proxies in the latest Miocene-Recent Benguela Upwelling System. Marine Micropaleontology, 60: 269-294
Lazarus, D., Bittniok, B., Diester-Haass, L., Meyers, P. and Billups, K.
- 2006. Fossile Strahlentierchen sagen die Zukunft voraus/Microfossils of the ocean's past - and possible future. Jahresbericht/Annual Report, 2004/5, Museum fur Naturkunde, Berlin, p. 21
Lazarus, D.
- 2006. Radiolarian assemblage proxies for productivity in the 0-6 Ma Benguela Upwelling System, DSDP Site 532 and ODP Site 1084. Third Joint Meeting of the Paiynology and Silicofossil groups, The Micropalaeontologieal Society, Programs and Abstracts, p. 28
Bittniok, B., D. Lazarus, L. Diester-Haass, P. Meyers and K. Billups
- 2006. Radiolarian Indices of Paleoproductivity Variation in the late Pleistocene Benguela Upwelling System, ODP Site 1084. EOS. Trans. AGU, Fall Meet. Suppl.
Bittniok, B.; Lazarus, D.; Diester-Haass, L.; Billups, K.; and Meyers, P.
- 2006. Radiolarians and Silicoflagellates. In: S.A. Elias (Editor), Encyclopedia of Quaternary Science. Elsevier, Amsterdam
Lazarus , D.B.
- 2006. Radiolarians as indicators of oceanographic change. Interrad 11, Wellington N.Z., Programme and Abstracts, p. 82
Lazarus, D.
