Reconstructing Extreme Climate Transitions using Microfossils

FaculteitFaculty of Geosciences

NiveauMaster

Studiejaar2026-2027

Beschrijving

Course goals

Please note: the information in the course manual is binding.

The main aim of this course is to understand the marine and terrestrial environmental/ecological consequences of extreme climate perturbations in the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. In this course, we focus on the signals from microfossils (Dinoflagellate cysts, foraminifera and pollen/spores), integrated with lithological and geochemical information.

The students will learn:

The academic research process process from research question via data gathering, data structuring, to visualization and interpretation.
To work with (large) dataset for qualitative and quantitative paleo-reconstructions, decide the best strategy to simplify complex the data and validate data by means of statistical analyses;
To integrate multi-proxies data providing the student with a broad vision on time and spatial scales and simultaneous changes in different environments (terrestrial and marine);
To think critically about the potentials and pitfalls of the various methods used and decide which method is most suitable to find the adequate solution
Written and verbal communication skills by means of presenting data as written reports and oral presentations
To work individually and in teams (leadership skills)
Technical skills (e.g., microscope, computer software)
To critically analyze literature as presented in scientific papers and reported in the media (social media and/or press, etc.) thereby learning how reliably (and how ethically) scientific information are presented to a wide audience.

Content

This course will teach you the state-of-the-art of how paleoclimatologists and paleoceanographers reconstruct ecological, climatological and oceanographic changes during extreme climate transitions in the Earths geologic past. The course presents the morphology, ecology and evolution of selected marine microorganisms and terrestrial vegetation and the use of their fossil remains (foraminifers, dinoflagellates, pollen and spores) as proxies for the reconstruction of environmental/climatic/ecological changes during the mosty extreme climate disruptions during the Mesozoic and the Cenozoic. The course will focus on organic and calcareous microscopic remains/fossils, but puts these in the context of reconstructions from organic and inorganic geochemical proxies. Besides the use of microfossil assemblages as proxy for environmental/ecological/climate change, the course also deals with the (biologically-mediated) process of incorporation of chemical elements into foraminifer shells and thus shells’ chemical composition as proxy for reconstructions of past water column properties. We do this by focusing on the strongest climate transitions in the past 250 million years: Mesozoic mass extinctions, and rapid climate warming and cooling/glaciations in the Cenozoic. Much attention will be given to inking changes that occurred simultaneously in the marine and terrestrial environment. Next to fundamental knowledge on evolution, paleoecology, and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions, the course will train the students’ taxonomical, statistical and data visualization skills. Students will learn to work with complex data, to perform quantitative and statistical analyses, to think critically, and to present their results orally. All these skills are desired and/or required for successful job applications.

Reviews0 reviews

Nog geen reviews voor dit vak. Wees de eerste!

Heb jij dit vak gevolgd?

Deel je ervaring met toekomstige studenten. Inloggen met je Universiteit Utrecht mailadres duurt één minuut.

Schrijf een review