Moossen, Heiko Michael (2012) Palaeoclimate reconstructions from Arctic and Nordic Shelf seas

228 Pages·2012·5.74 MB·English

Moossen, Heiko Michael (2012) Palaeoclimate reconstructions from
Arctic and Nordic Shelf seas: development and application of multiple
proxies. PhD thesis
http://theses.gla.ac.uk/3491/

Copyright and moral rights for this thesis are retained by the author

A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or
study, without prior permission or charge

This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first
obtaining permission in writing from the Author

The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any
format or medium without the formal permission of the Author

When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the
author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given.

Glasgow Theses Service
http://theses.gla.ac.uk/
[email protected]
Palaeoclimate reconstructions from Arctic and
Nordic Shelf seas: development and application
of multiple proxies.

Heiko Michael Moossen

Dipl. Chem.; Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Germany

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of
Philosophiae doctor, PhD.

University of Glasgow
School of Geographical and Earth Sciences
College of Science and Engineering
Glasgow
United Kingdom

March 2012

© Heiko Michael Moossen, March 2012
Vielleicht werden Menschen späterer Jahrhunderte in
die Arktis gehen, so wie Menschen in biblischen Zeiten
*
in die Wüste zogen, um zur Wahrheit zurückzufinden.

Maybe people of future centuries will go into the Arctic,
as people journeyed into the desert during biblical
*
times, to rediscover truth.
(Translation by Heiko Moossen)

* Christiane Ritter; Eine Frau Erlebt die Polarnacht; p. 83; 23rd ed. 2010: Ullstein Buchverlag
This PhD is dedicated to my mother

Heiderose Friederike Moossen
Acknowledgements

The completion of this PhD would not have been possible without the input and
support from a number of people to whom I am extremely grateful.

First and foremost I would like to thank Dr. James Bendle for investing his faith in
me to tackle this project. I would also like to thank him for his support and the
many hours he spent with me in discussion about various aspects of the project,
and for the valuable help he offered during the course of the PhD. Furthermore, I
would like to thank him for giving me the opportunity to take part in two research
cruises in the course of the PhD. I would also like to thank Dr. James Bendle for
running isotopic analyses on a number of my samples during his stay in Japan.

Secondly, I would like to thank Dr. Jaime Toney, a post-doctoral research
associate in the Glasgow Molecular Organic Geochemistry Laboratory for the very
valuable and interesting discussion and feedback on my research.

My thanks also go to my secondary and tertiary supervisors Dr. Finlo Cottier and
Dr. William Austin, respectively, for their support.

The sediment core MD99-2266 was sub sampled at the Institute of Arctic and
Alpine Research (INSTAAR) at the University of Colorado, Boulder. I would like to
thank Prof. John T. Andrews and Ursula Quillmann. Ursula and John welcomed
me in Boulder and helped me to sub sample the sediment core. Furthermore,
throughout my PhD, they have been more than helpful in answering any questions
I have had. Here I would also like to thank Dr. Ellen Roosen from the Woods Hole
Oceanographic Institution who sent u-channels of the top most 3.5 meters of the
archive half of the sediment core to Glasgow for me to analyse.

The bulk geochemical proxy measurements (Chapter 4) were done at the Scottish
Association of Marine Science (SAMS) by Dr. Richard Abell and Dr. John Howe.
Thank you for analysing my samples for me.
The GDGT analyses were conducted in the Organic Geochemistry Unit at the
University of Bristol. I would like to thank Dr. Richard Pancost and his staff for
analysing the samples for me. Furthermore, I would like to thank Dr. Pancost for
valuable discussions on the GDGT results.

Prof. Osamu Seki from the Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido
University, is thanked for conducting carbon isotopic analyses on a number of my
samples.

I would like to thank the crew and scientists of the ICE CHASER 2010 cruise
aboard the RRS James Clark Ross. Special thanks go to the principal scientific
officer Dr. Raymond Leakey for granting me a berth on the cruise and for giving
me the opportunity to dive in the Fram Strait to collect my own samples. Here I
would also like to thank the dive team led by Hugh Brown. The two dives in the
Fram Strait are among the greatest dives I have done and will ever do!

My thanks also go to Dr. Juliane Müller at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar
and Marine Research, who supplied me with a sediment sample containing the
IP molecule.
25

Throughout my PhD, from setting up the laboratory, to logistical organisation for
the cruises, to the use of the freeze dryer, Kenny Roberts has always been more
than helpful. Thank you Kenny, for all your technical support.

Special thanks go out to Dr. Nick Kamenos and Heidi Burdett for letting me dive
with them to help collect samples for various projects. Even though Loch Sween
isn’t one of the most exciting diving spots, it is always good to get ones head
under water and to get away from the lab and office. Furthermore, I would like to
thank Dr. Kamenos for his help with statistics on a number of occasions.

I have shared the PhD office with a number of people throughout the period of my
PhD. I know that it has not always been easy to share an office with me (especially
when I am stressed). So thanks to Heidi, Penny, Eric, Gill, Susan, Clare, Joanne,
Laura, Rachel, Mark, Ram, Neil, and all the rest for enduring my rants, sharing the
office with me and for making my time here as enjoyable as it was.

I’d like to thank Dr. Fiona Meade. Fiona, you’ve been a great friend throughout my
time in Glasgow. Thank you for what must have been 1000 cups of coffee (the
usual) and short walks. Without these coffee breaks I would have gone insane!
Thanks for two great conferences and sharing hostel rooms with me. Thanks for
driving me halfway through England to Grimsby. Thanks you also for showing me
the virtues of gin. There is so much more to say here, but words really can’t
express how grateful I am to you. Thank you Fiona, for everything!

I would like to thank my mother, Heiderose Moossen. She encouraged and
enabled me to go to University and to pursue my dreams. Without her continued
support, encouragement and love, I would not be where I am today.

I would also like to thank Elmarie who has accompanied me for part of my PhD. I
am happiest with you.

Finally I thank the Scottish Alliance for Geoscience, Environment and Society
(SAGES) who have funded this PhD.
Declaration of Originality

The material presented in this thesis is the result of three years
independent research carried out at the School of Geographical and
Earth Sciences at the University of Glasgow. The research was
supervised by Dr. James Bendle, Dr. Finlo Cottier and Dr. William
Austin. This thesis represents my own research and any published or
unpublished work by other authors has been given full
acknowledgement in the text.

Heiko Michael Moossen
Table of Contents

Table of Contents ............................................................................... I
Table of Figures .............................................................................. VIII
Table of equations ............................................................................ XI
List of Tables .................................................................................. XIII
List of Abbreviations ..................................................................... XIV
Abstract ......................................................................................... XVII
1 Introduction ................................................................................. 1
1.1 Aims of this PhD ........................................................................................ 3
1.2 Biomarker concept ..................................................................................... 6
1.2.1 n-Alkanes ................................................................................................... 7
1.2.2 Alkenones .................................................................................................. 9
1.2.3 Diglycerol tetraether lipids ........................................................................ 13
1.2.3.1 Archaeal tetraether lipids ...................................................................... 13
1.2.3.1 Bacterial tetraether lipids ...................................................................... 18
1.2.4 Highly Branched Isoprenoids ................................................................... 23
1.2.5 Fatty acids in marine environments ......................................................... 24
1.3 Using contemporary observations to reconstruct changing climates ....... 25
2 Materials and Methods .............................................................. 29
I
2.1 Elemental analysis ................................................................................... 30
2.2 Biomarker extraction and purification ....................................................... 31
2.2.1 Extraction ................................................................................................. 31
2.2.2 Sulphur removal ....................................................................................... 31
2.2.3 Standardisation ........................................................................................ 32
2.2.4 Column chromatography .......................................................................... 32
2.3 Quantitative and qualitative analysis of MD99-2266 sediment samples .. 33
2.3.1 Gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy ......................................... 33
2.3.2 High performance liquid chromatography ................................................ 35
2.3.3 Hydrogen isotopic analysis of the n-alkanes in core MD99-2266 ............ 36
3 Location, Oceanographic setting and sampling strategy of
core MD99-2266 ............................................................................... 38
3.1 Core Location and Oceanography ........................................................... 38
3.2 Sampling Strategy ................................................................................... 41
4 Assessing Holocene changes in marine productivity and
terrestrial organic carbon inputs into an Icelandic fjord:
Application of molecular and bulk organic proxies. ..................... 46
4.1 Introduction .............................................................................................. 46
4.2 Methods ................................................................................................... 48
4.2.1 Mass accumulation rates ......................................................................... 48
4.2.2 Bulk Parameters ...................................................................................... 48
4.2.3 Biomarkers ............................................................................................... 49
4.2.4 Modelling OC contributions .................................................................. 50
terr
4.2.5 Marine sourced organic carbon ............................................................... 50
4.3 Results ..................................................................................................... 51
II