Lies, Damn Lies and Foraminiferal Proxies

What makes a proxy? How are calibrations generated? What are their strengths and weaknesses? Which one do you choose? How do you use it?! This session will be a ‘masterclass’ on proxy calibration aimed at ECRs starting out in palaeoceanography (and anyone else that’s interested!), with discussions focussing on the challenges and opportunities to improve foraminiferal geochemical proxies.

This session will involve a series of short lectures and discussions on:

Morning Session

• Inside the ‘vital effects’ black box.

• Where do calibrations come from?

• Theory

• Culture methods

• Plankton Tows

• Core-Tops

• How similar/ different are these calibrations? Why are they different?

• Species specificity - why does it happen?

• Multi-variate sensitivity - what do/don’t we know?

• Frontiers in proxy development

Afternoon Session

• How do you choose a calibration?

• Uncertainty is inevitable - how do we deal with it?

• Methods for error propagation

• Frontiers in multi-proxy inversion methods

Cost: None

Participation: Complete this form.

Contact: Lennart De Nooijer or Lennart De Nooijer