Jennifer A. Flannery (2005). Records of oceanic and continental response to abrupt climate changes during the late Holocene (2,000 BP - present) from the PigmyBasin, Gulf of Mexico
Faculty advisor: David Hastings

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to evaluate how the ocean and the North American continent responded to the abrupt changes associated with the Little Ice Age and the Medieval Warm Period. A compositional and molecular organic geochemical approach was taken to a sediment core obtained from the PigmyBasin, Gulf of Mexico. The concentrations of marine and terrestrial organic matter were determined using lipid biomarkers, specifically n-alkanes. The concentrations of both marine organic matter and terrestrial organic matter increased during both time intervals, thus inputs from the continent as well as productivity in the ocean increase during the Little Ice Age and Medieval Warm Period in response to abrupt climate change.