Biomarker approaches for reconstructing terrestrial environmental change
Biomarker approaches for reconstructing terrestrial environmental change
The response of the terrestrial biosphere to warming remains one of the most poorly understood and quantified aspects of the climate system. One way to test the behavior of the Earth system in warm climate states is to examine the geological record. The abundance, distribution, and/or isotopic composition of source-specific organic molecules (biomarkers) have been used to reconstruct terrestrial paleoenvironmental change over a range of geological timescales. Here, we review new or recently improved biomarker approaches for reconstructing (a) physical climate variables (land temperature, rainfall), (b) ecosystem state variables (vegetation, fire regime), and (c) biogeochemical variables (soil residence time, methane cycling). This review encompasses a range of key compound classes (e.g., lipids, lignin, and carbohydrates). In each section, we explore the concept behind key biomarker approaches and discuss their successesas paleoenvironmental indicators. We emphasize that analyzing several biomarkers in tandem can provide unique insights into the Earth system. ▪ Biomarkers can be used to reconstruct terrestrial environmental change over a range of geological timescales. ▪ A multi-proxy biomarker approach provides novel insights into climate and the environment.
biogeochemistry, biomarkers, lipids, paleoclimate, paleoenvironment, proxies
369-394
Inglis, Gordon
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Bhattacharya, Tripti
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Hemingway, Jordon
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Hollingsworth, Emily
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Feakins, Sarah
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Tierney, Jessica E.
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31 May 2022
Inglis, Gordon
1651196d-916c-43cb-b5a0-9b3ecaf5d664
Bhattacharya, Tripti
c3379793-a0ef-475a-8ef3-865949fa6ff4
Hemingway, Jordon
f0830972-9bce-449a-bd69-55077649be99
Hollingsworth, Emily
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Feakins, Sarah
2d17a24a-8104-4135-be85-023f41f04f2e
Tierney, Jessica E.
33ac78a0-f7c1-4bc6-bb6a-63e663414db2
Inglis, Gordon, Bhattacharya, Tripti, Hemingway, Jordon, Hollingsworth, Emily, Feakins, Sarah and Tierney, Jessica E.
(2022)
Biomarker approaches for reconstructing terrestrial environmental change.
Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 50, .
(doi:10.1146/annurev-earth-032320-095943).
Abstract
The response of the terrestrial biosphere to warming remains one of the most poorly understood and quantified aspects of the climate system. One way to test the behavior of the Earth system in warm climate states is to examine the geological record. The abundance, distribution, and/or isotopic composition of source-specific organic molecules (biomarkers) have been used to reconstruct terrestrial paleoenvironmental change over a range of geological timescales. Here, we review new or recently improved biomarker approaches for reconstructing (a) physical climate variables (land temperature, rainfall), (b) ecosystem state variables (vegetation, fire regime), and (c) biogeochemical variables (soil residence time, methane cycling). This review encompasses a range of key compound classes (e.g., lipids, lignin, and carbohydrates). In each section, we explore the concept behind key biomarker approaches and discuss their successesas paleoenvironmental indicators. We emphasize that analyzing several biomarkers in tandem can provide unique insights into the Earth system. ▪ Biomarkers can be used to reconstruct terrestrial environmental change over a range of geological timescales. ▪ A multi-proxy biomarker approach provides novel insights into climate and the environment.
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Inglis AREPS 2021
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annurev-earth-032320-095943
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Accepted/In Press date: 18 November 2021
e-pub ahead of print date: 25 February 2022
Published date: 31 May 2022
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
G.N.I. is supported by a Global Challenges Research Fund Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship (DHF\R1\191178). T.B. is supported by National Science Foundation Paleo Perspectives on Climate Change grant OCE 1903148. S.J.F. is supported by NSF-OPP-1908548. We thank Kate Freeman and one anonymous reviewer whose constructive feedback improved this review. We are grateful to the organic geochemical community whose innovative work inspired this review.
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© 2022 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved.
Keywords:
biogeochemistry, biomarkers, lipids, paleoclimate, paleoenvironment, proxies
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Local EPrints ID: 454877
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/454877
ISSN: 0084-6597
PURE UUID: 3d51663d-27ef-48c8-9cf6-308ee5703f35
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Date deposited: 28 Feb 2022 17:46
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 07:08
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Contributors
Author:
Tripti Bhattacharya
Author:
Jordon Hemingway
Author:
Sarah Feakins
Author:
Jessica E. Tierney
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