Edited by
M. Kucera, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, UK
R. Schneider, CNRS/Universite de Bordeaux, Talence, France
M. Weinelt, University of Kiel, Germany
Description
This volume summarizes the results of the MARGO international working group, with the aim to develop an updated and harmonised reconstruction
of sea surface temperatures and sea-ice extent of the Last Glacial Maximum oceans. The MARGO approach differs from previous efforts by
developing and consistently applying measures of various aspects of reconstruction reliability, and by combining faunal and geochemical
proxies.
In 14 papers, the volume provides a comprehensive review of earlier work and a series of new, proxy-specific reconstructions
based on census counts of planktonic foraminifera, diatoms, radiolaria and dinoflagellate cysts as well as on Mg/Ca measurements in planktonic
foraminifera. The approach of harmonising the calibration and application of different proxies is described in detail, various paleothermometry
techniques and their results are compared and the challenge of treating sparsely sampled data as the basis for ocean circulation models
is addressed. The use of stable oxygen isotope composition of foraminiferal shells as a proxy for past sea water composition is comprehensively
reassessed, and a new approach to the transfer function paleothermometer is presented.
This volume represents a landmark contribution
to the understanding of ice-age oceanography as well as the proxies used to reconstruct past ocean states. The results will form the
basis for forcing and validation of ocean circulation models.
Audience:
Quaternary geologists, physical geographers, paleontologists, geomorphologists, archaeologists and soil scientists
