Research interests
I study past warm climates, particularly those of the Eocene epoch that lasted from 56 to 34 million years ago, in order to better understand Earth System functioning under increasing CO2 forcing.
My research interests lie in understanding and employing a wide range of different proxies and techniques, preferably integrated with model simulations, to reconstruct past climate, carbon cycling and environmental response. Within that broad spectrum, my own specialisation is primarily in the application of organic proxies, including a range of lipid biomarkers and organic-walled dinoflagellate cycsts.
In my current post-doctoral research project at the University of Southampton, I am focussed on applying lipid biomarkers from the geological record in order to reconstruct hydroclimate, within the framework of the DETECT project led by Dr Gordon Inglis. My goal is to reconstruct past precipitation patterns and hydrological cycling during the Eocene hothouse, to assess whether this follows an anticipated “wet-wetter, dry-drier” response.
My past PhD work at Utrecht University centred around reconstructing temperature and environmental change during the Eocene, applying a combination of palynological and organic geochemical analyses on sediment sequences. This project had a two-fold focus on reconstructing 1) low-latitude sea surface temperature change and 2) climatic, oceanographic and environmental change during the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum, a 500,000-year period of widespread warming that occurred 40 million years ago.
I am working as part of the “DETECT: Destabilisation of the Terrestrial Biosphere in Warm Climates” project led by Dr Gordon Inglis.
Research group
Geochemistry
Affiliate research group
Palaeoceanography and Palaeoclimate
Research project(s)
DETECT is a Royal Society-funded Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship project which will investigate the response of the terrestrial biosphere during past warm climates.
Dr Margot CramwinckelOcean and Earth Science
National Oceanography Centre Southampton
University of Southampton Waterfront Campus
European Way
Southampton SO14 3ZH
UK
