Seasonally-resolved palaeoenvironmental time-series from microsampled marine taxa

Max Fursman, based at the Goethe University Frankfurt in Germany, completed a BA Zoology at Trinity College Dublin and an MSc in Taxonomy and Biodiversity at Imperial College London/NHM.

His research focuses on seasonally-resolved palaeoenvironmental time-series to assess climate models. This will be done through sampling of long-lived molluscs, such as Tridacna, from various reef positions on different islands in Sulawesi. Then, using laser-ablation mass spectrometry and clumped-isotope analysis, a continuous time-series of temperature, salinity etc. at seasonal resolutions can be acquired, and element ratio proxies can be used as indicators of light intensity of the reef setting. From this, constraints can be placed on the secular temperature evolution of the Pacific Warm Pool and how it affects seasonality.

He hopes to provide a better quantitative understanding of the past seasonality and contribute to comparing seasonally-resolved palaeoenvironmental parameters and Earth System models.

Publications

• Kapli P, Natsidis P, Leite DJ, Fursman M, Jeffrie N, Rahman IA, Philippe H, Copley R, Telford MJ (2021) Lack of support for Deuterostomia prompts reinterpretation of the first Bilateria. Science Advances 7(12): eabe2741. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abe2741