Oceanographic Tipping Points Red Sea

This project investigates how the Red Sea responded to past warm climates to improve predictions of future environmental change. Using sediment cores recovered through the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP Site 225), the research examines organic-rich "sapropel" layers formed during the Pliocene, when global temperatures were higher than today. Geochemical analyses of plant waxes, organic matter and biomarkers will reconstruct past rainfall, vegetation, ocean circulation and oxygen levels. The findings will reveal the mechanisms behind Red Sea stratification and anoxia, providing valuable insights into the vulnerability of this rapidly warming marine ecosystem under future climate change. 
 
Funder: Royal Society Daphne Jackson Fellowship 
 
Project Lead: Lottie Miller

Collaborators: Arnoud Boom (Leicester), Diederik Liebrand (University College London), and Neil Mitchell (University of Manchester).