Earth and Planetary Sciences - Student Works
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Browsing Earth and Planetary Sciences - Student Works by Author "Pieńkowski, Anna J."
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Item Arctic sea ice reconstruction for the past 500 years using palaeo-based proxies: a case study of PIP25 biomarker(2015) Gill, Navpreet; Furze, Mark F.A.; Mugo, Samuel; Pieńkowski, Anna J.To deduce paleoclimatic changes attributable to variability in the sea ice, a long-term record of sea-ice is required, beyond the time period covered by direct instrumental monitoring. A recent proxy for Arctic Ocean sea-ice has been developed based on the analysis of an isomer of C25, also known as IP25 (Ice proxy with 25 carbo atoms). In addition, other phytoplankton - derive biomarkers such as brassicasterol (Phytoplankton marker - IP25 index; PIP25) are employed to confirm sea ice change deductions for the past 500 years.Item Foraminifera microfossils as a proxy for environmental conditions in the Canadian Arctic(2017) Thiessen, Rabecca; Pieńkowski, Anna J.Foraminifera are microscopically small, marine organisms with a shell which preserves easily in the geological record. Therefore, they are used as prime indicators for environmental conditions such as temperature and salinity in both past and present settings. The project presented here aims to use foraminifera as a proxy for the environments of Arctic Canada. Sediment samples from and below the seabed were obtained during an expedition onboard the CCGS Amundsen icebreaker in Aug-Sep 2016. Aside from classifying the foraminifera populations, these samples will also be used for stable isotope analyses of oxygen and carbon, allowing for greater inference of overall environmental conditions both past and present. Results of this research will also contribute to an atlas of foraminifera for Arctic Canada.Item Foraminifera: a tool for elucidating past and recent climate change in marine Arctic Canada(2017) Thiessen, Rabecca; Pieńkowski, Anna J.; Furze, Mark F.A.; Cage, Alix; Caouette, Alexandre; Coates, SinaOver the past five decades, polar regions such as the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA) have experienced pronounced changes associated with recent climate warming, such as sea ice decline (ACIA, 2005; IPCC, 2007). Such relatively recent and open-ended environmental shifts have motivated research regarding past climate variability to understand how polar marine environments responded to previous high-magnitude changes such as glacial to interglacial transitions. MacEwan University's RAPIDE (Researching Arctic Palaeoceanographic Indicators of Deglacial Environments) program seeks to apply multiple sedimentological, stratigraphic, and micropalaeontological approaches to elucidate the timing and style of marine-based deglaciation and subsequent oceanographic evolution through the CAA.