The fossil bivalve Angulus benedeni benedeni: a potential seasonally resolved stable-isotope-based climate archive to investigate Pliocene temperatures in the southern North Sea basin
Nina M. A. Wichern,Niels J. de Winter,Andrew L. A. Johnson,Stijn Goolaerts,Frank Wesselingh,Maartje F. Hamers,Pim Kaskes,Philippe Claeys,and Martin Ziegler
Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Westfälische
Wilhelms-Universität, 48149 Münster, Germany
Invited contribution by Nina M. A. Wichern, recipient of the EGU Stratigraphy, Sedimentology and Palaeontology Outstanding Student and PhD candidate Presentation Award 2022.
Fossil bivalves are an excellent climate archive due to their rapidly forming growth increments and long lifespan. Here, we show that the extinct bivalve species Angulus benedeni benedeni can be used to reconstruct past temperatures using oxygen and clumped isotopes. This species has the potential to provide seasonally resolved temperature data for the Pliocene to Oligocene sediments of the North Sea basin. In turn, these past climates can improve our understanding of future climate change.
Fossil bivalves are an excellent climate archive due to their rapidly forming growth increments...