PAGES Newsletter May 2022 - "Light"
In this month’s PAGES newsletter, we are keeping things shorter than usual due to the current Young Scientists Meeting, upcoming Open Science Meeting and annual Scientific Steering Committee meeting. The main focus is on PAGES working group news, endorsed and affiliated groups and some reminders of upcoming PAGES-supported events and/or deadlines.
CONTENTS
1. PAGES Open Science Meeting
2. Past Global Changes Horizons
3. Mobility fellowships for African, Latin American and Caribbean early-career scientists
4. Congratulations to Prof. Martin Grosjean
5. Working group news
6. PAGES Early-Career Network (ECN)
7. Supported and endorsed workshops, and endorsed, affiliated and former working groups' news
8. Other news and opportunities
1. PAGES Open Science Meeting
The OSM will be kicking off next week, Monday, 16 May. We wish everyone attending much success, and hope that despite not being able to see each other live in Agadir, Morrocco, the event will be just as rewarding. For the updated program, you can visit the OSM website. > Program
2. Past Global Changes Horizons
In June, PAGES will be publishing its new, annual Past Global Changes Horizons magazine aimed at teenagers and young adults. This magazine is a scientific review of why the study of Earth’s history is important, and uses comics, pictures, and drawings that support short papers with strong messages about past sciences and how to prepare for a changing future. Articles cover different environments across the planet. If you would like to order a free hard copy of the magazine, please fill in your details here. The deadline to complete the order form is 30 June. More information on ordering a free hard copy will be forthcoming in the June newsletter. > Access volume 1
3. Mobility Fellowships for African, Latin American and Caribbean early-career scientists
The call for applications for both the PAGES-IAI fellowship program aimed at Latin American and Caribbean early-career scientists and the Inter-Africa mobility program aimed at African early-career scientists is now open. Deadline for applications is 19 August. > More information
4. Congratulations to Prof. Martin Grosjean
PAGES would like to congratulate Prof. Martin Grosjean, PAGES SSC member, and Director of the Oeschger Center for Climate Change Research, on being elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (Germany). "The Leopoldina is the oldest scientific society in the German-speaking world and the oldest permanently existing academy of natural sciences in the world. It has around 1,600 members." > Oeschger Centre website
5. Working group news
i. Mailing lists
Did you know all PAGES working groups have designated mailing lists? Stay up to date directly. > Details for all mailing lists
ii. Carbon in Peat on Earth through Time (C-PEAT)
Over 70 peat proxy datasets have been received thus far for the C-PEAT paleo database, and at least 50 more are expected shortly. C-PEAT data steward, Dr. Nicole Sanderson, assisted by undergraduate student Kendahl Hejl, have begun harmonizing the datasets for integration in Neotoma. You can still contribute to this effort and have your proxy data harmonized and published on Neotoma, and of course become co-author of community papers that will ensue. For more information, please contact show mail address or Nicole show mail address.
iii. Cycles of Sea-Ice Dynamics in the Earth system (C-SIDE)
a. Green et al. have published “Evaluating seasonal sea-ice cover over the Southern Ocean at the Last Glacial Maximum” in Climate of the Past. The authors analyzed Southern Ocean (SO) winter sea-ice (WSI) and summer sea-ice (SSI) cover in Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) simulations. These outputs were then compared against available proxy reconstructions. The authors identified "the potential drivers for intermodel Southern Ocean sea-ice differences, in addition to placing improved constraints on the LGM SO SSI and WSI extents. This improved understanding of sea-ice dynamics can provide valuable information about the earth's system and important insights into the strengths and weaknesses of models currently used." > Article
b. The group is preparing the Climate of the Past special issue "Reconstructing Southern Ocean sea-ice dynamics on glacial-to-historical timescales". The deadline for submissions has been extended until 31 December 2022. > More information
iv. Climate Variability Across Scales (CVAS)
a. CVAS leaders are planning a joint CVAS-PAGES2k meeting on regional variability at the centennial timescale. The group would like to implement this as a summer meeting in person (maybe incl. hybrid). Please get in touch with the CVAS leaders if you are interested in helping with the physical and/or scientific organization. > Contact leaders
b. The group is also planning a new CVAS seminar series, with a focus of the former Paleoclimate Reanalyses, Data Assimilation and Proxy System modeling (DAPS) working group. In this series, they hope to cover all areas of proxy system modeling which have been developed up until now. If you want to help with the organization of the seminar, or have expertise in proxy system modeling and wish to contribute a discussion or talk, please get in touch with the group leaders. > Contact leaders
v. Human Traces
The next webinar in the Human Traces seminar series will take place on 15 June with Prof. Nicolas Waldmann (University of Haifa, Israel) on “The Levantine corridor: a land bridge for early hominins migrations out of Africa and the birthplace of agriculture”. > Calendar
vi. Understanding past ecological trends (PaleoEcoGen)
The recoding of the final seminar in the series for this semester, which took place on 21 April, is available to watch. The seminar was hosted by Dr. Allison Stegner (Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Biology & Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, Stanford University, USA) on "Tracking abrupt ecological change in the Quaternary fossil record". > Watch
vii. Paleo constraints on sea level rise (PALSEA)
a. Daltona et al. have published on "The marine δ18O record overestimates continental ice volume during Marine Isotope Stage 3" in Global and Planetary Change. According to the authors, "This work urges caution regarding the reliance of the marine δ18O record as a de facto indicator of continental ice when few geological constraints are available, which underpins many Quaternary studies." > Article
b. The group have announced the final dates of their PAGES-supported workshop "Paleo Sea Level and Ice Sheets for Earth's Future". The workshop will take place from 17-20 July in Joyden hall, Singapore, and will include a hybrid option. The deadline for abstracts is 6 June. However, if you are an ECR or DCR, or require an acceptance/invitation letter in order to proceed to book travel, the deadline for abstract submission is 16 May. > Calendar
viii. Pliocene and Miocene climate variability over glacial-interglacial timescales (PlioMioVAR)
Abstract submission for the Galileo Conference titled “The Warm Pliocene: Bridging the geological data and modelling communities Conference (23-26 August 2022, Leeds, UK)” closes on 12 May. > Submit abstract
ix. Disentangling climate and pre-industrial human impacts on marine ecosystems (Q-MARE)
a. Agiadi et al. have published a paper on “Potential and limitations of applying the mean temperature approach to fossil otolith assemblages” in Environmental Biology of Fishes. In their study, the authors explore the applicability of the mean temperature approach to fossil fish faunas by using otolith assemblage data from the eastern Mediterranean and the northern Adriatic coastal environments of the Holocene and Early Pleistocene. Their findings show that the mean temperatures of the otolith assemblage "can successfully capture compositional shifts in marine fish faunas based on variations in their climatic affinity driven by regional climate differences. However, the index is sensitive to methodological choices and thus requires standardized sampling." > Article
b. The group has launched a monthly online seminar series which will be held approximately the first Wednesday of every month. The series aims to cover all fields of interest to the working group and community, and all are welcome. The first seminar took place on 4 May with Dr. Susan Kidwell on "Where we are and what’s next in understanding the nature of ordinary shallow-marine fossil records”, and the recording is available to watch. Further seminars have also been announced. > Watch
x. PAGES-PMIP Working Group on Quaternary Interglacials (QUIGS)
In their most recent paper on "Marine Isotope Stage 11c: An unusual interglacial" in Quaternary Science Reviews, authors Tzedakis et al. "trace the characteristics of MIS 11c and explore their most likely causes. MIS 11c was preceded by the largest Quaternary ice volume expansion of MIS 12, which ended with a long period of ice rafting and interhemispheric heat transfer." Further, the authors suggest that "the duration of MIS 12 and the size of ice sheets exceeded a critical threshold that triggered a deglaciation despite the weak insolation forcing. " > Article
xi. Speleothem Isotopes Synthesis and Analysis (SISAL)
The group would like to thank everyone who attended the recent seminar by Jasper Wassenburg on “Trace elements: partitioning in speleothem calcite and aragonite and their control on mineralogy”.
For those who were not able to attend or want to review some of the content, the recording of the talk is now available on the PAGES YouTube channel. > Watch
6. PAGES Early-Career Network (ECN)
i. The ECN are looking for new regional representatives to join the PAGES ECN community. If you, or someone you know, is interested in fostering collaboration and promote the work of early-career paleoscientists around the world, please apply. > Apply
ii. The PAGES-INQUA joint ECR workshop: Past Socio-Environmental Systems (PASES) will be taking place from 20-24 November in La Serena, Chile. The workshop aims to facilitate scientific exchange between early-career researchers (ECRs) from a broad range of disciplines that work within the overarching theme of climate-environment-cultural change, which is at the core of both PAGES’ and INQUA’s missions. Innovative ideas and approaches that tackle multiple hypotheses of changes where human, environment and climate interact at different temporal scales and across different geographies are welcome. Registration opens on 2 June and closes 15 July. > Calendar
iii. To receive a more comprehensive list of ECN news and announcements, sign up to the mailing list.
7. Supported and endorsed workshops, endorsed, affiliated and past working groups' news
PAGES is pleased to have an association with the following groups and has provided either financial support or endorsement for the workshops and conferences.
> Find out more about PAGES' endorsed and affiliated groups
> Apply for workshop or conference endorsement
> See PAGES former working groups
i. DEEPICE
a. The DEEPICE project has launched a 7-minute video which features interviews from the project participants. It also provides a fascinating overview of the project, with some mesmerizing footage of the site in Antarctica. > Watch
b. There will be a DEEPICE Training school on Statistical and modelling tools in Bremerhaven, Germany from 19-23 September. It will focus on statistical and modelling tools used for ice cores analysis. In particular, students will attend courses on time-series analysis with application to existing ice core data, as well as introduction to climate modelling dynamics, coupled ocean-atmosphere-ice climate models and ice dynamics processes. All details will be made available on the DEEPICE website. > Website
ii. Ice Core Young Scientists (ICYS)
a. The 15th seminar in the ICYS series was held on 3 March with Jeff Severinghaus (SCRIPPS, UC San Diego, USA) on “Mean ocean temperature reconstructions based on noble gas ratios” and Markus Grimmer (University of Bern, Switzerland) “MIS5-6 mean ocean temperature data from the EDC ice core”. The recordings are now available to watch on the ICYS page. > Watch
b. The next seminar will take place on 19 May at 14:00 UTC with Margit Schwikowski, PSI on "Environmental changes from glacier ice cores and the ICE MEMORY initiative” and Carla Huber, PSI on “Recent accelerated melting endangers high-mountain glacier archives". > Calendar
iii. LandCover6k
a. Githumbi et al. have published a new paper in Earth System Science Data on “European pollen-based REVEALS land-cover reconstructions for the Holocene: methodology, mapping and potentials”. The authors present “the first temporally continuous and most spatially extensive pollen-based land-cover reconstruction for Europe over the Holocene.” > Article
b. Sun et al. have published on “Pollen-based reconstruction of total land-cover change over the Holocene in the temperate steppe region of China: An attempt to quantify the cover of vegetation and bare ground in the past using a novel approach” in CATENA. Sugita’s REVEALS model is the best method to estimate regional plant cover using pollen data from lakes. However, these reconstructions suggest that the sum of all plants’ cover is 100%. However, as the authors point out, "land cover is not always represented by vegetation alone, the area of bare ground can be significant in many types of biomes, e.g., in alpine or steppe regions." In their paper, the authors propose a novel strategy to reconstruct the regional land-cover from pollen data. The results suggest that the method provides plausible estimates of vegetation cover for the sub-regions within the study area. > Article
c. Wan et al. have published in Quaternary International on "Regional land cover changes of the last 6,500 years in middle and southern subtropical China". This paper is very exciting because it is the first application of the REVEALS model in the tropics with validation of the application using modern pollen/vegetation data. > Article
d. There will be a Special Issue of Climate of the Past on "Past vegetation dynamics and their role in past climate changes". Manuscripts can be submitted until December 2024. If you are interested in submitting your manuscript, please first contact one of the guest editors. All information is available in the pdf. > Download pdf
iv. Ocean Circulation and Carbon Cycling (OC3)
The recording of the OC3 webinar which took place on 10 May with Stefan Mulitza (MARUM, Germany)"Harmonizing foraminiferal proxy data: implications for deglacial changes in global mean sea surface temperature and ocean circulation", is now available to watch on the PAGES YouTube playlist. > Watch
v. Varves WG
a. The recording of the 5th episode of the VWG monthly seminar with Amy Walsh (Royal Holloway University of London) on “Cryptotephra investigation in varved sedients: the challenges of high resolution” is available to watch on the PAGES YouTube playlist. > Watch
b. The recording of the 6th episode of the VWG monthly seminar with Professor Neil Roberts (University of Plymouth, UK) on "Laminated lake sediments from Anatolia: challenges and (some) successes" is also available to watch on the PAGES YouTube playlist. > Watch
8. Other news and opportunities
i. The PAGES supported IAL-IPA joint meeting, “Lakes as Memories of the Territory” will be taking place in Argentina from 27 November - 01 December 2022. Deadline for early registration and abstracts is 17 June. For more information on sessions, social program and scientific program download the second circular. > Calendar
ii. The PAGES-supported EPD meeting will take place from 1-3 June, in Prague. The aim of the meeting is to maintain and foster the community of palaeoecologists using the EPD and Neotoma for data storage and analysis. Organizers would like to bring together palynologists and researchers using different proxies that may be archived in Neotoma (macrofossils, sedaDNA, charcoal, geochemistry, isotopes). > Calendar
iii. The PAGES-supported workshop “Boron-CO2 workshop: testing and extending the limits of the foraminiferal boron proxy for seawater pH and atmospheric CO2 reconstructions” will be taking place in Bergen, Norway and online, on 4 September. The number of participants is limited to 30, and there is some funding available for ECR participants. Deadline for registration is 20 June. > Calendar
iv. The PAGES-supported 53rd International Colloquium on Ocean Dynamics: Low Oxygen environments in marine and coastal waters - Drivers, consequences and solutions, will be taking place at Liège University, Belgium from 16-20 May. The program is now available online. > Calendar
v. The EGU General Assembly 2022 will take place in Vienna, Austria, and online, from 23-27 May. > Calendar
vi. The closing date for abstract submission and registration for the PAGES-supported 10th Galileo Conference: The warm Pliocene: Bridging the geological data and modelling communities is 12 May. The workshop will be taking place from 26-28 May in Leeds, UK. The workshop aims to bring together the modelling and the data community, building on past successes to help define the direction of Pliocene research globally. Due to an increase in funding, the organizers would like to inform ECRs and scientists from developing nations that a reduction in fees can be offered. > Calendar
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