Assessing the role of the Gephyrocapsa complex during the Mid-Brunhes interval

Add to your list(s) Download to your calendar using vCal

• Dr Alba Gonzalez-Lanchas (University of Oxford/University of Salamanca)
• Tuesday 10 February 2026, 12:00-13:00
• Department of Earth Sciences, Tilley Lecture Theatre.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Nishant Chauhan.

Calcifying phytoplankton (coccolithophores) account for a large fraction of calcite (CaCO3) production in the open ocean. Over geological timescales, the CaCO3 production and export by this group have played a significant role in shaping the marine carbon cycle, with implications for the long-term evolution of Earth’s climate. Despite this pivotal role, a complete understanding of the natural environmental drivers controlling coccolithophore calcification and carbon production remains incomplete. This knowledge gap stems from challenges in bridging laboratory findings to natural settings and the complexity of interpreting sedimentary records. The Mid-Brunhes Interval of the Pleistocene (MBI, ~650-230 ka) stands out as a major event of increased calcifying phytoplankton proliferation and CaCO3 production. During this time, the coccolithophore ‘Gephyrocapsa complex’ dominates nannofossil assemblages worldwide. Paleoclimate and paleoceanographic conditions during the MBI have been widely investigated from multiple perspectives, and the interactions between the Gephyrocapsa complex and oceanic settings during the interval continue to be an active research topic. In this presentation, we explore the integration of micropaleontological, geochemical, and image analysis morphometric techniques applied to sedimentary nannofossil records of Mid-Brunhes age distributed across contrasting latitudes. Clarifying aspects such as the diversity and physiology of the Gephyrocapsa complex across environments provides an integrated perspective of the role of this calcifying phytoplankton group during the MBI . This example may contribute to enhancing our understanding of the major drivers of calcifying phytoplankton proliferation and CaCO3 production across comparable episodes during the Cenozoic.

This talk is part of the Department of Earth Sciences Seminars (downtown) series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• Department of Earth Sciences Seminars (downtown)
• Department of Earth Sciences seminars
• Department of Earth Sciences, Tilley Lecture Theatre
• MyList
• ps635

Note that ex-directory lists are not shown.