Decoding the Past: Scientific Tools to Reconstruct Ocean and Climate History

Join us for a fascinating dive into Earth’s deep past with Giulia Molina and Monica Duque-Castaño, two PhD researchers reconstructing the climate and ocean conditions of the Pleistocene using the tiny but powerful clues hidden in benthic and planktonic foraminifera.

Don’t miss this opportunity to explore how micropaleontology helps decode ancient climate shifts—and why that knowledge is more relevant than ever.

How can we reconstruct past oxygen conditions and why does it matter?

Giulia will make an introduction to the tools she used to reconstruct past oxygen conditions at intermediate depths in the Gulf of Cadiz, focusing on the period between 1,200 and 700 thousand years ago. Giulia will guide us through oxygen reconstructions at intermediate depths in the Gulf of Cadiz (1.2–0.7 Ma), using microfossil evidence to explore past ocean ventilation.

Unraveling climate variability (1.5–0.75 Ma) on the S Portuguese margin

Monica will shed light on millennial-scale climate variability off the SW Iberian margin, revealing how glacial-interglacial cycles shaped marine ecosystems. The Pleistocene was marked by major shifts in glacial–interglacial cycles, with a key transition between 1.25 and 0.7 Ma. Before 1.25 Ma, 41-kyr obliquity cycles dominated, causing shorter, less intense glacials. After the Mid-Pleistocene Transition, 100-kyr cycles led to longer, more intense phases. Here, Monica will provide evidence of Pleistocene millennial-scale climate variation and their effects on planktonic foraminifera assemblages on the southwestern Iberian margin.

About the Speakers

Giulia Molina is a PhD candidate at the University of Algarve, holding a Bachelor's degree in Oceanography and a Master's degree in Sciences. Her research focuses on reconstructing environmental changes based on benthic foraminifera in the Gulf of Cadiz.

Monica Duque-Castaño is a PhD student in Marine, Earth and Environmental Science within the Oceanography and Climate Change group and IPMA. She's exploring past climate dynamics at mid-latitudinal North Atlantic using planktonic foraminifera and stable isotope records.