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A heterocyte glycolipid-based calibration to reconstruct past continental climate change

Earth Sciences

A heterocyte glycolipid-based calibration to reconstruct past continental climate change

T. Bauersachs, J. M. Russell, et al.

This groundbreaking research by Thorsten Bauersachs, James M. Russell, Thomas W. Evans, Antje Schwalb, and Lorenz Schwark uncovers the potential of heterocyte glycolipids from cyanobacteria as reliable temperature proxies, revealing a significant 4.1 °C warming in Lake Tanganyika over 37,000 years. A must-listen for anyone interested in understanding past and future continental climate change!

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Playback language: English
Abstract
Reconstructing past continental climates is crucial for predicting future climate change, but reliable temperature proxies are scarce. This study demonstrates that heterocyte glycolipids (HGs) from diazotrophic cyanobacteria are widely distributed in freshwater environments. The relative abundance of HG26 diols and keto-ols, quantified by the heterocyte diol index (HDI26), strongly correlates with surface water temperature (SWT). Applying HDI26 to a 37,000-year Lake Tanganyika sediment record reveals a 4.1 °C warming from the last glacial maximum to the present. The widespread distribution of HGs suggests HDI26 can reconstruct SWT variations in various freshwater environments, improving our understanding of past continental climate change.
Publisher
Nature Communications
Published On
Apr 23, 2021
Authors
Thorsten Bauersachs, James M. Russell, Thomas W. Evans, Antje Schwalb, Lorenz Schwark
Tags
climate change
temperature proxies
heterocyte glycolipids
Lake Tanganyika
freshwater environments
surface water temperature
glacial maximum

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