Applicant

Dr. Sonja Berg
Universität zu Köln
Department für Geowissenschaften
Institut für Geologie und Mineralogie
Zülpicher Straße 49a
50674 Köln

Project description

The proposed project will investigate the palaeoecological development of lakes in coastal East Antarctica. We want to explore how the diversity of microbial communities has changed in response to environmental and climate variability throughout the Holocene. In order to do so, we want to conduct extensive biomarker analyses on sediment records from three lakes from the Bunger Hills region, East Antarctica. To complement the lipid data, further analyses, such as the assessment of diatom assemblages and the identification of macro fossils will be included. Research topics to be addressed are i) how lake microbial communities differ in diversity and composition between lakes, depending on environmental parameters, such as water depth, salinity, lake ice and catchment characteristics, ii) how individual lakes and their ecosystem evolved from the onset of lake sedimentation after ice sheet retreat to their present-day state and iii) how warming climate conditions affected this development. The results will not only contribute to a better understanding of the paleoecology of lakes, but also add to a better understanding of the climate history of the region.

DFG Programme Infrastructure Priority Programmes

Term since 2026