The puzzle of what caused the glacial-interglacial cycles of the Quaternary period has confounded scientists for centuries. OU researcher, Dr Neil Edwards from CEPSAR is part of the eight-institution, NERC-funded QUEST project which aims to quantify and illuminate this challenging Earth systems problem. The research consortium will combine data from marine and terrestrial sources with new Earth system models.
The OU contribution will focus on the dynamics of the southern ocean, which many believe to be where the “missing” carbon that appears to drive global warming and cooling is hidden. The OU will also research the interface between models and data, directly simulating the way in which the Earth system records its own history in marine sediments. Other parts of the project will be concerned with attempting to model weathering processes and marine biogeochemistry and on the preparation of a grand synthesis of Quaternary data.
