Margaret Lynch ’21, Geosciences

Margaret Lynch ’21

Major

Geosciences

Project Title

Constraining Nutrient-Consumption Patterns in the Atlantic-Sector Antarctic Zone Using Foraminifera-bound Nitrogen-Isotope Analysis

Presentation Link

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My research consisted of preparing samples of the plankton foraminifera from two Southern Ocean sediment cores for isotopic analysis. After using microscopy techniques to isolate different foraminifera species, oxygen and nitrogen isotopic analyses are performed on these samples. The resulting oxygen isotope records are used to produce age models for sediment cores, and the nitrogen records serve as proxies to reconstruct nutrient consumption, which provides insight into understanding the role of the Southern Ocean in the global carbon cycle over time. I valued the weekly meetings with my program mentors when we discussed new and old scientific articles in the field and the implications of those studies in our own research. Throughout this project, I learned more about stable isotope geochemistry, microscopy and the theoretical background surrounding paleoclimate research. This project strengthened my interests in geochemistry and climate studies, and I look forward to applying the skills and knowledge acquired during this internship in my studies and senior independent research.