Dr Deborah Tangunan

Micropalaeontology, coccolithophores, nannofossils, foraminifera, Biogeochemistry, Palaeoclimate, Palaeoceanography

Research Fellow in Micropalaeontology

 

 

Appointment:	Room:
Research Fellow	Kathleen Lonsdale, 301
Courses Taught:
non-teaching appointment
Research Group(s):
Palaeontology
The London Geochemistry and Isotope Centre
Email Address:	Telephone Number:
d.tangunan@ucl.ac.uk

Research Summary

My research interests span across relevant topics in palaeoclimatology and paleoceanography, specifically in the study of both modern and fossil marine calcifiers. My research focuses on tackling three grand challenges in the realms of ocean, environment, and climate sciences: 1) how has climate changed in the past? 2) how can calcifying marine organisms improve our understanding of climate-biosphere interactions? and 3) how does climate change impact the marine environment and ecosystems?

To address this, I use traditional and cutting-edge biological (assemblage), physical (morphometry using SYRACO and C-Calcita), and geochemical measurements (trace elements, isotopes) in marine carbonates to reconstruct past changes in climate and carbon cycle parameters. I then integrate the resulting paleo-datasets into proxy-model intercomparison framework, testing the record with pre-existing model climate data (e.g., CMIP5/CMIP6/PlioMIP) to determine potential oceanographic and climate controls.

I am currently working on a NERC Pushing the Frontiers-funded project, The evolution of Chalk Sea Ecosystems: biodiversity, resilience, and ecological function in a warming world (ChaSE). This project will integrate novel micro- and macropalaeontological data, museum collections data, and geochemical data from the Upper Cretaceous British Chalk Group to provide the most comprehensive ‘whole ecosystem’ analysis of marine biosphere response to past climate change. 

To keep up to date with my research and science outreach projects, you can follow me on Twitter @dntangunan and @TickTockIGT.