Research Projects

Global climate change, primarily caused by industrial activities and fossil fuel burning, is causing significant changes in the ecosystem, particularly in the southern Ocean (sO). The acidification of the sO's surface seawater is expected to decrease by about 0.3 by 2100, affecting marine calcifiers. To understand the future behavior of sO calcifying organisms in high CO2 climate conditions, a multi-proxy investigation is proposed from the Indian sector of sO sediments. The study aims to test CO2-induced OA and its impact on calcification by exploiting existing marine microfauna and examining the increased storage of regenerated CO2 by the sO in the past. The results will help understand the variability in oceanic alkalinity due to fluctuations in CaCO3 burial at the study region. The study aims to understand the dynamics of sO carbonate chemistry during glacial-interglacial periods, filling the current gap in the understudied Indian sector of sO with respect to past carbonate chemistry. The study will use planktic and benthic foraminiferal species abundance and shell weights as proxies for understanding palaeoceanography and ambient seawater [CO3²-].