Environment and extinction in the late Cenozoic of the North Atlantic area - insights from sclerochronology

Abstract

Sclerochronology is the sister-field of dendrochronology, the study of tree rings. It involves analysis of the size and composition of increments within mineralised skeletons formed by accretion, such as those of bivalve molluscs, corals and coralline algae. Detailed information can be obtained on the age, growth-rate and environment of the organism concerned. In this talk I will show how sclerochronology is providing insights into Plio-Pleistocene changes in marine productivity and temperature in the North Atlantic region: their nature, cause and possible links to bivalve mass extinction during this interval (45% and 65% loss of species in the eastern and western Atlantic, respectively). This information may inform prediction of future extinction associated with global warming.