Ecosystem and climate development at the east coast of North America

In the framework of this project, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG projects KO3944/3 and KO3944/5), we analyse the development of ecosystems in the region of New Jersey during the Oligocene and Miocene based on so-called palynomorphs, e.g. pollen grains.  A major aim is to find out if global climate change during this time (ca. 30 to 10 million years before present) had a strong impact on the research region, and if the orbital cycles of Earth did influence ecosystem change. The sediments from the east coast of New Jersey, which are examined for this project, have been drilled in framework of Expedition 313 of the Integrated Ocean Discovery Programms (IODP).

Image: Pollen grain of Cathaya from a sediment core from the east coast of New Jersey.