Mauricio Santos-Andrade

I am an oceanographer with a Master's in Oceanology (Marine Biogeochemistry, Pollution and Ecosystems from the Federal University of Rio Grande, FURG, 2022) and a Bachelor's in Oceanography from the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA, 2020). I have experience in marine (organic and inorganic) carbon cycles. I am a PhD student under a co-tutelle scheme between the University of St Andrews (United Kingdom) and the University of Bonn (Germany).

My project aims to develop a new proxy for palaeocirculation. Despite the recent analytical developments to measure trace elements and isotopes in different matrices in a palaeoceanographic context, the previous proxies for palaeocirculation exhibit several caveats. These caveats encompass the interaction in the seawater-atmosphere interface, primary productivity, organic matter decomposition, reservoir mixture, and particle fluxes limited to high latitudes. Moreover, these methods employed the carbon isotopic signature (¹³C/¹²C ratio and ¹⁴C) and protactinium:thorium ratio. While developing a new proxy for palaeocirculation, recent studies have pinpointed the potential of neodymium to trace rapid climate events over the last 40000 years with a high level of sensitivity. However, the neodymium cycle is still understudied, especially concerning its marine concentrations.

In this project, we aim to tackle the potential of neodymium as a proxy to trace ocean circulation over rapid climate events. Furthermore, we will use modelling approaches to test hypotheses regarding the control of neodymium behaviour in palaeoceanographic archives. In addition, these archives will be derived from our preliminary results, which target recent climate events recording the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation for the neodymium imprint.