Decoupling long-term climate forcing and event-scale disturbance in coralline algae skeletal archives
Teichert S, Mölg T, Kropac E, Pyko I, Raddatz J, Evans D, Reddin CJ, Nelson W (2026)
Publication Language: English
Publication Type: Conference contribution, Abstract of lecture
Publication year: 2026
Pages Range: 325
Event location: Bozen/Bolzano
Abstract
Crustose coralline algae (CCA) produce annually-banded carbonate skeletons that constitute an underutilized archive of environmental variability with strong relevance for paleontological applications. We investigate the proxy potential of the CCA Sporolithon nodosum from northern New Zealand by integrating skeletal geochemistry with growth metrics across multiple coeval individuals. To isolate reproducible environmental signals, we apply empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis, a multivariate approach widely used in climate science but rarely implemented in biogenic carbonate archives. This framework allows extraction of coherent modes of covariation among elemental ratios and calcification parameters, including both established and exploratory tracers.
Two dominant modes appear. The first represents a low-frequency, persistent trend expressed as declining calcification performance coupled with systematic shifts in skeletal chemistry. This signal is consistent with progressive environmental forcing and likely reflects the integrated effects of climatic warming, ocean acidification, and changing nutrient regimes. From a paleontological perspective, this mode defines a baseline trajectory against which shorter-term variability can be evaluated. The second mode captures a discrete, high-amplitude perturbation characterized by a transient enrichment in lithogenic elements. This signal is consistent with an episodic sedimentary input, plausibly linked to volcaniclastic deposition, and attenuates through time as material redistributes within the coastal system. Such signatures provide a mechanistic analogue for recognizing event-beds and short-lived disturbances in fossil CCA frameworks.
Our results demonstrate that CCA skeletons preserve separable signals of long-term forcing and abrupt events, supporting their use as annually resolved paleoenvironmental archives and offering a pathway for improved attribution of environmental change in shallow marine carbonate systems.
Authors with CRIS profile
Sebastian Teichert
Lehrstuhl für Paläoumwelt
Thomas Mölg
Professur für Geographie
Elena Kropac
Institut für Geographie
Ines Pyko
Lehrstuhl für Paläoumwelt
Involved external institutions
Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung / Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science
Germany (DE)
University of Southampton
United Kingdom (GB)
Germany (DE)
University of Southampton
United Kingdom (GB)
How to cite
APA:
Teichert, S., Mölg, T., Kropac, E., Pyko, I., Raddatz, J., Evans, D.,... Nelson, W. (2026, July). Decoupling long-term climate forcing and event-scale disturbance in coralline algae skeletal archives. Paper presentation at Paleo4Alps 2026, Bozen/Bolzano, IT.
MLA:
Teichert, Sebastian, et al. "Decoupling long-term climate forcing and event-scale disturbance in coralline algae skeletal archives." Presented at Paleo4Alps 2026, Bozen/Bolzano Ed. Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, 2026.
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