This study presents a stratigraphic investigation of the marine sediment core MD04-2822 from the Rockall Trough (56° 50.54' N, 11° 22.96' W; 2344 m water depth). This core is currently the only available high resolution record for the calibration of Late Quaternary sedimentary sequences of the British (Hebridean) margin. It therefore offers an unprecedented archive of changing sedimentological and climatological conditions for the last 175,000 years. The high resolution, multi-proxy records have enabled surface and deep water conditions within the Rockall Trough to be reconstructed. In addition, the fluctuating nature of ice-rafted debris (IRD) inputs to the MD04-2822 site allows a first order attempt of BIS dynamics for the entirety of the last glacial period (i.e. from the demise of the last interglacial to the decay of the Devensian/Weichselian ice sheet) as well as the majority of the penultimate (Saalian/MIS 6) glaciation. Sediment core MD04-2822 is ideally located to capture the dynamics of the British Ice Sheet (BIS) via a continuous record of IRD and fine-grained terrigenous inputs. Fundamental to this is the construction of a robust chronology. This was achieved via: the correlation of the benthic δ¹⁸O record to a global δ¹⁸O stack (SPECMAP); the correlation of the surface proxies (% N. pachyderma (sinistral) and XRF Ca) to the Greenland δ¹⁸O and Antarctic methane ice core records; and radiocarbon dating. This chronology was validated using both radiocarbon dating and tephra horizons. An evaluation of the event stratigraphy approach used in the construction of the MD04-2822 chronology is presented. The marine record provides a valuable archive of past ice sheet dynamics as much terrestrial evidence is removed or obscured by subsequent ice sheet oscillations MD04-2822 provides the first evidence for the expansion of the BIS onto the Hebridean Margin during MIS6 (thereby confirming previous long-range seismic correlations). The continuous sedimentation at MD04-2822 enabled the first insights into the early dynamics of the last BIS. Increases in IRD and fine grained terrigenous material delivered to the MD04-2822 at ca. 72 kyr represent the first significant delivery of material from the BIS across the continental shelf to the core site. The BIS would therefore have attained a marine calving margin by this time. A multi-proxy investigation of provenance was undertaken, however unequivocal provenance determinations remain problematic. The location of the core suggest the proximal BIS as the most likely source of terrigenous inputs. The expanded nature of the MD04-2822 sediments during the penultimate deglacial (Termination II) provides the first details of BIS dynamics for this period: the interplay of large inputs of freshwater from the decay of the Saalian (MIS 6) ice sheets (including the BIS) upon the surface and deep water circulation of the North Atlantic is investigated. In addition, sub-orbital climatic variability is documented at this location throughout the last interglacial (MIS 5e) and appears to be an intrinsic feature of both the N.E. Atlantic surface and deep water circulation of the last 175 kyr.

Peat from the temperate regions has been used for paleoenvironmental reconstruction using diverse proxies for over a century now. Peat is rare and severely understudied in the tropics. The montane peat bogs of the Nilgiris, southern India have been found to preserve global climatic signals including the Holocene Optimum and the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). At Sandynallah, one of the oldest peat accumulations in the world at >40 kyr BP, we had undertaken a high resolution paleoenvironmental reconstruction using multiple proxies which are yet to be evaluated in the tropical context. The study consists of 3 main objectives, i. Establishing an accurate high resolution chronology for the peat profile using radiocarbon dating, ii. Extracting vegetation and climate information from C/N ratio and Rock-Eval indices and iii. Using elemental profiles to establish the utility of inorganic geochemical proxies for processes such as weathering and dust transport. High resolution chronology for the site was built using Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates. To improve accuracy of the age-depth model, we also tested 4 samples for the effects of the AAA (Acid-Alkali-Acid) extraction method, the most common pre-treatment method for peat in the world. We compared ages on bulk samples (acid washed) and AAA treated samples from 4 different depths. We find that for all depths, the ages of the untreated samples do not lie within the internal uncertainty window and differ from the AAA treated sample age by at least an order of magnitude of the internal error, if not more. Based on these results we argue that the internal error should be used in conjunction with a reliable estimate of external error in an age-depth model for more realistic dating of paleoclimatic events. C/N ratios were explored for their paleoclimatic potential in conjunction with Rock-Eval indices and it was found that decomposition in tropical peat, as opposed to temperate peat, may not be sensitive to climatic perturbations. Inorganic geochemical proxies were also evaluated through this study. We see that the major and trace elements, except the lanthanide series do not show many significant trends for paleoenvironmental interpretation. But the lanthanides show some promise for identifying potential sources of dust and weathered material. Our study has addressed the gap in knowledge about the utility of recent geochemical proxies in tropical peat and has attempted to provide a solution to improve reliability in constructing age-depth models.

Die Analyse von Proxy-Zeitreihen aus Paläoklimaarchiven wie zum Beispiel Baumringen, Seesedimenten, Tropfsteinen und Eisbohrkernen mittels gefensterter Rekurrenznetzwerkanalyse ermöglicht die Identifizierung und Charakterisierung dynamischer Anomalien in der Klimavariabilität der Vergangenheit. Das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist die Entwicklung einer zuverlässigeren Routine zur gefensterten Rekurrenznetzwerkanalyse. Aufbauend auf dem bestehenden methodischen Rahmen werden die Bereiche der Phasenraumrekonstruktion und des Signifikanztests als verbesserungsfähig identifiziert. Deshalb werden verschiedene Methoden zur Rekonstruktion des Phasenraums aus unregelmäßig abgetasteten, verrauschten Daten verglichen. Außerdem wird ein allgemeiner flächenweiser Signifikanztest eingeführt, der, basierend auf einem ausgewählten Nullmodell, Korrelationen in den Analyseergebnissen numerisch abschätzt, um damit das Problem hoher Raten an falsch positiv signifikanten Ergebnissen zu adressieren. Im zweiten Teil der Arbeit wird die entwickelte Methodik genutzt, um die nichtlineare Variabilität des Klimas der Vergangenheit in Nord- und Südamerika zu untersuchen, indem vier reale Zeitreihen verschiedener Proxys studiert werden. Außerdem werden Proxy-System-Modelle genutzt, um auf die Frage der Eignung von Daten verschiedener Paläoklimaarchive zur Charakterisierung der Klimavariabilität mittels gefensterter Rekurrenznetzwerkanalyse einzugehen. Mit der Arbeit wird der Einsatz nichtlinearer Methoden zur Analyse von Paläoklima-Zeitreihen vorangebracht, das Potential und die Grenzen der gefensterten Rekurrenznetzwerkanalyse aufgezeigt und zukünftige relevante Fragestellungen, die die erhaltenen Ergebnisse und Schlussfolgerungen komplementieren können, identifiziert. / Studying palaeoclimate proxy data from archives such as tree rings, lake sediments, speleothems, and ice cores using windowed recurrence network analysis offers the possibility to characterise dynamical anomalies in past climate variability. This thesis aims at developing a more reliable framework of windowed recurrence network analysis by comparing different phase space reconstruction approaches for non-uniformly sampled noisy data and by tackling the problem of increased numbers of false positive significant points when correlations within the analysis results can not be neglected. For this, different phase space reconstruction approaches are systematically compared and a generalised areawise significance test which implements a numerical estimation of the correlations within the analysis results is introduced. In particular, the test can be used to identify patches of possibly false positive significant points. The developed analysis framework is applied to detect and characterise dynamical anomalies in past climate variability in North and South America by studying four real-world palaeoclimatic time series from different archives. Furthermore, the question whether palaeoclimate proxy time series from different archives are equally well suited for tracking past climate dynamics with windowed recurrence network analysis is approached by using the framework of proxy system modelling. This thesis promotes the use of non-linear methods for analysing palaeoclimate proxy time series, provides a detailed assessment of potentials and limitations of windowed recurrence network analysis and identifies future research directions that can complement the obtained results and conclusions.

<p>The Geologic <i>TimeScale Creator </i>(TSCreator) project has compiled a range of paleo-environmental and bio-diversity data which provides the opportunity to explore origination, speciation and extinction events. My PhD research has four major interconnected themes which include the visualization methods of evolutionary tree and the impacts of climate change on the evolution of life in longer and shorter timeframes: <b>(1) </b>Evolutionary range data of planktonic foraminifera and nannofossils over the Cenozoic era have been updated with our latest geological timescale. These evolutionary ranges can be visualized in the form of interactive, extensible evolutionary trees and can be compared with other geologic data columns. <b>(2) </b>A novel approach of integrating morphospecies and lineage trees is proposed to expand the scope of exploration of the evolutionary history of microfossils. It is now possible to visualize morphological changes and ancestor-descendant lineage relationships on TSCreator charts which helps mutual learning of these species based on genetic and bio-stratigraphic studies. <b>(3) </b>These evolutionary datasets have been used to analyze semi-periodic cycles in the past bio-diversity and characteristic rates of turnover. Well-known Milankovitch cycles have been found as the drivers of fluctuations in the speciation and extinction processes. <b>(4) </b>Within a shorter 2000-year time period, global cooling events might have been a factor of human civilization turnover. Using our regional and global cultural turnover time series data, the effect of climate change on human culture has been proposed. The enhancement of the evolutionary visualization system accomplished by this research will hopefully allow academic and non-academic users across the world to research and easily explore Earth history data through publicly available TSCreator program and websites. </p>