Stable isotope signature in cave guano as archive of past environments

(PN‐II‐ID‐PCE‐2011‐3‐0588)

- contract: 321/05.10.2011 -

 

PI: Bogdan P. ONAC



Team members:

Dr. Ferenc FORRAY

Anca GEANTA (PhD student)

Alexandra M. GIURGIU (PhD student)



External members:

Dr. Jonathan G. WYNN

Daniel CLEARY (PhD student)



Former members (2011-2012)

Dr. Tudor TAMAS

Iuliana VISAN

Significance of cave guano (summary)

The advantages of using cave bat guano deposits as environmental proxy are four fold: 1) many caves all over Romania (from low- to high-altitude locations) host important guano accumulations, 2) the ability to generate an accurate age-depth model based on 14C dating , 3) the presence of significant amounts of pollen grains and charcoal, and 4) the possibility of recovering a variety of stable isotope signatures by analyzing insect chitin or bulk guano samples.  Therefore, this archive offers a unique opportunity to analyze at high resolution past environmental and climate changes using a multi-proxy approach (isotope ratios (δ13C, δ15N) in guano, pollen, charcoal, trace elements, mineral magnetic properties, and phosphate minerals).

Created: October 3, 2011

Changed: June 5, 2020

Copyright: Bogdan P. ONAC

Watch project’s narrative story

Movie produced by: Dr. Christian Ciubotarescu

(in Romanian)

A grant funded by:





Host Institution:  Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca

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