MART analysis
Annual range of temperature estimated from zooid size variation in Pliocene bryozoans from localities across the North Atlantic, compared with the present-day (Recent) temperature seasonality.
Cheilostome bryozoans offer a powerful method for estimating temperature seasonality in the past.
This is because the size of individual zooids within colonies is dependent on the ambient temperature at the time of their formation, and therefore:
- colonies showing a low variance in zooid size indicate low levels of seasonality.
- colonies with a high variance indicate high levels of seasonality.
We are applying this MART (Mean Annual Range of Temperature) analysis to address palaeoclimatic issues in, for example:
- the Pliocene of the North Atlantic
- the Pliocene of the Antarctic Peninsula
Palaeontology Department staff involved in this project:
- Dr Paul Taylor, with support from
- Dr Consuelo Sendino