Articles | Volume 507
https://doi.org/10.5194/piodp-507-1-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/piodp-507-1-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
IODP3 Expedition 507 “Late Cenozoic Glaciers, LAndscapes, Climates, and Ecosystems of the North Sea (GLACE-NS)” Scientific Prospectus
School of Natural and Built Environment, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
Freek S. Busschers
TNO - Geological Survey of the Netherlands, Utrecht, 3584CB, the Netherlands
Ulysses S. Ninnemann
Department of Earth Science and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, 5007, Norway
Margaret A. Stewart
British Geological Survey, The Lyell Centre, Edinburgh, EH14 4AP, United Kingdom
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Elwyn de la Vega, Markus Raitzsch, Gavin L. Foster, Jelle Bijma, Ulysses S. Ninnemann, Michal Kucera, Tali Lea Babila, Jessica Crumpton Banks, Mohamed M. Ezat, and Audrey Morley
Biogeosciences, 22, 6765–6785, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-6765-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-6765-2025, 2025
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The boron isotopic composition (δ11B) of foraminifera shells is an established proxy for the reconstruction of ocean pH. Applications to the Arctic oceans are however limited as robust calibrations in these regions are lacking. Here, we present a new calibration linking δ11B measured in two high-latitude foraminifera species to seawater pH. We show that the δ11B of the species analysed is well correlated with seawater pH and that this calibration can be applied to the paleorecord.
Amy M. McGuire, Víctor Cartelle, Graham Rush, Freek S. Busschers, Kim M. Cohen, David M. Hodgson, and Natasha L. M. Barlow
Sci. Dril., 34, 29–39, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-34-29-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-34-29-2025, 2025
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We present five new sediment cores, the Rates of Interglacial Sea-level Change and Responses (RISeR) cores, extracted from the southern North Sea. The cores will allow us to study the evolution of the basin in the Quaternary (the last 2.58 million years). The cores reveal widespread soil, wetland, and river deposits, reflecting a lost, predominantly terrestrial, landscape that now sits around 20 m below sea level. Understanding these landscapes is vital, as they form the foundations for a rapidly growing offshore wind industry.
Nil Irvalı, Ulysses S. Ninnemann, Are Olsen, Neil L. Rose, David J. R. Thornalley, Tor L. Mjell, and François Counillon
Geochronology, 6, 449–463, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-6-449-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-6-449-2024, 2024
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Marine sediments are excellent archives for reconstructing past changes in climate and ocean circulation. Yet, dating uncertainties, particularly during the 20th century, pose major challenges. Here we propose a novel chronostratigraphic approach that uses anthropogenic signals, such as the oceanic 13C Suess effect and spheroidal carbonaceous fly-ash particles, to reduce age model uncertainties in high-resolution marine archives over the 20th century.
Michelle J. Curran, Christophe Colin, Megan Murphy O’Connor, Ulysses S. Ninnemann, and Audrey Morley
Clim. Past Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2023-101, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2023-101, 2024
Revised manuscript not accepted
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Our multi-proxy examination of an abrupt climate event during peak MIS11 reveals new evidence that the reorganisation of Polar and Atlantic Waters at subpolar latitudes is central mechanistically for the stability of North Atlantic Deep Water formation. We conclude that high-magnitude AMOC variability is possible without the addition of freshwater or Icebergs to deep water formation regions challenging established knowledge of AMOC sensitivity and stability during warm climates.
Kim M. Cohen, Víctor Cartelle, Robert Barnett, Freek S. Busschers, and Natasha L. M. Barlow
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 2895–2937, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-2895-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-2895-2022, 2022
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We describe a geological sea-level dataset for the Last Interglacial period (peaking ~125 000 years ago). From 80 known sites in and around the North Sea and English Channel (from below coastal plains, from along terraced parts of coastlines, from offshore), we provide and document 146 data points (35 entries in the Netherlands, 10 in Belgium, 23 in Germany, 17 in Denmark, 36 in Britain and the Channel Isles, 25 in France) that are also viewable at https://warmcoasts.eu/world-atlas.html.
Víctor Cartelle, Natasha L. M. Barlow, David M. Hodgson, Freek S. Busschers, Kim M. Cohen, Bart M. L. Meijninger, and Wessel P. van Kesteren
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 1399–1421, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1399-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1399-2021, 2021
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Reconstructing the growth and decay of past ice sheets is critical to understand relationships between global climate and sea-level change. We take advantage of large wind-farm datasets in the southern North Sea to investigate buried landscapes left by ice sheet advance and retreat occurring about 160 000 years ago. We demonstrate the utility of offshore wind-farm data in refining palaeo-ice sheet margin limits and providing insight into the processes influencing marginal ice sheet dynamics.
Tanya J. R. Lippmann, Michiel H. in 't Zandt, Nathalie N. L. Van der Putten, Freek S. Busschers, Marc P. Hijma, Pieter van der Velden, Tim de Groot, Zicarlo van Aalderen, Ove H. Meisel, Caroline P. Slomp, Helge Niemann, Mike S. M. Jetten, Han A. J. Dolman, and Cornelia U. Welte
Biogeosciences, 18, 5491–5511, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5491-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5491-2021, 2021
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This paper is a step towards understanding the basal peat ecosystem beneath the North Sea. Plant remains followed parallel sequences. Methane concentrations were low with local exceptions, with the source likely being trapped pockets of millennia-old methane. Microbial community structure indicated the absence of a biofilter and was diverse across sites. Large carbon stores in the presence of methanogens and in the absence of methanotrophs have the potential to be metabolized into methane.
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Short summary
Around 3.3 million years ago, falling greenhouse gas concentrations cooled Earth, making it sensitive to orbital changes that triggered ice ages from 2.6 million years ago onward. The North Sea Basin preserves a 1.2 km sediment record of ~50 ice ages, capturing Europe’s climate and ecosystem evolution. Drilling this archive will reveal feedback mechanisms within the climate system and improve understanding of environmental responses to modern warming.
Around 3.3 million years ago, falling greenhouse gas concentrations cooled Earth, making it...