Objectives

General objectives:

• to establish several reference isotope-profiles for different time-intervals during the last 500 ka and from different regions of Romania;

• to compare the isotope-records from different regions of Romania and define the climatic or regional constraints responsible for possible isotopic or paleomagnetic differences;

• to integrate various information from cave deposits (isotopic, paleomagnetic, paleontologic, etc.) in order to obtain a large-scale image on paleoclimate evolution and to inter-validate the various proxies;

• to calibrate and convert the isotope signal in speleothems and cave ice in paleotemperature records based on instrumental meteorological records, isotope measurements on recent calcite and the use of ‘clumped’ isotope paleothermometer;

• to correlate regional climate records with those available from other regions of the Northern Hemisphere and to identify and study the teleconnections and paleocirculation trends;

• to ensure the functionality, the inter-calibration and the integration of the Romanian laboratories within the European research networks and to contribute to Global Circulation Models (GCM).

Specific objectives:

• establishing the timing of rapid climate oscillations during MIS3 and the Holocene along a transect from Southern to Western Carpathians, at the Pestera cu Oase, Pestera Cioclovina Uscata and Pestera Ursilor sites, the mechanisms responsible for the accumulations of fossil deposits and their paleoenvironmental significances;

• establishing a composite isotope and paleomagnetic record for the last 1.5 Ma based on old speleothems and cave sediments from the Closani, Muierilor and neighboring caves;

• study the climate variability during the last 3000 years based on the stable isotope record of ice, pollen and sub-fossil associations in Scarisoara ice-cave and lake sediments in the nearby Zgurasti cave; study the paleoclimate records in the sub-Mediterranean climate based on speleothems, fluviatile sediments sequences and fossil associations along the Danube Gorge (Poleva, Gura Ponicovei and Topolnita sites)

See a map of targeted sites here (supplemental sites may appear as the exploration progresses)