Extinction or adaptation: quantifying marine ecosystem responses to ancient climate change

In this project you will investigate how marine organisms adapted to past extreme climates and what this might mean for future ocean ecosystems. 

From observations of modern ecosystems, we predict that many areas of the ocean will become uninhabitable for animals that currently live there. However, when we look at the fossil record of ancient times of extreme warmth (e.g. the Cretaceous Period, 145-66 Ma), we observe that diverse assemblages of marine animals spanned much of the globe. This poses an obvious question – on what timescales and to what extent are different groups of marine animals able to adapt to extreme climates?

To address this research question, you will use a combination of research tools from palaeobiology, oceanography and marine biology. 

Specific approaches may include: 

• integrating fossil occurrence records with 3D oceanographic models of ancient oceans
• applying physiological, ecological, and evolutionary theory to model environmental tolerances of ancient marine animal groups and their stability through time
• developing ecophysiological modelling approaches based on modern experimental, biogeographic, and oceanographic observations
• generating Earth system model simulations of ancient climates.

The balance of these research methods will depend on your evolving research interests as you progress through your PhD. For this project you will need an enthusiasm to learn new quantitative methods, but that does not mean you need to be an experienced computer programmer already. 

You will finish this PhD with training in data science and numerical modelling, as well as palaeobiology, ecophysiology, global change biology and climate science.