Geochemistry

Polar Archive

Drilling into the past: located at the outer edge of northeastern Siberia is Lake El'gygytgyn, which was formed 3.6 million years ago by a meteorite strike. The sediment layers at the bottom of the lake represent an invaluable climate archive of the Arctic: they provide us with information on how the continental Arctic responded to past climate changes. With the knowledge that is gained, it will be possible to take a look into the future: researchers from the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy at the University of Cologne are asking themselves "how will the Arctic respond to renewed climate change and what implications will that have for the rest of the planet?"