Trends, rhythms and events in East African climate: statistical analysis of the paleoclimare records of the long sediment cores of the Chew Bahir basin

该提案寻求资金，以统计分析Chew Bahir盆地的长（~278米）沉积物记录，作为ICDP资助的Hominin Sites and Paleolakes Drilling Project（HSPDP）的一部分。该项目的目的是：（1）为沉积物岩心建立一个可靠的年龄-深度模型，（2）将Chew Bahir记录与HSPDP内外的其他记录相关联，（3）检测盆地环境记录中的趋势、节奏和事件，（4）确定时间序列中反复出现的气候转变的特征类型，与HSPDP以外的气候记录和其他站点的气候记录进行了比较。这项任务由一名博士生负责，他将在波茨坦大学和波茨坦气候影响研究所的数学地球科学专家小组中工作，但也将受益于更大的Chew Bahir和HSPDP项目。博士生，预计将被培养为一个地球科学家与数学方法的明显魅力，将使用线性技术来建立一个年龄模型，并检测气候变化和周期。他/她预计将了解沉积物和代用品形成过程中的盆地，以及他/她预计将配备在统计和编程坚实的知识。他/她将使用非线性方法来检测数据中更复杂或隐藏的过程。该项目的结果将有助于阐明更新世期间气候变化（这些变化的时间，性质，快速性，幅度和同步性，特别是冰期和间冰期之间的过渡）在哺乳动物（包括人类类群）进化中的作用。

This proposal seeks funding to statistically analyze the long (~278 m) sediment record of the Chew Bahir basin, as part of the ICDP-funded Hominin Sites and Paleolakes Drilling Project (HSPDP). The aim of the project is (1) to establish a robust age-depth model for the sediment cores, (2) to correlate the Chew Bahir record with other records within and outside HSPDP, (3) to detect trends, rhythms and events in the environmental record of the basin, and (4) identify recurrent, characteristic types of climate transitions in the time series, as compared with the ones of the other HSPDP sites and climate records outside HSPDP. This task is handled by a doctoral student, who will work in a team of specialists in the field of mathematical geosciences at the University of Potsdam and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, but will benefit also from the larger Chew Bahir and HSPDP projects. The Doctoral Student, expected to be trained as an earth scientists with a pronounced fascination with mathematical methods, will use linear techniques to establish an age model and to detect climate shifts and cycles. He/she is expected to understand the sediment and proxy forming processes in the basin as well as he/she is expected to be equipped with solid knowledge in statistics and programming. He/she will use nonlinear methods to detect more complex or hidden processes within the data. The results of the project will help to illuminate the role of climate change (timing, nature, abruptness, magnitude, and synchronicity of these shifts especially the transitions between Glacial and Interglacial) in the evolution of mammalian (including hominin taxa) during the Pleistocene.