The link to the full publication and supporting data can be found here.
HBI Wizard, Aaron Diefendorf (University of Cincinnati) on the forest edge of Browns Lake, Wayne County Ohio. Dr. Diefendorf and Dr. T.V. Lowell and their students (Dietrich, 2023; Corcoran et al., 202o; Freimuth et al., 2021) are the force behind investigating biomarkers secreted from diatoms in lake as records of past precipitation changes. This basic research is impressive given they are chasing molecules (shown below) that are secreted from microscopic diatoms in lake waters and in complex organic sediments that accumulate at the bottom of lakes. Wooster Geologists have participated in the field monitoring and diatom work resulting in several Independent Study projects.
Diatom-derived highly branched isoprenoids (HBIs) are lipid bio- markers found in marine and lacustrine sediments. Most of the work on these has been done in marine environments and the UC group is now extending study to lake settings.
The sampling team on a North Dakota Lake.
Locations of the 50 lakes sampled in this study (A) and expanded maps of the Indiana lakes (B) and Adirondack region lakes (C).
The University of Cincinnati team and collaborators from St. Lawrence University coring on an Adirondack lake on a spectacular fall day. T.V. Lowell (orange gloves) is the core boss who has provided “high-quality” mud from the bottom of lakes and bogs across the planet and for several Wooster classes and student theses.
References:
Corcoran, M.C., Diefendorf, A.F., Lowell, T.V., Freimuth, E.J., Schartman, A.K., Bates, B. R., Stewart, A.K., Bird, B.W., 2020. Hydrogen isotopic composition (δ2H) of diatom- derived C20 highly branched isoprenoids from lake sediments tracks lake water δ2H. Organic Geochemistry 150, 104122.
Dietrich, W., 2023. Assessing controls on lacustrine diatom biomarkers. MS Thesis. University of Cincinnati.
Freimuth, E.J., Diefendorf, A.F., Lowell, T.V., Schartman, A.K., Landis, J.D., Stewart, A. K., Bates, B.R., 2021. Centennial-scale age offsets of plant wax n-alkanes in Adirondack lake sediments. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 300, 119–136.
*This research was supported by the US National Science Foundation grant EAR-2039795 to the University of Cincinnati and EAR-2039939 to Wooster*.