Past Climate Change as a Recorded in a Peat Record (Paperback)

A number of samples from a peat deposit in Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire, England were analyzed using Gas Chromatogram/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) in order to extract parameters that might be used to interpret the peat chemistry in terms of past climate change. The choice of parameters was based on factor analysis of n-alkane, n-alkanal, known and unknown compound, quantified for 20 samples, separated into extract and residues, as well as the total samples. These analyses established that lipid biomarkers identified n-alkane (C_19 toC_31) chain, n-alkanal (C_22 toC_29) chain, known and some unknown compound. All compounds and ratios that most clearly differentiated samples were used to interpret the depth profile. This approach can refine knowledge of the multivariate nature of the climate change and increase confidence in interpretations. Here, demonstrate that ratios of the abundance of n-alkanes, n-alkanals and other compounds provide an efficient way of determining past climate change record and peat record. Carbon Preference Index (CPI) value of n-alkane assume the past climate change record as peat record.