Welcome to the AMG lab
Latest research in Alfredo Martínez García's laboratory at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry (MPIC)
The AMG lab studies the evolution of the Earth system including its physical, chemical and biological components. We combine the study of modern processes with the analysis of past climatic and environmental archives using a variety of geochemical techniques, including organic biomarkers, and stable isotopes of Hydrogen, Carbon, Nitrogen and Oxygen. In addition, in recent years we have pioneered the use N isotopes in enamel to study the trophic evolution of extant and extinct taxa including our early hominin ancestors, as well as, the application of stable isotopes to study cancer diagnosis and metabolism. Find more details about our research here.
Latest Research Highlights
The largest oxygen-poor region of the ocean is more variable than previously thought
November 28, 2024
The impact of global warming on the ocean’s oxygen-deficient zones (ODZs) is uncertain, partly because of a lack of data on past changes. In an article published in the journal Science we report monthly resolved records of coral skeleton–bound nitrogen isotopes (CS-δ15N) to reconstruct denitrification in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific (ETNP) ODZ over the last 80 years. The data indicate strong decadal variation in ETNP denitrification, with maxima during the cool North Pacific phase of Pacific Decadal Variability. The maxima in denitrification (and thus oxygen deficiency) were likely due to stronger upwelling that enhanced productivity leading to greater oxygen demand in the thermocline. This findings suggest that prior findings of multidecadal-to-centennial ODZ trends were likely biased by this variability. ODZ evolution over the next century will depend on how global warming interacts with the decadal oscillations.