Date of Award
5-1-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.S. in Engineering Science
First Advisor
Brian F. Platt
Second Advisor
Jennifer Gifford
Third Advisor
Ron Counts
School
University of Mississippi
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
Understanding the impacts of post-industrial anthropogenic climate change requires insight into the mechanisms and temporal pacing of carbon cycle responses to Earth’s climate system. Ancient hyperthermals, such as the ones found within the Paleocene and Eocene epochs, can be used as deep time analogs for evaluating these processes, as they represent intervals of rapid warming often linked to Milankovitch-scale orbital forcing. This study investigates orbital-scale climate variability and carbon cycle dynamics prior to the onset of the Paleocene-Eocene hyperthermals using sediment cores form the Mississippi Embayment.
Mineralogical, geochemical, sedimentological, and time-series analyses were conducted on cores from the Paleocene Naheola Formation, with an additional goal of distinguishing allocyclic (external factors) from autocyclic (within basin processes) signals to ensure a complete interpretation of paleoclimate forcing prior to the Paleocene-Eocene hyperthermals.
Results reveal the presence of significant orbital-scale cyclicity consistent with precession, obliquity, and eccentricity band forcing, indicating that climate variability and its subsequent influence on sedimentological processes prior to the Paleocene-Eocene was strongly influenced by orbital parameters. However, proxy-specific inconsistencies suggest autocyclic overprinting, particularly in regards to clay mineral assemblages, can obscure primary climate signals and must be accounted for.
Establishing pre-Paleocene-Eocene hyperthermals carbon cycle dynamics and cyclicity improves the stratigraphic context for interpreting future carbon cycles responses to climate change.
Recommended Citation
Murray, Jodi, "Reading the Layers: Evaluating Cyclicity Within the Paleocene Naheola Formation, Northern Mississippi, USA" (2026). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 8853.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/8853