Pliocene Studies in Paleobiology, Paleoenvironment and Paleoclimate

A special issue of Geosciences (ISSN 2076-3263). This special issue belongs to the section "Sedimentology, Stratigraphy and Palaeontology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 1249

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, U.S. Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley Dr., MS926A, Reston, VA 20192, USA
Interests: micropaleontology; paleontology; paleoclimatology; environmental reconstruction; stratigraphic correlation and climate change

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Latinas in Earth and Planetary Sciences—GeoLatinas, Atmospheric, Oceanic & Earth Sciences Department, George Mason University, 4400 University Dr., Research Hall 275, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA
Interests: geologic past; environmental reconstruction; climate change; geological record; equity, inclusion, and retention in STEM

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown University, 85 Waterman St, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Interests: paleoclimatology; biomarker analysis; pliocene; environmental reconstruction; isotope geochemistry; field geology; inclusive education and science communication

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, remarkable advances have been made in our understanding of the Pliocene epoch (5.3 Ma–2.6 Ma) in terms of environmental reconstruction, paleoclimate, proxy development, modeling, and the role of the Pliocene in informing potential impacts of future climate change. This Special Issue of Geosciences aims to gather high-quality original research articles, reviews, technical notes, and brief reports on Pliocene paleontology, biogeography, biodiversity, environmental proxies, novel methods, stratigraphy, paleoclimate records and modeling, etc.

We are keenly aware of the disproportionate impact of climate change; thus, we are particularly interested in research related to understudied regional dynamics, local ecosystems and/or processes, and their implications for understanding global-scale processes. Submissions from early career researchers (<10 years post-graduation) and authors from groups historically under-represented in the Earth sciences are encouraged and warmly welcomed.

Dr. Harry Dowsett
Dr. Rocío Paola Caballero-Gill
Dr. Lina C. Pérez-Angel
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Geosciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • pliocene
  • climate change
  • climate dynamics
  • geochemistry
  • paleontology
  • paleobiology
  • paleoclimate
  • paleoenvironment
  • paleoceanography
  • DEIA

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission, see below for planned papers.

Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Benthic Foraminiferal Community Changes in Zanclean age (Pliocene) Sediments from Southeastern Virginia
Author: Spivey
Highlights: Zanclean age marine deposits are well exposed throughout the coastal plain in SE Virginia. Benthic foraminiferal communities are diverse, and indicative of early Pliocene environmental shifts in western Atlantic shallow shelf settings. This study builds on previous studies to better document Pliocene benthic foraminiferal communities.

Title: Comparing Oxygen Isotope Ratio and Clumped Isotope Seasonal Sea Surface Temperatures from Mercenaria spp. During the Plio-Pleistocene
Author: Braniecki
Highlights: Oxygen isotope ratios record average summer and winter temperatures of 28±1°C and 18±2°C during the MPWI, 28±1°C and 18±2°C during the early Pleistocene, and 30±4°C and 15±7°C in modern shells. Values of ∆47 range from 0.645‰ to 0.733‰. Based on these preliminary data, ∆47-based temperature estimates from M. mercenaria are consistent with both observational data and existing δ18O calibration estimates.

Title: Stratigraphic setting of a Pliocene marine vertebrate-bearing deposit in the Atacama Desert, northern Chile
Author: Valenzuela-Toro
Highlights: Los Negros is a fossil-rich outcrop of the Bahía Inglesa Formation, one of the most prolific Late Neogene marine fossil deposits in the Southern Hemisphere. We discussed the evidence for its assignation to the Pliocene, presenting the first stratigraphic study of the locality and laying the foundations for novel research on its fossil fauna.

Title: Changes in trophic structure of gastropod communities from the southwestern Caribbean during the late Neogene
Author: Thompson
Highlights: The Neogene western Caribbean is an ideal regional system to study mechanisms linking changes in physical environment and biological communities. Gastropods possess diverse feeding strategies and life habits, making them an ideal system to study these mechanisms. As planktonic productivity decreased in the western Caribbean, benthic communities were restructured.

Back to TopTop