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: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 1825
Special Issue Editors
Interests: micropaleontology; paleontology; paleoclimatology; environmental reconstruction; stratigraphic correlation and climate change
Interests: geologic past; environmental reconstruction; climate change; geological record; equity, inclusion, and retention in STEM
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
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Keywords
- pliocene
- climate change
- climate dynamics
- geochemistry
- paleontology
- paleobiology
- paleoclimate
- paleoenvironment
- paleoceanography
- DEIA
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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.
