Marine sedimentary lipidomics of the glacial-interglacial changes during the lower Pleistocene (SW Iberian Margin).

Analyses of trimethylsilyl-derivatized neutral lipids by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry afford a wealth of information contained in the marine sediments. This information is useful for unraveling the processes associated with past climate changes such as those from glacial and interglacial periods. Studies of samples from the Iberian Margin deposited about 1,300,000-1,400,000 years ago afforded the qualitative identification and quantification of n-alkanes, n-alkan-1-ols, isoprenoids, triterpenoids, sterols, hopanols, alkenones, alkenols, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Using this information, the lipidomic approach has allowed to identifying differences in sea surface temperatures, marine productivity, microbial degradation processes, and inputs from continental plants between these periods. Differences in predominant higher plant species related to climate changes have also been observed.