IMAGES - The International Marine Past Global Change Study

Describe and understand the role of ocean circulation in past climate changes.

Describe and understand the role of marine biogeochemical cycles in past climate changes.

Describe and understand the impact of past ocean changes on continental environments and the development of human civilization.

Develop novel methods (“proxies“) to better quantify the key processes that define the role of the oceans in past climate changes.

To further these aims IMAGES organises sea-going missions, thematic and regional working groups, workshops and conferences.

The lifecycle of a typical IMAGES project starts with scientists, who address a scientific objective which is related to the overall scope of the IMAGES program. Usually these scientists then initiate a working group as platform for their ongoing work and define targets for coring expeditions. Later, the work is documented through the leading paleomarine publications and knowledge is passed through international workshops and talks.

IMAGES actively encourages, promotes, and supports the participation of early career scientists in its full range of activities, for example with ship-board opportunities (“university at sea“), access to infrastructure, integration with research initiatives, and participation to workshops.