Anna Hellner in Portugal

From September 7–11, Anna Hellner participated in the 32nd International Meeting on Organic Geochemistry (IMOG) conference in Porto – her very first scientific conference, where she presented the initial results of her research in the form of a poster. She is conducting her PhD within the framework of the DOMINO-CLIMATE project, focusing on Holocene climate and vegetation changes using biomarkers. Her study is based on an alpine sediment core from Lake Latoriței in Romania. Climate reconstruction is carried out using brGDGTs (branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers), while vegetation reconstruction is based on n-alkanes. Although brGDGTs typically reflect mean annual air temperature, Anna’s results correlate more closely with summer insolation, suggesting that bacterial activity may be more strongly influenced by summer conditions. The n-alkane record indicates that the dominant vegetation consisted mainly of conifers and grasses (C29, C31), with smaller contributions from Sphagnum moss (C25). IMOG is a relatively small conference, making it ideal for Anna’s first participation: scientifically rich, yet friendly and approachable in atmosphere. The location, Porto, added to the experience with its rich history, fantastic atmosphere, and beautiful cityscape.