Carbonates are the primary record of Earth’s global carbon cycle and the coupled evolution of Earth’s oceans, atmosphere, and biosphere. Because carbonate formation and deposition are intricately related to various biological, chemical, and physical processes, studying carbonates in the Modern can provide crucial context for the interpretation of ancient carbonates. However, treating Modern carbonates as analogues for ancient carbonates (“the present is the key to the past”) may not always be appropriate in the study of chemical sediments whose formation is linked to evolving Earth surface conditions. In this session, we invite multidisciplinary approaches (e.g., biogeochemistry, petrography, microbial ecology, sedimentology, and biomineralization) that seek to understand the formation modes and environmental implications of Holocene carbonates, and evaluate their feasibility to serve as analogues for ancient carbonate environments. We welcome contributions linking modern and ancient carbonates through their formation mechanisms, properties, or implications for climate and broader Earth system processes.

• PP - Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology