RUI: Variability in Styles of Reef Accretion throughout theCaribbean and the Western Atlantic

许多研究人员试图比较 现代和古代的珊瑚礁在很大程度上是由于 在现代的模型中。 这些模型大多基于有限的 例如佛罗里达和巴哈马群岛，他们通常关注 在建造过程中， 礁 最近的研究表明，吸积模式需要 不能模仿珊瑚礁表面生物的能力 碳酸钙 次级过程会分解， 不断重组礁体内部， 以碎屑组构为主的相， 在较深的前礁区发生的加积。 该项目将 收集加勒比海珊瑚礁环境的核心数据，沿着 在物理过程和表面过程中公认的梯度 珊瑚礁的特点。 在每个地点，采集的岩心沿着 整个大陆架剖面将提供关于 礁系统，而不是局限于浅，暴露的礁 这是迄今为止大多数研究的重点。 %%% 现代深水碳酸盐礁的内部结构 由于无法获得精确的 取样. 该项目将使用一种新设计的钻井 在加勒比海的珊瑚礁样本回收系统。 的 样本将揭示珊瑚礁的生长方式， 以及海平面的变化，扩展我们对珊瑚礁的认识 从目前对浅水的理解到 深水过程。

Frustration expressed by many researchers attempting to compare modern and ancient reefs is in large part due to critical flaws in present-day models. Most of these models are based on limited examples from Florida and the Bahamas, and they generally focus in constructional processes in the shallowest portions of the reef. Recent studies have shown that patterns of accretion need not mimic the ability of organisms on the reef surface to produce calcium carbonate. Secondary processes that break down and constantly reorganize the reef interior lead to depositional facies that are dominated by detrital fabrics, with significant accretion occurring in deeper forereef areas. This project will collect core data from Caribbean reef environments along recognized gradients in both physical process and surficial character of the reefs. At each locality, cores collected along the entire shelf profile will provide informaiton on the overall reef system rather than limitation to the shallow, exposed reef crests that have been the focus of most studies to date. %%% The internal structure of modern carbonate reefs in deep water is largely unknown due to the inaccessibility to precise sampling. This project will use a newly designed drilling system to recover samples of coral reefs in Caribbean Sea. The samples will reveal how coral reefs grow, the control of supply and sealevel on that growth, and extend our knowledge of reef processes from the present understanding of shallow water to deep water processes.