Paleoceanographic and Climatic Evolution of Southern High Latitude Oceans Based on Deep-Sea Sedimentary Sequences

该奖项支持对南极海洋的古海洋、古气候、地层和生物地理演化的调查，使用一套高质量的深钻沉积序列。这项调查将综合利用氧和碳同位素、浮游有孔虫定量分析、沉积物成分，包括冰排碎屑和微量金属分析。还正在生成生物地层学和锶同位素数据，以便与磁性地层学相结合，以建立必要的年代地层学框架。最近对南极和亚南极地区进行的非常成功的海洋钻探探险现在提供了重要的新的沉积序列，可用于进一步快速推进对南大洋演化的理解。尤其重要的是，南极古近纪的钙质生物成因层序的可用性以前从未获得过。大部分研究将集中在白垩纪末期至古近纪层序。从最广泛的意义上讲，这项研究的主要目的是更好地了解自白垩纪末期以来南极海洋环境的演变，以及这一区域的重大变化对全球古海洋学和气候史的影响。这些调查预计将增加更多关于南极古气候和海洋在显生界晚期的演化的知识。由于地处偏远，这一地区仍然是世界上最鲜为人知的纬度带之一，但在全球环境的演变中发挥了关键作用。

This award supports an investigation of the paleoceanographic, paleoclimatic, stratigraphic and biogeographic evolution of the Antarctic Ocean, using a suite of high-quality, deep-drilled sedimentary sequences. This investigation will utilize, in an integrated fashion, oxygen and carbon isotopes, quantitative planktonic foraminiferal analysis, sediment composition including ice-rafted detritus and trace metal analysis. Biostratigraphic and strontium isotopic data are also being generated for integration with magnetostratigraphy to develop the necessary chronostratigraphic framework. The recent, highly successful, ocean drilling expeditions to Antarctic and Subantarctic regions have now provided important, new sedimentary sequences that can be employed for further rapid advancement in the understanding of Southern Ocean evolution. Of particular importance is the availability of Antarctic calcareous biogenic sequences of Paleogene age that have never before been available. Much of this research will concentrate on the latest Cretaceous through Paleogene sequence. The primary objective of this research, in its broadest sense, is to better understand the evolution of the Antarctic marine environment since the latest Cretaceous and the impact that major changes in this region had on global paleoceanographic and climate history. These investigations are expected to add much knowledge about the evolution of Antarctic paleoclimates and oceans through the late Phanerozoic. Being so remote, this area still remains among the least known of the world's latitudinal belts, yet has played a key role in the evolution of the global environment.