Cenzoic Paleoceanographic and Climate Development of the Antarctic Region Based on Oceanic Sediment Sequences

该奖项支持对环南极海洋海洋沉积序列的氧和碳同位素组成和生物地层学的持续研究。这些研究旨在重建南极地区新生代的古气候、古海洋和生物演化。自始新世中期（最近5200万年）以来，海洋学和气候的演变主要由极地地区的逐渐变冷和冰川作用以及热带地区的变暖组成。包括南极洲在内的极地地区的气候和冰川演变对我们了解长期全球气候变化至关重要，因为高纬度地区是对外部驱动变化最敏感的地区之一。涉及冰反照率和底水形成的强反馈机制有助于极地地区的发展。新生代海相地层记录在很大程度上是这种高纬度气候演化的产物，因此尽可能获得最完整的记录是至关重要的。这项调查将通过使用现有的海洋钻探计划（ODP）岩心来增加代理气候和环境指标的记录。对于古近系（古新世至渐新世），工作将集中在ODP第113、119和120段的岩心上。对于新近纪（渐新世到现在），工作将集中在西南和赤道太平洋低纬度和中纬度的ODP岩心上。这项工作将极大地促进对极地在全球气候变化中的作用的一般理解。此外，这项工作将有助于我们了解环南极洋流在南极和全球气候过程中的重要性。这项工作在解决关于南极洲西部海洋冰盖稳定性的重要问题方面特别相关。

This award supports a continuing investigation of the oxygen and carbon isotopic composition and biostratigraphy of marine sedimentary sequences from the circum-Antarctic oceans. These studies are aimed at reconstructing the paleoclimatic, paleoceanographic, and biotic evolution of the Antarctic region during the Cenozoic. Oceanographic and climatic evolution since the middle Eocene (the last 52 million years) consists largely of progressive cooling and glaciation of the polar regions and perhaps warming in the tropics. The climatic and glacial evolution of polar regions, including Antarctica, is crucial to our understanding of long term global climatic change because high latitudes are among the most sensitive regions to externally driven change. Strong feedback mechanisms involving ice albedo and bottom water formation contribute to the development of polar regions. The Cenozoic marine stratigraphic record is largely the product of this climate evolution at high latitudes and hence it is crucial to have the most complete record possible. This investigation will add to the record of proxy climate and environmental indicators by using existing Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) cores. For the Paleogene (Paleocene through Oligocene), work will focus on cores from ODP Legs 113, 119, and 120. For the Neogene (Oligocene through present), work will focus on ODP cores from low and middle latitudes in the southwest and equatorial Pacific. This work will contribute significantly to a general understanding of the role of polar regions in global climatic change. In addition, this work will contribute to our understanding of the significance of the Circum-Antarctic Current in Antarctic and global climate processes. This work is particularly relevant in addressing the important question about the stability of the marine-based ice sheet of West Antarctica.