POWRE: Palynological Survey of Sirius Group and Related Neogene Sediments, Transantarctic Mountains

9753000 Askin该奖项支持对先前从横贯南极山脉和罗斯海边缘收集的新近纪沉积物进行的孢粉学调查。 由于陆地植被历史与气候和构造历史密切相关，因此这项调查将为追踪这一重要地质时期的环境趋势提供有价值的信息。 该调查将包括许多天狼星组地层出露在跨南极山脉，和地下沉积物遇到的钻孔从麦克默多声音和麦克默多干谷。这些新近纪沉积物（中新世至上新世）包括冰川，河流冰川，冰湖和冰海相。年龄控制来自海洋微体化石组合（主要是硅藻）和放射性年代测定。 在天狼星群的一个地点（奥利弗布拉夫斯）发现了孢粉形化石、木材和树叶。 虽然相对罕见，以前回收的孢子和花粉说明有用的古环境信息的潜力，从更广泛的调查。 具体目标包括对天狼星和其他新近纪沉积物进行孢粉学调查，以确定是否存在孢子和花粉以及来自同期植被的任何其他植物遗骸。如果能够从独立年代的样本中回收足够的孢子和花粉，就可能确定植被组成、多样性、分布和灭绝的趋势。 存在与不存在、组成和多样性的模式将用于帮助解释南极气候、冰冻圈和构造演变。 如果存在的话，将使用来自较老沉积物的再循环孢粉形物来帮助确定沉积物的来源。 将对一些海洋单位进行取样，并在调查中包括寻找海洋孢粉形生物（甲藻孢囊和疑源类），因为这些生物具有很大的生物地层和古环境潜力。 该奖项由国家科学基金会题为“妇女在研究和教育中的职业机会”（POWRE）的极地方案办公室支持。 这个POWRE奖为研究人员提供了一个机会，以扩大她的研究生涯，包括一个显着不同的地质时间间隔。

9753000 Askin This award supports a palynological survey of previously collected Neogene sediments from the Transantarctic Mountains and Ross Sea margin. Because terrestrial vegetation history is intimately linked to climatic and tectonic history, this survey will provide valuable information for tracing environmental trends through this important interval of geologic time. The survey will include many of the Sirius Group strata cropping out in the Transantarctic Mountains, and subsurface sediments encountered in drillholes from McMurdo Sound and the McMurdo Dry Valleys. These Neogene sediments (Miocene through Pliocene) include glacial, fluvioglacial, glaciolacustrine, and glaciomarine facies. Age control is from marine microfossil assemblages (mainly diatoms) and radiometric dates. Palynomorphs, and wood and leaves at one locality (Oliver Bluffs) have been reported from the Sirius Group. Although relatively rare, the previously recovered spores and pollen illustrate the potential for useful paleoenvironmental information from a broader survey. Specific objectives include a palynological survey of Sirius and other Neogene sediments to determine presence or absence of spores and pollen and any other plant remains derived from contemporaneous vegetation. If sufficient spores and pollen can be recovered from independently dated samples, trends in vegetation composition, diversity, distribution and extinction, might be identifiable. Patterns of presence vs. absence, composition and diversity will be used to help interpret Antarctic climatic, cryospheric and tectonic evolution. If present, recycled palynomorphs from older sediments will be used to help identify provenance of the sediments. Some marine units will be sampled, and search for marine palynomorphs (dinoflagellate cysts and acritarchs) will be included in the survey, as these have great biostratigraphic and paleoenvironmental potential. This award is supported by the Office of Polar Programs under the National Science Foundation program entitled Professional Opportunities for Women in Research and Education (POWRE). This POWRE award affords the investigator an opportunity to broaden her research career to include a significantly different interval of geologic time.