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

9753000 ASKIN该奖项支持对之前从横贯北极山脉和罗斯海边缘收集的新近纪沉积物进行孢粉学调查。由于陆地植被历史与气候和构造历史密切相关，此次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。此次调查将包括横跨北极山脉的许多天狼星群地层，以及在麦克默多海峡和麦克默多干燥山谷的钻孔中发现的地下沉积物。这些新近系沉积(中新世至上新世)包括冰川相、河流冰川相、冰湖相和冰海相。年龄控制来自海洋微化石组合(主要是硅藻)和放射性年代。天狼星集团已经报告了在一个地方(奥利弗·布拉夫斯)发现的变形虫、树木和树叶。虽然相对罕见，但之前发现的孢子和花粉说明了从更广泛的调查中获得有用的古环境信息的潜力。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。如果能够从独立测年的样本中找到足够的孢子和花粉，就可能识别出植被组成、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被用来帮助解释南极的气候、冰冻圈和构造演化。如果有的话，从较老沉积物中回收的孢粉形态将被用来帮助确定沉积物的来源。将对一些海洋单位进行抽样，调查将包括寻找海洋孢囊虫(甲藻孢囊和鞭毛虫)，因为这些生物具有巨大的生物地层和古环境潜力。该奖项由国家科学基金项目极地项目办公室提供支持，该项目名为“妇女在研究和教育中的职业机会”。这一POWRE奖为研究人员提供了一个拓宽她的研究生涯的机会，将显著不同的地质时期包括在内。

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.