SGER: Climate Change in the Middle Miocene and the Distribution of Marine Mammals - An Example from Eastern Virginia

该奖项支持实地挖掘和实验室准备保存在弗吉尼亚州采石场的一个罕见的中新世（即1500万年前）鲸鱼化石的完整标本。曾经活过的生物体的化石标本，尤其是鲸鱼的化石标本，相对稀少，为研究特定地点、特定时间的普遍环境条件提供了一个独特的窗口。虽然众所周知，鲸鱼的多样性随着时间的推移而发生了变化，但这种变化的原因尚不清楚，但科学证据暗示了气候的原因。在它们的鼎盛时期，鲸鱼有20多个不同的属。现在只有6个属。有人提出，过去不断变化的洋流和海面温度导致了现代鲸鱼的辐射，这种动物群的变化可能与世界范围内的环境变化和大西洋的物理变化有关。例如，南极西部冰盖的形成和地中海西部开口的关闭（随之而来的暖水流入减少）有助于冷却、更陡峭的温度梯度和更复杂的洋流模式。这些变化反过来可能导致了各种海洋栖息地的发展和食物资源分配的增加。挖掘鲸鱼的工作将由一组当地志愿者担任现场助理。采石场的挖掘工作，将为义工提供亲身实践科学的机会，为他们提供一个杰出的公众教育经验。此外，一旦挖掘出来，这个标本将在国家支持的弗吉尼亚自然历史博物馆公开展出。这项研究提供了一个极好的机会，可以经济有效地共享联邦和州的研究和推广资源。

This award supports the field excavation and laboratory preparation of a rare whole specimen of a Miocene (i.e., 15 million years old) fossil whale preserved in a rock quarry in Virginia. Fossil specimens of once living organisms, especially those of whales, are relatively scarce and offer a unique window on environmental conditions prevailing at a particular site at a particular time.Although it is well known that whale diversity has changed over time, the reasons for such changes are unknown but the scientific evidence hints at a climatic cause. At their height, whales were represented by over twenty different genera. Today there are just six genera. It has been suggested that shifting ocean currents and sea surface temperatures in the past resulted in the radiation of modem whales and that such faunal changes might be correlated with worldwide environmental change and physical changes in the Atlantic Ocean. For example, establishment of a West Antarctic ice sheet and closure of the western opening of the Mediterranean Sea (with a consequent decrease in warm water influx) contributed to cooling, steeper temperature gradients, and more complex ocean current patterns. These changes in turn may have resulted in the development of a variety of ocean habitats and increased partitioning of food resources.The excavation of the whale will be accomplished with a crew of local volunteers serving as field assistants. The quarry excavation will provide an outstanding public educational experience for the volunteers by affording them hands-on science experience. In addition, once excavated, the specimen will be publicly displayed at the state-supported Virginia Museum of Natural History. This research presents an excellent opportunity to cost-effectively share federal and state resources for research and outreach.