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

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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.