Collaborative Research: An Ancient Arctic Dinosaur Ecosystem from the Late Cretaceous Prince Creek Formation, North Slope, Alaska - A Natural Case Study in a Greenhouse Climate Mod

提供资金完成埋藏和古生物学工作的一系列非常重要的骨床包含最大的浓度晚白垩世恐龙和相关的脊椎动物发现在古代极地地区。 这些古生物学研究将与层序地层学框架的发展相结合，包括化石土壤和河流沉积学的描述，以提供地球历史上“温室”时期古代北极陆地/海岸生态系统的全面文献，方法是：1）测试以前关于古代北极陆地生态系统的古生物学、埋藏学、古生物地理学和古气候学工作的假设; 2）建立高分辨率的岩石地层和年代地层框架，研究Prince Creek组中恐龙的丰富演替过程; 3）整合多学科数据，建立一个急需的框架，以更好地了解丰富、多样和长期存在的古北极恐龙种群繁荣的古环境; 4）在古北极生物多样性、大规模灭绝和气候变化的关键时刻，更好地了解地球历史。

Funds are provided to complete taphonomic and paleobiologic work on a series of highly significant bonebeds containing the largest concentration of Late Cretaceous dinosaurs and associated vertebrates found in either ancient polar region. These paleontologic studies will be integrated with the development of a sequence stratigraphic framework, including a description of fossil soils and fluvial sedimentology, to provide comprehensive documentation of an ancient Arctic terrestrial/coastal ecosystem during a "greenhouse" period in Earth's history by: 1) testing hypotheses from previous paleobiologic, taphonomic, paleobiogeographic and paleoclimatic work regarding the ancient arctic terrestrial ecosystem; 2) establishing high resolution litho- and chronostratigraphic framework for the dinosaur-rich succession within the Prince Creek Formation; 3) integrating multidisciplinary data to produce a much-needed framework for a greater understanding of the paleoenvironments within which abundant, diverse, and long-standing paleo-arctic dinosaur populations thrived; and 4) better understanding Earth history at a critical time of biological diversity, mass extinction and climate change in the ancient arctic.