Collaborative Research: Aquatic Paleoclimate Proxy Records of Tropical Temperature Variability

该奖项支持研究原始膜脂生物标志物TEX86作为一种新的古气候代用物的稳健性。具体而言，研究人员将研究：1)哪些环境因素可能潜在地掩盖代理中的表观温度信号；2)绿藻菌生活在水柱的什么深度？如果它们生活在水柱深处，它们怎么可能反映地表水温；3)这些化合物如何被埋在海洋和湖泊沉积物中。如果成功，这项高风险的研究将有助于创造一种新的替代测量方法，当应用于分析随时间变化的气候和变化的自然环境时，这种方法可能会产生广泛的影响。

The award supports research to examine the robustness of the archeal membrane lipid biomarker, TEX86, as a new paleoclimate proxy. Specifically, the researchers will examine: 1) what environmental factors could potentially mask the apparent temperature signal in the proxy; 2) at what depth do the Crenarchaeota bacteria live within the water column. If they live deep in the water column, how can they possibly reflect a surface water temperature; and 3) how these compounds get buried in marine and lacustrine sediments. If successful, this highly risky research will help create a new proxy measurement that could have broad impact when applied to the analysis of climate over time and varying natural environments.