U.S.-France Planning Visit: Investigating Upland Glaciation in the Pangaean Tropics

这笔国际规划赠款的目的是与法国同事会面并进行一次实地考察，以调查盘古山脉中部(Massif Central Region)沉积岩中的晚古生代古气候，目的是发展今后在这一专题上的国际合作。晚古生代(宾夕法尼亚-二叠纪)记录了地球？S最新的所谓？冰屋？大气二氧化碳水平低，高纬度冰川持续的条件，类似于地球目前和最近的状态？S。此外，晚古生代(3亿年前)是地球吗？S是地球从一个拥有大冰盖和高山冰川的星球过渡到基本上没有冰的星球的最后一个例子。虽然以前高纬度地区存在晚古生代冰盖的说法早已被接受，但低纬冰川的存在是值得怀疑的；如果热带地区存在冰，那么我们对这一时期地球-S气候行为的模型需要修正。该项目源于美国的Pi Soreghan和法国的地球科学家就晚古生代热带--即从欧洲到北美的低纬盘古山脉--的冰川假说所做的独立工作。法国二叠纪-宾夕法尼亚州地层中的高山冰川假说可以追溯到一个世纪前，但直到最近几年才重新浮出水面，这与索雷汉？S在美国的工作不谋而合。这次旅行拨款是为了开始一项新的研究合作，建立在索雷汉和法国同事过去一年间偶然的电子邮件交流的基础上。该项目将分三个阶段进行，如下：1)初步规划，通过电子邮件和视频会议让所有合作者参与；2)规划访问，包括Pi Soreghan和俄克拉荷马大学的三名学生(本科生和研究生)。这次访问将包括在法国机构举行座谈会，然后进行为期一天的实地考察，以征询研究地点的意见。3)旅行后的活动将需要在美国和法国的实验室进行数据分析，并共享数据，目的是开发一个未来的研究项目，对那些显示出保存高原古气候记录的最有希望的地方进行全面评估。智力上的好处：如果结果继续表明热带高原盘古地区的冰川，那么这意味着长期接受的盘古气候重建的巨大转变。晚古生代冰期是地球上最近的前第四纪冰川，因此是气候建模人员的共同目标，使用的模型与预测未来气候的模型相同。因此，对这些模型的校准对于理解地球-S气候系统的更广泛方面至关重要。广泛的影响：合作研究将提高美国和法国合作者的研究技能。一次计划中的法国之旅，加上长期研究项目的承诺，将为来自俄亥俄州立大学的参赛美国学生提供一个非同寻常的机会，既体验建立跨学科国际研究合作的科学体验，也体验在外国访问和开展地质学研究的文化体验。拟议的研究将有助于所有合作者在沉积学和构造分析方面的经验基础和专门知识，同时开发数据集和结果，以帮助其他一些研究人员和研究项目。

The objective of this international planning grant is to meet with French colleagues and conduct a reconnaissance field trip to investigate Late Paleozoic paleoclimate in sedimentary rocks of the Central Pangaean mountains (Massif Central region), with the aim of developing a future international collaboration on this topic. The Late Paleozoic (Pennsylvanian-Permian) records Earth?s most recent example of so-called ?icehouse? conditions, in which atmospheric CO2 levels were low and glaciation persisted at high latitudes, similar to Earth?s current and recent state. Moreover, the Late Paleozoic (300 million years ago) is Earth?s last example of the transition from a planet that hosted large ice sheets and alpine glaciers to one that was essentially ice-free. Although the former existence of Late Paleozoic ice sheets in high-latitude regions has been long accepted, the existence of glaciation at low latitudes is in question; if ice existed in the tropics, then our models for Earth?s climate behavior during this time require revision. This project stems from independent work by PI Soreghan in the U.S., and geoscientists in France, on the hypothesis of glaciation in the Late Paleozoic tropics -- i.e., the mountains of low-latitude Pangaea, which spanned from Europe to North America. The hypothesis of alpine glaciation in the Permo-Pennsylvanian strata of France dates back a century, but has only resurfaced in the last few years, coincident with Soreghan?s work in the U.S. This travel grant is to begin a new research collaboration, building upon incidental email exchanges between Soreghan and French colleagues over the last year. The project will occur in three phases, as follows: 1) initial planning, involving all collaborators, via email and video-conferencing; 2) the planning visit, involving PI Soreghan, and three students from the University of Oklahoma (undergraduate and graduate). This visit will involve colloquia at the French institutions, followed by a day field excursion to canvass research localities. 3) Post-trip activities will entail data analysis in U.S. and French labs, and data sharing with the intent of developing a future research project to undertake a comprehensive assessment of those localities that show the best promise for preserving an upland record of paleoclimate.Intellectual Merit: If results continue to indicate glaciation in upland tropical Pangaea, then this implies an enormous shift in long-accepted reconstructions of Pangaean climate. The Late Paleozoic Ice Age is Earth?s most recent pre-Quaternary glaciation, and thus a common target for climate modelers, using the same models as those employed to predict future climate. Hence, calibrations to these models are critical for understanding broader aspects of Earth?s climate system.Broader Impacts: The collaborative research will enhance the research skills of both U.S. and French collaborators. A planning trip to France, with the promise of a longer-term research project, will afford participating US students from OU an extraordinary opportunity to experience both the scientific experience of inception of an interdisciplinary, international research collaboration, and the cultural experience of visiting and conducting geology in a foreign locale. The proposed research will contribute to the experience base and expertise in sedimentologic and tectonic analyses of all collaborators, while developing datasets and results that will assist a number of other researchers and research projects.