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

这项国际规划赠款的目的是与法国同事会面，并进行实地考察，以调查中盘古山脉（地块中部地区）沉积岩中的晚古生代古气候，目的是在这一主题上开展未来的国际合作。 晚古生代（宾夕法尼亚-二叠纪）记录地球？最近的一个例子是什么？冰库？大气中二氧化碳含量低，冰川持续存在于高纬度地区，类似于地球？的当前和最近状态。此外，晚古生代（3亿年前）是地球？这是地球从一个拥有大冰原和高山冰川的星球过渡到一个基本上没有冰的星球的最后一个例子。虽然早在高纬度地区存在晚古生代冰盖已经被接受，但低纬度地区冰川的存在是有问题的;如果冰存在于热带地区，那么我们的地球模型？在这段时间里，气候变化需要修正。这个项目源于PI Soreghan在美国的独立工作，和法国的地球科学家，关于晚古生代热带冰川作用的假设--即，从欧洲到北美的低纬度泛大陆山脉。阿尔卑斯冰川作用在法国二叠纪地层的假设可以追溯到一个世纪，但只是在最近几年才重新浮出水面，与Soregan？这笔旅费赠款是为了开始一项新的研究合作，建立在Soreghan和法国同事去年偶然的电子邮件交流的基础上。该项目将分三个阶段进行，如下所示：1）初步规划，涉及所有合作者，通过电子邮件和视频会议; 2）规划访问，涉及PI Soreghan，以及来自俄克拉荷马州大学的三名学生（本科生和研究生）。这次访问将包括在法国机构的座谈会，然后是一天的实地考察，以游说研究地点。3)考察后的活动将包括在美国和法国实验室进行数据分析，并进行数据共享，以便制定未来的研究项目，对那些最有希望保存高地古气候记录的地方进行全面评估。如果结果继续表明热带泛大陆高地的冰川作用，那么这意味着长久以来被接受的泛古陆气候重建的巨大转变。晚古生代冰河时代是地球吗？的最近的前第四纪冰川，因此气候建模的共同目标，使用相同的模型，用于预测未来的气候。因此，这些模型的校准是了解地球更广泛的方面的关键？更广泛的影响：合作研究将提高美国和法国合作者的研究技能。一个计划前往法国，与长期研究项目的承诺，将提供参与美国学生从哥伦比亚大学一个非凡的机会，体验两个跨学科，国际研究合作的开端科学经验，并访问和进行地质学在国外的文化体验。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.