NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute for FY 2012 in Australia

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This action funds Jonathan Warnock of Northern Illinois University to conduct a research project, entitled "What are diatoms in the Southern Ocean telling us about sea ice change over the past 30 years," during the summer of 2012 at Macquarie University in Sydney, New South Wales. The host scientist is Leanne Armand.The Intellectual Merit of the research project is an increased understanding of the Southern Ocean's response to climate change. The study area, the Mertz Glacier polynya, is an area of active sea ice and bottom water creation. This bottom water provides the nutrients of the major upwelling zones in oceans, and fuels the marine food web. Diatoms, a prolific group of marine algae, provide the base of the record of ocean temperature and sea ice change in the past. Using diatoms collected over the past 30 years, and matching satellite records, this research identifies subtle changes in the Southern Ocean diatom record in the geologic past. This will in turn provide a better understanding of the magnitude of changes in warming oceans. Broader Impacts of an EAPSI fellowship include providing the Fellow a first-hand research experience outside the U.S.; an introduction to the science, science policy, and scientific infrastructure of the respective location; and an orientation to the society, culture and language. These activities meet the NSF goal to educate for international collaborations early in the career of its scientists, engineers, and educators, thus ensuring a globally aware U.S. scientific workforce.