RII Track-4: Establishing Baseline Critical Zone Conditions in Mississippi Prior to the Onset of Paleocene-Eocene Hyperthermals

预测未来全球气候变化对陆地生态系统的影响往往依赖于地质记录中的古代气候数据。这些数据对于提供从历史记录中无法获得的长时间跨度的信息特别有用。对于当前全球气温和大气温室气体浓度的上升速度，古代最好的类比是被称为高温的变暖事件，其中一些事件发生在5500万到5200万年前。然而，准确地重建高温期间古代气候变化的影响和规模，需要了解极端气候发生之前的“正常”背景条件。这项研究的目标是通过对密西西比州前高温区间进行采样的地质岩心，提供有关古代土壤生态系统背景条件的关键信息。与此同时，首席调查员将在世界级岩心实验室接受处理地质岩心样品的培训，这将使他能够在本国机构继续这一重要研究。除了促进气候和土壤科学的发展，这项研究还将通过培训学生掌握美国雇主所需要的技能来促进国内繁荣。这些雇主依赖与钻井(石油、天然气和地下水行业)相关的地质取心。这项奖学金将使PI和一名研究生助理能够对大陆科学钻探协调办公室(CSDCO)进行两次长期访问，CSDCO是一个世界级的、由NSF资助的地质核心实验室。来自密西西比州的现有岩心将被运送到CSDCO并用于培训，同时生成多个数据集，以满足以下研究目标：1)表征早古新世古土壤和2)伴生相，3)改善这些沉积物中的年代地层控制。这项研究旨在确定地球临界区在高温之前的基本物理、化学和生物方面，这些高温通常被用作预测气候变化的类比。这将使人们能够更准确地评估气候驱动的陆地系统变化的程度。培训将由CSDCO主任监督，他将确保实现以下培训目标：1)获得岩芯适当的档案存储技术知识；2)学习采样岩芯的高效、标准化的工作流程；3)熟练掌握14种新的岩芯分析和相关数据解释方法；4)熟悉独立安排合同服务以钻探未来岩芯样品的后勤工作，以支持国际钻探协会的奖学金后研究计划。这位少年派新学的技能将很容易转移到他在密西西比大学的研究实验室。此外，他加强了对气候变化的研究视角，这将使他能够为国家碳排放政策提供建议，以减轻未来大气二氧化碳水平上升的有害影响。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Predicting impacts of future global climate change on terrestrial ecosystems often relies on ancient climate data from the geologic record. Such data are particularly useful for providing information over long time spans that are not possible to obtain from historical records. The best ancient analogs for the current rates of rising global temperatures and atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations are warming episodes known as hyperthermals, a number of which occurred between 55 and 52 million years ago. Accurately reconstructing the impacts and magnitude of ancient climate change during hyperthermals, however, requires knowledge of the "normal" background conditions before the climate extremes occurred. The goal of this research is to provide crucial information about background conditions in ancient soil ecosystems from geological cores that sample pre-hyperthermal intervals in Mississippi. At the same time, the principle investigator will receive training on processing geologic core samples at a world-class core laboratory that will enable him to continue this important research at his home institution. In addition to advancing climate and soil science, this research will contribute to domestic prosperity by training students to perform the skills that are in demand by US employers who rely on geological coring associated with well drilling (oil & gas and groundwater industries).This fellowship will enable the PI and a graduate assistant to make two extended visits to the Continental Scientific Drilling Coordination Office (CSDCO), a world-class, NSF-funded geological core lab. Existing core from Mississippi will be transported to the CSDCO and used for training, while generating multiple datasets that will satisfy the research objectives of 1) characterizing early Paleocene paleosols and 2) associated facies, and 3) improving chronostratigraphic control within these sediments. This research seeks to establish baseline physical, chemical, and biological aspects of Earth's critical zone prior to the hyperthermals that are commonly used as analogs for projected climate change. This will enable more precise evaluation of the magnitude of climate-driven changes in terrestrial systems. Training will be overseen by the CSDCO director, who will ensure that the following training objectives are met: 1) gain knowledge of proper archival storage techniques for core, 2) learn efficient, standardized workflows for sampling core, 3) become proficient at 14 new methods of core analysis and associated data interpretation, 4) become familiar with logistics of independently arranging contractual services to drill future core samples to sustain the PI's post-fellowship research program. The PI's newly learned skills will be easily transferrable to his research lab at the University of Mississippi. Furthermore, his enhanced research-based perspective on climate change will enable him to provide recommendations for national carbon emission policy to mitigate harmful impacts of future increases in atmospheric CO2 levels.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.