Collaborative Research: Snapshots of Miocene to Recent Paleoenvironmental and Paleoecological Conditions in the Northern Neotropics

在过去的2000万年里，地球经历了几次气候变化，影响了世界各地的环境和生态条件。虽然来自高纬度地区的众多研究提供了关于这些过去气候波动的影响的丰富信息，但人们对它们如何影响热带大陆的条件知之甚少，主要是因为缺乏可用于科学调查的长期地质记录。在这个项目中，将对危地马拉的伊萨巴尔湖盆地进行研究，该盆地保存着热带大陆沉积物的最长记录之一，以更好地了解该地区过去对关键气候事件的反应。除了该项目的科学成果外，该项目还将通过参与一个国际研究项目为两名研究生提供教育和研究机会。该项目还将通过为中小学科学课程开发地球科学课程单元和为K-12科学教师举办教育地球科学讲习班，接触到更广泛的受众。虽然来自高纬度地区的大量研究提供了关于晚新生代气候波动对环境和生态条件影响的丰富信息，但相比之下，我们对热带地区的了解很少。拟议的项目重点是危地马拉东部伊萨巴湖盆地的沉积系统和生态系统的交汇处，这是一个巨大的拉分盆地，包含着延伸到中新世的厚厚的沉积学记录。调查将使用沉积学记录，方法是研究代表盆地基底和来自渐新世-上新世的初始充填物的露头数据、工业获得的涵盖中新世-新世的地震数据、跨越中新世-新世的钻井岩屑以及覆盖过去30 000年的长沉积岩心(10米)。该项目将通过地球物理、沉积学和孢粉学数据获取、处理和解释方面的培训，为两名研究生提供教育和国际研究机会，从而有助于加强地球科学队伍。该项目还将通过访问密苏里州的科学教室，并在STEM日期间为密苏里州科技大学的中小学生展示和分享研究成果，从而接触到更广泛的受众。最后，与危地马拉机构的参与和合作将提供国际研究机会和合作，并加强美国和危地马拉合作者之间的知识转移。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。

During the last 20 million years, Earth has experienced several climatic changes that affected environmental and ecological conditions in several locations around the world. While numerous studies from high latitude regions have provided a wealth of information about the effects of these past climatic fluctuations, how they affected conditions in the continental tropics is poorly known, mainly due to the lack of long geological records that can be used for scientific investigations. In this project, the Lake Izabal Basin in Guatemala, which preserves one of the longest records of continental sediments in the tropics, will be studied to develop a better understanding of how the area responded to key climate events in the past. In addition to the project’s scientific outcomes, the project will provide educational and research opportunities to two graduate students through participation in an international research project. The project also will reach a broader audience through the development of geoscience class modules for elementary and middle school science classes and educational geoscience workshops for K-12 science teachers. While numerous studies from high latitude regions have provided a wealth of information about the effects of late Cenozoic climatic fluctuations on environmental and ecological conditions, our knowledge from tropical regions is minimal by comparison. The proposed project focuses on the intersection of sedimentary systems and ecosystems in the Lake Izabal Basin in eastern Guatemala, a large pull-apart basin that contains a thick sedimentological record that extends into the Miocene. The investigation will use the sedimentological record through the study of outcrop data representing the basin’s basement and initial infill from the Oligocene-Pliocene, industry-acquired seismic data covering the Miocene-Recent, drill cuttings from a well spanning the Miocene-Recent, and long sediment cores (10 m) covering the last 30,000 years. The project will provide educational and international research opportunities to two graduate students through training in geophysical, sedimentological, and palynological data acquisition, processing, and interpretation, thereby contributing towards a stronger geoscience workforce. The project will also reach out to a broader audience by visiting science classrooms in Missouri and presenting and sharing research results during STEM days for elementary and middle school female students at Missouri University of Science and Technology. Finally, involvement and collaboration with Guatemalan institutions will provide international research opportunities and collaborations and enhance transfer of knowledge among U.S. and Guatemalan collaborators.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.