RUI: Variability in Styles of Reef Accretion throughout theCaribbean and the Western Atlantic

许多试图比较现代和古代珊瑚礁的研究人员感到沮丧，这在很大程度上是由于当今模型的严重缺陷。这些模型中的大多数都是基于佛罗里达州和巴哈马群岛的有限例子，它们通常集中在珊瑚礁最浅部分的建筑过程中。最近的研究表明，增生的模式不需要模仿珊瑚礁表面生物产生碳酸钙的能力。礁体内部的次生破碎和不断重组形成了以碎屑组构为主的沉积相，在较深的前礁区域发生了显著的增生。本项目将沿已知的珊瑚礁物理过程和表面特征梯度收集加勒比珊瑚礁环境的核心数据。在每个地点，沿着整个大陆架剖面收集的岩心将提供关于整个珊瑚礁系统的信息，而不是局限于迄今为止大多数研究的重点——浅层、暴露的礁顶。由于无法精确取样，深水中现代碳酸盐礁的内部结构在很大程度上是未知的。该项目将使用一种新设计的钻井系统来回收加勒比海的珊瑚礁样本。这些样本将揭示珊瑚礁是如何生长的，供应和海平面对这种生长的控制，并将我们对珊瑚礁过程的认识从目前对浅水的理解扩展到深水过程。

Frustration expressed by many researchers attempting to compare modern and ancient reefs is in large part due to critical flaws in present-day models. Most of these models are based on limited examples from Florida and the Bahamas, and they generally focus in constructional processes in the shallowest portions of the reef. Recent studies have shown that patterns of accretion need not mimic the ability of organisms on the reef surface to produce calcium carbonate. Secondary processes that break down and constantly reorganize the reef interior lead to depositional facies that are dominated by detrital fabrics, with significant accretion occurring in deeper forereef areas. This project will collect core data from Caribbean reef environments along recognized gradients in both physical process and surficial character of the reefs. At each locality, cores collected along the entire shelf profile will provide informaiton on the overall reef system rather than limitation to the shallow, exposed reef crests that have been the focus of most studies to date. %%% The internal structure of modern carbonate reefs in deep water is largely unknown due to the inaccessibility to precise sampling. This project will use a newly designed drilling system to recover samples of coral reefs in Caribbean Sea. The samples will reveal how coral reefs grow, the control of supply and sealevel on that growth, and extend our knowledge of reef processes from the present understanding of shallow water to deep water processes.