Eocene Terrestrial Palynology of Seymour Island, Antarctica

该奖项支持一项记录和解释南极半岛东北部西摩岛始新世三角洲La Meseta组中发现的孢子和花粉组合的研究。这些孢子和花粉来自始新世南极半岛上生长的陆地植物，当时与冈瓦那其他地区的陆地连接被切断。始新世孢子和花粉组合反映了地球历史上最后一次南极温暖时期的植被--当时进化创新在南部高纬度地区仍然很明显。特别令人感兴趣的是始新世期间假定的古气候波动，以及始新世/渐新世边界附近的植物群和古气候变化，这些变化可能记录在最上层的La Meseta组。

This award supports a study to document and interpret the spore and pollen assemblages recovered from the Eocene deltaic La Meseta Formation of Seymour Island, northeastern Antarctic Peninsula. These spores and pollen were derived from land plants growing on the Eocene Antarctic Peninsula, at a time when the land connections with the rest of Gondwana were severed. The Eocene spore and pollen assemblages reflect the vegetation during the last interval of south polar warmth in earth history - a time when evolutionary innovation was still apparent in the southern high latitudes. Of special interest are postulated paleoclimatic fluctuations during Eocene, and the floristic and paleoclimatic changes near the Eocene/Oligocene boundary which may be recorded in the uppermost La Meseta Formation.