Early/Late Maastrichtian Climatic History of the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans (Marine Geology): VPW

与之前关于晚白垩世气候条件均匀、温暖和稳定的建议相反，来自深海和陆上层序的有孔虫同位素结果显示，马斯特里赫期期间逐渐冷却，气候和海洋变化显著。甲烷值的显著增加与特定海洋值的下降、记录的海平面退缩以及早期和晚期海水87Sr/86Sr比值的增加以及最近的马斯特里赫期有关。这些事件的重合，以及马斯特里赫斯底栖有孔虫与始新世中期冰排碎屑的相似性，表明这些变化可能与冰川静止现象有关。拟议的研究将根据有孔虫的氧和碳同位素测量以及有孔虫的定量分析，调查和记录南大西洋和印度洋中高纬度马斯特里赫斯早期至晚期的气候和海洋学历史。生物地层学、磁性地层学和化学地层学的结合将加强深海剖面的生物地层学对比。马斯特里赫特大陆大量积冰的证据将对白垩纪气候的模拟以及对整个气候历史的解释产生重大影响。该项目应能更好地重建与气候演变相关的古海洋学，提示某些变化发生的时间和方式。它进一步推动了VPW项目的目标，为女性提供通过研究提升她们在科学或工程领域的职业生涯的机会，并通过调查人员作为东道主校园榜样的更高知名度，鼓励其他女性在这些领域追求职业生涯。在这个项目中，促进第二个目标的拟议活动包括：教授化石记录中的化学-生物关系课程；在普林斯顿大学附近的大学、学院和高中举办地质学专题讲座，以鼓励女学生从事科学事业；每学期共同教授一次系研讨会。

Contrary to previous suggestions of uniform, warm and equable climatic conditions during the Late Cretaceous, foraminiferal isotopic results from deep-sea and onshore sequences reveal progressive cooling, and significant climatic and oceanographic variability during the Maastrichtian. Episodes of marked increase in forminiferal values correlate with decreases in specified oceanic values, documented sea level regressions and increases in seawater 87Sr/86Sr ratios in the early to late, and latest Maastrichtian. The coincidence of these events, and the similarity between Maastrichtian benthic foraminifera values and those of middle Eocene age associate with ice-rafted debris, suggest that these variations might be related to glacioeustatic phenomena. The research proposed will investigate and document the climatic and oceanographic history of the early to late Maastrichtian in the high and mid latitude South Atlantic and Indian Oceans based on foraminiferal oxygen and carbon isotope measurements, and foraminiferal quantitative analyses. Biostratigraphic correlation of deep-sea sections will be enhanced by integration of biostratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy and chemostratigraphy. Evidence of substantial continental ice accumulation in the Maastrichtian will have significant implications for modeling of Cretaceous climates as well as interpretations of climatic history in general. This project should lead to better paleooceanographic reconstructions, relevant to climatic evolution, suggesting when and how certain changes developed. It furthers VPW program objectives to provide opportunities for women to advance their careers in science or engineering through research, and to encourage other women to pursue careers in these areas through the investigators' enhanced visibility as role models on the host campuses. In this project, the proposed activities which contribute to the second objective include: teaching a course in chemical-biotic relations in the fossil record; giving lectures in geologic topics to universities, colleges and high schools near Princeton University to encourage women students to pursue scientific careers; co-teaching a departmental seminar each semester.