SGER: Sclerosponges: a key to understanding the influence of global warming on ocean thermocline and mixed layer variability..an example from the Caribbean

摘要：硬海绵是一组独特的热带生物，它们在从近地表到200米的栖息地范围内分泌文石骨骼。由于硬海绵可以存活1000年，而且它们的文石地球化学与海水处于同位素平衡状态，这些骨骼包含了全新世期间连续的近地表环境条件的宝贵档案。当从一套标本中收集氧同位素和微量元素数据时，有可能重建水柱温度和盐度随深度和时间的变化。来自该SGER的资金将用于从波多黎各Desecheo岛沿着200米深度的样带中定位和收集硬海绵，使用混合气体/呼吸器潜水技术（至100米）和潜水器（100-200米深度）。加勒比珊瑚礁研究所将免费向国家科学基金会提供这一项目的资金。收集的硬海绵将使用U/Th的日期和分析其骨骼地球化学校准和验证的地球化学代用品的古温度。

Abstract: Sclerosponges are a unique group of tropical organisms that secrete aragonite skeletons across a habitat range from the near surface to 200 m. Because sclersosponges can live for 1000 years, and their aragonite geochemistry is in isotopic equilibrium with seawater, the skeletons contain an invaluable archive of continuous near surface environmental conditions during the Holocene. When oxygen isotope and trace element data are collected from a suite of specimens, it is possible to reconstruct water column temperature and salinity as a function of depth and time. Funds from this SGER will be used to locate and collect sclerosponges from a 200 m depth transect along Desecheo Island, Puerto Rico, using mixed-gas/rebreather diving technology (to 100 m) and an ROV (100-200 m depth). The Caribbean Coral Reef Institutes will provide the ROV to this project at no cost to NSF. Collected sclerosponges will be dated using U/Th and analyzed for their skeletal geochemistry to calibration and validate the geochemical proxies for paleothermometry.