Trace Metal Proxies in Non-spinose Planktic Foraminifera: Environmental Calibrations and Incorporation Processes

这项研究由加州大学戴维斯分校的一组研究人员领导，旨在提供对控制浮游有孔虫常见地球化学替代品的环境和生物过程的基本了解。具体地说，这项工作将侧重于改进和开发新的校准和理解两个在古海洋学上具有重要意义的浮游有孔虫物种(非刺有刺有孔虫和厚皮有孔虫)的代理行为。这些物种生活在地下水和极地和亚极地纬度，对重建过去层结、温跃层深度、上升流强度、生产力、季风可变性、ENSO动力学和高纬度过程的变化非常重要。利用高分辨率显微分析技术(激光-电感耦合等离子体质谱、电子探针和纳米SIMS)，结合稳定的同位素示踪剂和受控的有孔虫培养实验，研究人员将隔离可能影响浮游有孔虫外壳组成的关键过程的影响。这些实验的目的是利用获得的机械学理解来改进对环境条件的古海洋学重建的解释。这项研究的更广泛的影响包括改进了古海洋学和古气候学界广泛使用的地球化学指标的校准。研究人员积极参与研究生和年轻科学家的教学和指导，有几个人通过这个项目得到了支持。

This research, led by a team of researchers at the University of California - Davis, seeks to provide fundamental understanding of the environmental and biological processes that control common geochemical proxies in planktonic foraminifera. Specifically, the work will focus on improving and developing new calibrations for and understanding proxy behavior in two paleoceanographically important planktonic foraminifer species (the non-spinose N. dutertrei and N. pachyderma). These species inhabit subsurface waters and polar and subpolar latitudes, and are important in reconstructing past variations in stratification, thermocline depth, upwelling intensity, productivity, monsoon variability, ENSO dynamics, and high latitude processes. Using high-resolution microanalytical techniques (laser-ICP-MS, electron microprobe, and NanoSIMS) together with stable isotope tracers and controlled foraminiferal culture experiments, the researchers will isolate the impacts of key processes that can affect the shell composition of planktonic foraminifera. The goal of these experiments is to use the mechanistic understanding gained to improve interpretations of paleoceanographic reconstructions of environmental conditions.The broader impacts of this research include improved calibrations of geochemical proxies widely used by the paleoceanography and paleoclimate communities. The researchers are actively involved in teaching and mentoring both graduate students and young scientists, and several are supported through this project.