A new high-resolution stratigraphic record of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum in the Eastern Tethys

发生在古新世-始新世最热时期(或5600万年前)的突如其来的全球变暖事件被认为是对未来全球气候变化的极好模拟。伴随着这一事件的是全球气温突然上升5至9摄氏度(9至16华氏度)，同时有迹象表明，大量二氧化碳排放到大气中。该项目将完善保存在古特提斯海沉积物中的这一事件的地层记录，以替代该地区这段时间内温度变化的记录。这项研究将使用纳米化石生物年代学和高分辨率磁化率来开始揭开该地区的地质历史，并研究使用最先进的地球化学古温度计来量化温度变化的可能性。通过这样做，这项研究将评估特提斯海在全球气候模式中的重要性，以及大气二氧化碳的快速变化在这种气候变暖状态下的作用。该项目还将为经济困难背景的本科生提供支持。学生将从美国化学协会的SEED项目(经济弱势群体的夏季体验)和GS-LSAMP(花园州路易斯·斯托克斯少数人参与联盟)中招募。研究结果将通过NOAA古气候数据库和MAGIC数据库在公共活动中公布，并通过NOAA古气候数据库和MAGIC数据库提供给更广泛的古气候社区。具体地说，该项目的研究目标是(1)进一步发展PETM期间东特提斯海升温速度和时间的地层学记录，(2)利用岩石磁旋回地层学估计沉积速率，以及(3)评估应用甘油二烷基甘油四醚分布重建海表面温度的可行性。这些数据将评估东特提斯在调节全球温度和湿度变化方面的潜在重要性，以及在PETM期间大气二氧化碳强迫的大而快速变化所起的作用。这些信息可以帮助记录古气候记录，这将改变我们对PETM驱动因素的理解，为地球系统将如何应对当前大气二氧化碳的增加提供有用的见解，并更广泛地提供对全球气候模型中关键参数的洞察。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

An abrupt global warming event that occurred at the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (or PETM; 56 million years ago) is considered an excellent analogue for future global climate change. This event is accompanied by an abrupt 5 to 9 degrees Celsius (9 to 16 degrees Fahrenheit) global temperature rise along with indications of large quantities of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. This project will refine the stratigraphic record of this event as preserved in deposits of the ancient Tethys sea for proxy records of temperature change during this interval in this region. The research will use nannofossil biochronology and high-resolution magnetic susceptibility to begin to unravel the geological history of the region and examine the potential to use a state-of-the art geochemical paleothermometer to quantify temperature change. In doing so, the research will evaluate the importance of the Tethys sea in global climate patterns as well as the role of rapid changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide in this much warmer climate state. The project will also provide support for undergraduate students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Students will be recruited from the American Chemical Society’s project SEED (Summer Experiences for the Economically Disadvantaged) and GS-LSAMP (the Garden State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation). The results of the research will be presented in public events and the data made available to the broader paleoclimate community through the NOAA Paleoclimate database and MagIC database.Specifically, the research goals of this project are to (1) further develop the stratigraphic record of the pace and timing of temperature increase in the eastern Tethys sea during the PETM , (2) use rock magnetic cyclostratigraphy to estimate the sedimentation rate, and (3) evaluate the feasibility of applying the distributions of glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers to reconstruct sea surface temperatures. These data will evaluate the potential importance of the eastern Tethys in regulating global temperature and moisture changes, as well as the role of large and rapid changes in atmospheric CO2 forcing during the PETM. This information could help document a paleoclimate record that will transform our understanding of the drivers of the PETM and offer useful insight into how the Earth system will respond to current increases in atmospheric CO2 and more generally provide insight into key parameters in global climate models.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.