P2C2: Paleo-synoptic Changes as Recorded in the Mineral Dust in the Guliya Ice Cap, Northwestern Tibetan Plateau

该项目旨在利用西藏西北部古里雅冰帽冰芯（1.6 - 12.5万年）建立北方半球的风尘记录。具体来说，研究人员将描述保存在冰芯中的矿物颗粒的放射性，地球化学和形态学特性。这些数据将与不同气候情景下的气候模型模拟进行比较，以了解古尘埃记录对轨道尺度和突发气候事件期间气候变异的敏感性。建议的研究目标是：1）记录整个晚更新世的风尘性质的变化，和2）通过沙尘排放源和输送与西风带和印度夏季风系统（ISM）的机制的特征。该项目将为西藏西北部晚更新世和全新世的区域岩石圈-大气-冰冻圈相互作用提供新的知识，潜在的更广泛的影响包括开发新的青藏高原风尘记录，将填补中纬度沙尘源变化的地理数据空白，并加强冰芯地球化学和古气候学研究学科。其他更广泛的影响包括几个外展活动，包括：1）一个约5分钟的视频片段，以突出研究问题的开始，实验室技术和方法的部署; 2）在高中和本科地球科学课堂上使用的课堂课; 3）通过哥伦布科学酒吧外展计划向更广泛的社区介绍本项目的科学和发现。此外，该项目将支持一名研究生和一名早期职业女性科学家（博士后研究员）在冰芯古气候学、矿物学和建模方面的培训。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project seeks to develop an aeolian dust record for the Northern hemisphere derived from an ice core (16-125 thousand years) from the Guliya ice cap in Northwest Tibet. Specifically, the researchers will characterize the radiogenic, geochemical and morphological properties of mineral particles preserved in the ice core. These data will be compared with climate model simulations under different climate scenarios to understand the paleo-dust record sensitivity to climate variability on orbital scales and during abrupt climate events. The proposed research goals are to 1) document the variability of the nature of the aeolian dust throughout late Pleistocene, and 2) characterize the mechanisms through which the dust emission sources, and transport are linked to westerlies and the Indian Summer Monsoon systems (ISM). This project will provide new knowledge on the regional lithosphere-atmosphere-cryosphere interactions over the late Pleistocene and the Holocene in Northwest Tibet.The potential Broader Impacts include the development of a new aeolian dust record from the Tibetan Plateau that will fill a geographic data gap in mid-latitude dust source variability and strengthen ice core geochemistry and paleoclimatology research disciplines. Other Broader impacts comprise several outreach activities including: 1) a video segment of ~5 minutes to highlight the inception of the research question, deployment of laboratory techniques, and methods; 2) A classroom lesson for use in high school and undergraduate geosciences classrooms; 3) a presentation to discriminate the science and findings of this project to the broader community through the Columbus Science Pub outreach program.In addition, the project will support the training of one graduate student and an early career female scientist (Post-doctoral researcher) in ice core paleoclimatology, mineralogy and modeling.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.