Periodic Reporting for period 1 - BRAVO (Barents Sea Arctic Cenozoic Evolution and Paleogeographical Reconstructions)
Berichtszeitraum: 2023-09-01 bis 2025-08-31
Gateways, seaways, and passages are conduits that connect ocean basins and are crucial features for ocean circulation patterns, today and in the past. Furthermore, oceans are significant drivers of climate change via heat and moisture transport, as reported via global CO2 and O2 levels. Therefore, reconstructing high-quality paleobathymetry-topography is important to produce reliable ocean circulation and climatic models for our scientific community and wider society. The Barents Seaway is an underexplored ocean gateway that played a key role in modulating global climate and ocean circulation patterns in the Cenozoic (the last 66 Myr). A data-driven constraint on timing and geometry of this gateway will provide robust climatic and oceanographic models that are crucial for projecting past climate change to the present and future. BRAVO’s ambition is to provide the most reliable paleobathymetric-topographic reconstruction of the Barents Seaway for the Cenozoic. BRAVO’s results will be self-consistent 4D Earth models (space and time) of paleobathymetry-topography of the Barents Seaway and corresponding sedimentary pathways and accumulation. BRAVO’s research theme on Arctic climate change is aligned well with the recent EU policy on a stronger engagement for a sustainable Arctic and climate.
1. Paleogeographical modelling using GPlates. We've used publicly available paleogeography and extracted their plate movement directions and velocities. In some cases, we also modified them to match with general understanding of regional and local tectonic development using GMT scripts.
2. Source-to-sink modelling using Badlands. We imported those paleogeography sets to Badlands software. Then, we set other source-to-sink parameters, such as sea level curve, sediment diffusion parameters and tectonic/subsidence uplift rate. The simulation results were then compared with seismic dataset.
2. Source-to-sink modelling using Badlands. We imported those paleogeography sets to Badlands software. Then, we set other source-to-sink parameters, such as sea level curve, sediment diffusion parameters and tectonic/subsidence uplift rate. The simulation results were then compared with seismic dataset.
The coupling between GPlates and Badlands software is the first development of its kind. This allows for a sediment dispersal simulation in continuously moving plate margins.