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Oligocene antarctic ice-shield variability : impact on global paleoceanography and climate

Objetivo

The objectives of my proposed project are to assess and quantify the variability of the early Antarcticice-sheet and its relationship to deep-water temperature, hydrography and ventilation, export productivity and benthic ecosystems during the late Early Oligocene. The work will employ an integrated approach; generating multi-proxy faunal and geochemical (oxygen, carbon isotopes and Mg/Ca ratios) using benthic foraminifera with excellent preservation and stratigraphic control in Site1218, recently (Dec 2001) drilled during ODP Leg 199, central tropical Pacific. In this way it will be possible, for the first time, to reconstruct global ice volume changes on orbital time scales following the onset of significant ice-sheets on Antarctica (Eocene/Oligocene boundary time). The multi-proxy approach will allow me to investigate links between physical (temperature), chemical (oxygenation), and biological (e.g. export flux of organic matter) parameters in the tropical Pacific, as influenced by changes in deep water on national circulation and the growth and decay of the Antarctic ice-sheet. The proposed research will provide critical information necessary to understand the influence of short-term climatic changes on newly established polar ice-sheets and thereby improve our understanding of the chain of events surrounding the transition from greenhouse to icehouse conditions. The training comprises analytical techniques in geochemistry and in benthic foraminifera taxonomy and ecology to quantitatively reconstruct paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic changes. The geochemical methods based on oxygen and carbon isotope and Mg/Ca ratios, including a training in the handling of mass spectrometer, electron microprobe analyzer and the utilization of geochemical box models for constraining secular changes in seawater chemistry. A further training in taxonomy and ecology of benthic foraminifera will be given. This enables me to carry out reconstructions of deep and surface water processes (calcareous nannofossils), and therefore broaden my knowledge in quantitatively reconstructing paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic processes in the future, moreover, to transfer my acquired knowledge to future students. A scientific transfer of my excellent background in micropaleontology, paleoceanography , and paleoclimatology will be highly recommended to the host institution in Southampton.

Tema(s)

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Convocatoria de propuestas

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Coordinador

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON
Aportación de la UE
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Dirección
Southampton Ocenagraphic Centre, European Way
SO14 3ZH SOUTHAMPTON
Reino Unido

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Coste total
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