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About OAII |
David L. Clark
B.L. Winter
Karin M. Barovich
University of Wisconsin Madison
Start Date: May 15, 1994
Expires: April 30, 1996 (Estimated)
Expected Total Amt.: $293,235 (Estimated)
Fld Science: Environmental NEC
Fld Applictn: Oceanography
Abstract:
Clark Research supported by this grant is under the auspices of the Arctic Systems Science (ARCSS) Global Change Research Program and is jointly sponsored by the Division of Ocean Sciences and the Office of Polar Programs. The research will be centered around a unique and intensive, multidisciplinary research expedition to parts of the Arctic Ocean that have never been extensively studied. The 1994 U.S./Canada Arctic Ocean Section is a collaborative effort with Canada that will involve approximately 60 scientists on a Canadian and a U.S. icebreaker during summer 1994. NSF-funded projects will focus on hydrography, biology, paleo-, and sea-ice studies. Data collected will be amongst the first ever from several regions of the Arctic Ocean and will be highly relevant to improving our understanding of how the Arctic is an indicator of changing global climate conditions and how it affects the physical, chemical, and biological features of the more temperate oceans and regions. This specific research effort involves the study of rare-earth element (REE) and Nd isotope systematics in order to gain insights on the interplay of ocean chemistry, biology, and physics. REE, and Nd isotope measurements will be obtained from sediment and water samples collected during the cruise and will be used to determine the origin of different water masses comprising the Arctic Ocean. Information will also be derived on the origin and maintenance of the seawater stratification, mixing processes, circulation, and biogeochemical processes. In addition, these data will allow the Arctic Ocean to be placed in context with other existing REE and Nd isotope data from the sub-Arctic oceans and to be integrated into existing global, inter-oceanic circulation models. Analysis of ice-borne and seabed sediments for Pb, REE, and Nd-Pb-Sr isotopes will allow integration of Late Cenozoic Arctic Ocean sediment geochemistry to the current understanding of sediment sources and dispersal in the Arctic Ocean.