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Corals and Temperature FLYER
Collaborative Research:
The Temperature History
of the Western Pacific Warm Pool
Over the Last 30 Ka
Principal Investigators:
Larry Edwards (Univ. of Minnesota)
Emi Ito (Univ. of Minnesota)
Frederick W. Taylor (UTIG)
George Burr (Univ. of Arizona)
Funded by: National Science Foundation
The main objective of this proposal is to obtain seasonal and mean annual records of
sea surface temperature in the Western Pacific Warm Pool over portions of the last 30,000
years. The Western Pacific Warm Pool has the highest mean annual sea surface temperatures
on earth ranging from 28°C to greater than 29.5°C. Because of the high temperatures, the
Warm Pool supplies the earth's atmosphere with a large portion of its water vapor and
heat, largely in the form of latent heat. The rate of ocean-atmosphere heat and water
vapor transfer increases with increasing temperature, reaching particularly high values as
temperatures rise above ~28°C. Thus, the earth's climate is very sensitive to changes in
Warm Pool temperature. Despite its importance, the history of Warm Pool temperatures on
glacial-interglacial time scales is not well known. Existing data are discrepant and
controversial. For example, coupled with estimates of lapse rate, records of
paleo-snowlines in Papua New Guinea give sea level temperatures 5°C lower than modern
values, yet data on foram species distribution indicate that glacial Warm Pool sea surface
temperatures were similar to modern values.
In order to address this controversy, three new and promising sea surface thermometers
will be applied to fossil corals drilled from sites in the Warm Pool. Drilling will be
done in conjunction with the French research organization, ORSTOM, which has already
committed ship time for drill rig transport, purchased a new $120,000 drill rig, committed
an experienced driller, and committed research scientists who will contribute toward
analysis of samples and interpretation of results. As tectonic uplift minimizes depths to
glacial maximum material, localities undergoing tectonic uplift have been chosen as
drilling sites. The absolute ages of recovered corals will be established. The results
will have important implications regarding our understanding of glacial climate,
transitions from glacial to interglacial climate, and millennial-scale climatic events
during deglaciation.
Other UTIG research projects with a similar focus:
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