Pliocene Antarctic bottom water: Implications from reworked diatoms and preservation

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25550015
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Environmental dynamic analysis
• Research Institution: Kochi University
• Principal Investigator: IWAI MASAO 高知大学, 自然科学系, 教授 (90274357)
• Research Collaborator: KOBAYASHI Munemasa 高知大学, 大学院総合人間自然科学研究科理学専攻
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 東南極氷床 / 鮮新世温暖期 / 珪藻 / ウィルクスランド

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We examined diatoms from IODP Site U1361 from continental rise off Wilkes Land, Antarctica, to assess the stability of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) and the Antarctic bottom water (AABW) history during the warm Pliocene. Reworked Miocene diatoms in Pliocene section without any recycling in Quaternary sediment in study area suggests the dynamic behaviour of the EAIS as well as Ne isotope and AMS analysis. In addition, increasing of reworked diatoms in clay rich intervals suggest increasing AABW production during warm Pliocene glacial stages.

Free Research Field

微古生物学