Through the proposed two-year project, the PIs will provide the first modern evaluation of the late Paleozoic Gondwanan glaciation in eastern Australia. Currently, the data and observations on which the interpretations of the glacial record in eastern Australia are based predate the scientific advances in the field of glacial geology of the past thirty years and, as such, have made it difficult to incorporate information from the region into global reviews of the issue. The rationale for the proposed project is that until new sedimentological and geochemical data are gathered and resolved into a robust stratigraphic framework, understanding of the late Paleozoic ice age in eastern Australia, and how it fits into the global picture, cannot be advanced. The proposed project will build upon the results of previous studies carried out by the PIs in Queensland and New South Wales, Australia, and will benefit from recently improved age constraints for the Carboniferous system of New South Wales. This investigation will include: (1) collection of sedimentological data from key areas in New South Wales, Australia; (2) generation of stable isotopic proxy records of climate change derived from climate-sensitive calcareous components; and (3) correlation of interpreted glacial periods with other areas in Australia and other Gondwanan continents. The applicants are uniquely qualified to carry out this research, having the necessary sedimentological and geochemical skills and experience, a combined twenty years research experience in the field area, and a considerable inventory of relevant, preliminary data.
Intellectual Merit The proposed research will contribute to a developing global re-evaluation of the late Paleozoic iaicehouselo period, and as such will have relevance and significance to a broad range of geoscientists. It is anticipated that the results from this work will, among other outcomes, contribute to increasingly sophisticated numerical models of past climates which are now being used iteratively to provide estimates of rates and magnitudes of climate change through geologic time.
Broader Impacts Because participation in scientific research plays a strong, positive role in guiding student perceptions of career opportunities in science, both undergraduate and graduate students will be included in research activities. Students will be involved in data gathering and interpretation, and will be encouraged to publish outcomes and participate in professional meetings. Students from groups traditionally under-represented in the geosciences will be targeted for participation. The PIs will work with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Office of Trio Programs to identify students from these groups. Results of the proposed research will be incorporated into education activities, presented at professional meetings, and published in peer- reviewed journals. The benefits to society, though indirect, are certainly tangible in the contribution made to input parameters for numerical models of climate change.
