The principal investigators will purchase a new instrument (a mass spectrometer) that they will use for two main purposes. They will perform chemical analyses on cave deposits collected from caves in North America, South America, and Eurasia. The analyses will provide information about the climate history at each of the cave sites. The climate records will provide us with an idea of the extent of natural climate change, how much, how rapid, how extensive geographically. They will also help us to understand the causes of natural climate change. The principal investigators will also use the new mass spectrometer to develop capabilities for more sensitive and precise measurements of trace amounts of uranium present naturally in seawater. These measurements will provide insight into how rapidly the ocean circulates and information about the chemical cycles of carbon and uranium in the ocean.
To the extent that this project furthers our knowledge of the character of past climate change and our understanding of the causes of climate change, it is of broad societal value. This project will also stimulate the already extensive collaboration among hundreds of scientists nationally and internationally with the University of Minnesota group and contribute to the training of the next generation of Earth scientists.
