The proposed project will perform new stable isotope and elemental (Zn/Ca and Cd/Ca) analyses on benthic foraminifera from a suite of cores in the southwestern quadrant of the North Atlantic and use these data to augment existing data from these proxies. The data will fill in gaps identified by preliminary runs of an inverse modeling technique to more completely constrain the circulation and water column respiration of the Atlantic during the Last Glacial Maximum. The Last Glacial Maximum is one of very few periods in the geological record with adequate data coverage to incorporate tracer data into an inverse model of ocean circulation. Yet the data for the LGM are still incomplete. This project will go far to improve the data base, and also the chances that modelers will be able make robust inferences about the rates of glacial circulation. The proposed project will involve graduate students as well as a Summer Student Fellow (undergraduate).
