Funds are provided for a study of Quaternary cores for the Ontong- Java Plateau ODP sites. The approach will be to eliminate the productivity effect which has a compensating effect on preservation. This will provide a "corrected" signal for preservation as a difference between shallow and deep records. Paleoproductivity signal will be obtained through the study of benthic formainifera. Ontong-Java is an ideal area for this study as productivity variations as minimal here. The study will interglacial variations in atmospheric CO2 and on the nature of acoustic reflectors in deep sea carbonates.
