9529997 McCorkle In this project, the principal investigator will the relationship between benthic foraminifera, organic matter deposition pore water chemistry , and solids chemistry in sediment cores taken seasonally from the sea floor of Georges Bank. The central objective is to study the details of the so-called "Mackensen effect" - the apparent decrease in the fraction of 13C in the carbon content of benthic forams in response to the deposition of fresh organic matter produced in the overlying water column. These studies will help quantify the impact of seasonal cycles of ocean productivity on benthic foraminiferal proxies of paleoproductivity and on carbon cycling at the sea floor.
