This award supports a study designed to: 1) establish Sr isotope compositions for each of the Late Cenozoic lithostratigraphic units of the central Arctic Ocean, 2) correlate the Sr isotope curve that will be established for the Arctic Ocean to that recognized in the sub-Arctic oceans, 3) relate the ages established using isotopic ratios to the magnetic stratigraphy, oxygen isotope, and amino-acid chronologic data that are recognized in the Arctic, and 4) use the central Arctic Ocean Sr isotope compositions to assess ages for the widespread Arctic sediment and stratigraphic units of unknown age, and for sediment not well constrained by any of the other stratigraphic tools. This approach has the potential to produce high resolution stratigraphic correlations and overcome the largest obstacle to long range sedimentological and stratigraphic interpretations for the Arctic Ocean. In addition, Nd isotope compositions of Arctic Ocean samples will be determined. Because of the very short residence time of Nd in the oceans, samples selected from widely different areas of the Arctic Ocean will identify sources of continental input and amount of sediment dispersal. All samples for this work will come from existing cores and materials in the University of Wisconsin collection.
