The project is an attempt to investigate past variations in the oxygen content of the deep ocean. It has been observed that Molybdenum, Vanadium and Uranium are highly enriched in sediments overlain by water that contains very low or no oxygen. These elements are unreactive in oxic water and their dissolved concentrations in the sea can be used as an index to determine the 02 concentration level. The investigation proposes that the history of concentration of these elements in sea water can be determined by measuring their concentrations in planktonic foraminifera in marine sediment. The results of the study will provide the first evidence of the oxygen concentration of the ocean in the geologic past. The study will be important to paleoceanographic studies.
