The study will aim to reconstruct surface ocean changes in the equatorial Atlantic of the past 2 m. yrs. using diatoms assemblages in cores from ODP Site 662. Diatoms are sensitive recorders of productivity and surface circulation conditions. The investigators hope to generate a long term record of equatorial circulation and decipher the history of cyclic forcing. They will compare this with the record from the Pacific and other latitudes to test for climatic and oceanographic linkages. The study is an important avenue of investigation which will generate critical time series data for detailed paleoceanographic reconstructions of the equatorial hydrological regime. It is also a natural extension of the PIs previous work that needs to be completed to its fruition.
