Research Training ProgramSmithsonian
Institution
|
|
| Diana Thiel University of Delaware Newark, Delaware Brian Huber, Ph.D. "The summer was such a wonderful all around learning experience because not only did I learn a great deal from my research, but was also exposed to all the fields of natural history by the leaders in the field." |
  |
|
|
Terminal Cretaceous Climate, Paleoceanography, and Biotic Change
ABSTRACT
Foraminifera are single-celled marine organisms that, through the deposition of their calcareous shells in the fossil record, have provided much insight into past climates and oceans. These fossils are abundant because of their small size, and their rapid evolution and widespread geographic occurrence makes them excellent fossils for study. The Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary mass extinction that occurred 65 million years ago is yet to be completely understood. Recent evidence supporting the collision of an extra-terrestrial object with the earth at this time has heightened awareness of the mechanism of this extinction. Through the recovery of well-preserved strata from the ocean floor by the Ocean Drilling Program, foraminifera from the Late Cretaceous can be collected and chemically analyzed for clues to past climates and ocean dynamics. In this study, foraminifera from the Late Cretaceous were analyzed for morphologic changes, and three species were picked for stable isotope analysis. The isotopic data reveal changes in temperature, salinity, and productivity at each sampled time. Major fluctuations were then compared to morphologic data to see if changes in climate and paleoceanography result in biotic change.
This research opportunity was supported by a grant from the Scholarly Studies Fund.