six-month review – global environmental change: biomineral proxies of ocean chemistry and climate,...

Six-month Review – Global Environmental Change: Biomineral Proxies of Ocean Chemistry and Climate, 003/P, 22 Jun 2001 - 30 Apr. 2004

CMI Project Review:

Project Name Global Environmental Change: Biomineral Proxies of Ocean Chemistry and Climate

Number 003/PReport Period 22 June 2001- 30 April 2004


Project Name

Cambridge PI, affiliation Harry Elderfield (Earth Sciences)MIT PI, affiliation Ed Boyle (EAPS)

• Brief Description of Project:The oceans play a central role in modulating the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere. Indicators of the chemistry of past oceans and the variation of global climate over Earth history are locked up in the patterns of element and isotope partitioning into the biomineral shells of foraminifera, corals and similar organisms. We propose to determine why element partitioning at the mineral surface is correlated with the global environment, rather than simply how it is correlated.

• Summary of Intended Outcomes:Understanding the ocean carbon system and its future evolution is crucial to the adaptation of society and industry to changing climate. This research is aimed at documenting aspects of the past evolution of the carbon system as a means for improving understanding of key carbon system mechanisms that operate on a variety of time scales.


Progress In Past Six Months

• Important activities, collaborations:Development of methodologies at CU and MIT to estimate oceanic carbonate ion concentrations. CU focused on microfossil micro-morphology and minor element partition coefficients; MIT specifically focused on microfossil sulfate and magnesium concentrations.

• Milestones achieved:Development of a mass spectrometric method for the simultaneous precise analysis of S and Mg in microfossils. Start on microfossil calibration database.

• Deliverables completed:Presented talk at Ocean Sciences conference; papers in Science and other journals; talks at international conferences; PhD graduate; talk at CMI day of CU Science Week; research highlighted in University Annual Report for 2002; laboratory set up for microfossil micromorphology; conducted Tyndall/CMI conference on “Macro-engineering options for climate change management and mitigation”


Plans For Next Six Months

• Expected activities, collaborations :• Project is finished; wrap up will include further data interpretation

and preparation of manuscripts.• Boyle will present talk “Paleo perspectives on carbonate ion and

pH” at a SCOR conference in Paris in May on “The role of the ocean in a high-CO2 world”

• Expected milestones:• Submission of further manuscripts

• Expected deliverables:In addition to forthcoming manuscripts and abstracts, Elderfield group has published papers in Science and other journals and both group have given presentations at international conferences; Elderfield group has set up laboratory for microfossil micromorphology, and Boyle group has developed method for simultaneous analysis of Mg, S, and Ca in foraminifera.


Other Items

• Modifications to statement of work and/or funding:

none

• Expected financial profile:

all funding will be expended at end of current financial statement

• Anything else:

work may continue under other umbrellas (e.g. Boyle NSF proposal).


PR / Communications / Events

• Any previous press interest in your project? By who? What media?The Tyndall/CMI conference on “Macro-engineering options for climate change management and mitigation” was picked up for short articles in the regular press (e.g. Boston Globe covered this) and has recently been featured in an article in the “New Scientist” magazine (27 March 2004).

• Upcoming events, major publications, noteworthy dates in the next six months:Tyndall Conference will arrange for a web site summarizing the meeting.

• Do you need any help with your PR / communications / event planning?No further help required as project is finished. Tyndall/CMI conference may be followed up by another meeting sponsored by the Royal Society; perhaps CMI could provide publicity for that meeting (one or two years in the future).


Challenges And/or Issues To Address

• Problem/Concern:Our project was one of first CMI projects, focused on the rubric of environmental understanding, and has strong “blue-skies” emphasis. Therefore PIs have difficulty couching achievements within revised CMI strategy

• Plan for resolution:Our proposed sponsorship of a follow-up conference to the Tyndall/CMI meeting has been declined by CMI, so we will pursue other opportunities for conference sponsorship.

• How CMI can help:Publicity for the follow-up conference.

six-month review – global environmental change: biomineral proxies of ocean chemistry and climate,...

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