Project Grant 2305427

The University of Massachusetts Boston (UMB), as prime recipient of a $342,538 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Ocean Sciences under the Geosciences program (CFDA 47.050), will generate high-resolution climate proxy time series over the past two million years from new sediment cores recovered during Expedition 383 in the subantarctic Pacific Ocean. UMB will draw upon expertise from three US institutions to produce an unprecedented suite of biological and geochemical tracers from three drill sites. Records of surface ocean conditions will explore changes in climate and carbon dynamics, including reconstructions of dust input, nutrient utilization, export production, and syntheses with collaborators' records of sea surface temperature, water mass structure and circulation. Insights aim to inform understanding of the Southern Ocean's role in the global climate system and capacity for carbon storage over climatic transitions like the Mid-Pleistocene Transition. Additionally, UMB will use a cohort student program under guidance from a psychology professor to promote diversity and broadened participation in geosciences. The award period is from May 15, 2023 through April 30, 2026 for total funding of $342,538.