Ship to Shore: Sifting Core

Doc Sautter (aka Spud) trained the next generation of micropaleontologists in methods to track climate change recorded in cores by analyzing plankton. The Rockers learned how to read foraminifera shell growth orientation and interpret the changes as climate indicators resulting from the environment in which the foram grew. The class sampled core from leg 167 and processed the samples in order to filter for foram shells. Tomorrow they will begin the data collection and analysis to find evidence of what temperatures were like above the seafloor where the core was collected. With this data and data collected from other researchers around the world the Rockers will gain new insight into how the JR’s cores reflect global climate patterns.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

JOIDES Resolution