Application of the chemical composition of G. ruber (pink) tests in the reconstruction of the SW Atlantic sea surface hydrographic conditions

Abstract

The following proposal aims to obtain a grant for a 12 (twelve) month international research stay at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) from the Columbia University (New York, USA), to be developed under the supervision of Dr. Peter deMenocal. The research stay will be developed by the candidate as part of the currently in development project entitled "The SW Atlantic during the Holocene - sea water temperature and salinity changes" (FAPESP Proc. n° 2013/06965-8). The development of this research stay will be fundamental to accomplish the goals established in the referred project. It will provide acquisition of data, essential to the successful development of the project and the necessary know-how of preparation procedures to analyze elemental ratios in planktonic foraminifera tests, namely Mg/Ca ratios, in order to implement and validate this method at IOUSP. Additionally, the candidate will also participate in an investigation involving a long core from the LDEO core repository collected near to the La Plata River mouth focusing on the history of precipitation regimes over the South Eastern American continent in the last 25,000 years by reconstructing seawater isotopic composition (´18Osw) a widely applied salinity proxy. Furthermore it will allow exchange of knowledge with Dr. deMenocal and other renowned paleoscience researchers regarding the SW Atlantic paleoceanography, improving modern comprehension of the Holocene history of this basin. (AU)