Ocean Acidification: Collaborative Research: Establishing the Magnitude of Sea-Surface Acidification During The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum

Lead PI: Dr. Baerbel Hoenisch

Unit Affiliation: Geochemistry, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO)

September 2012 - August 2016
Inactive
Global ; Pacific Ocean ; Atlantic Ocean ; equatorial Pacific ; South Atlantic
Project Type: Research

DESCRIPTION: The project funded detailed B proxy records for a number of locations across the Pacific and Atlantic to establish regional anomalies in surface ocean carbonate chemistry relative to longer-term trends.

OUTCOMES: The boron isotope data from surface dwelling foraminifera from different ocean settings consistently suggest surface ocean acidification of approximately -0.3 pH units. Extension of the Pacific record into the Paleocene and Eocene corroborates a long-term decrease in surface ocean pH consistent with the long-term warming and d13C trends.

SPONSOR:

National Science Foundation (NSF)

FUNDED AMOUNT:

$111,935

EXTERNAL COLLABORATORS:

University of California Santa Cruz, University of Hawaii

WEBSITE:

https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1220554&HistoricalAwards=false

PUBLICATIONS:

Penman, D.E., B. Hönisch, R.E. Zeebe, J.C. Zachos, “Rapid and sustained surface ocean acidification during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum”, Paleoceanography 29, doi: 10.1002/2014pa002621.

T.L. Babila, D.E. Penman, B. Hönisch, D. C. Kelly, T. J. Bralower, Y. Rosenthal, J.C. Zachos (2018): Capturing the global signature of surface ocean acidification during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum”, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 376 (2130).

KEYWORDS

ocean and climate physics ph paleocene-eocene thermal maximum carbon dioxide ocean acidification

THEMES

Modeling and Adapting to Future Climate