Copyright 2013 FORAYS WITH FORAMS Photo Credit: psammophile
Copyright 2013 OBJECTIVES Introduce basic background information about forams as modern and fossil living organisms Examine forams’ distinctive role as “proxies” for palaeoecology, palaeoclimatology, and water quality reconstructions Use planktonic forams to reconstruct ocean evidence of changing climate Use benthic forams to track changing environmental conditions in the Chesapeake Bay
Copyright 2013 Foraminifera (“Forams”) One-celled organisms Widespread through the oceans, coastal zones, & estuaries – planktonic & benthic “Tests” = shells Approximately the size of sand grains Made of CaCO 3 or sediment particles Fossil tests preserved in ocean sediment layers Many modern species have existed for millions of years – scientists can study these “proxies” today! Important in climate & water quality reconstructions
Copyright 2013 Living Forams Photo Credits: Dr. Howard Spero, University of California – Davis
Copyright 2013 Fossil Foram Tests Photo Credit: psammophile
Copyright 2013 Fossil Foram Tests Photo Credits: Michael Hesemann,
Copyright D and 3-D “Cat-Scan” Views G. menardii G. siphoniferaG. inflata P. obliquiloculataG. ruber N. pachyderma N. dutertreiG. sacculiferG. bulloides Molcer 3-D image viewer software: White Rabbit Corporation, e-Foram Stock files of forams – Tohoku University Museum, Japan -
Copyright 2013 Foraminifera Sculpture Park in Guangzhou Province, China Photo:
Copyright 2013 Apple Pie Decorated With Marzipan Forams!! Photo: Hannes Grobe/AWI
Copyright 2013 ACTIVITY USING PLANKTONIC FORAMS TO DETERMINE OCEAN CLIMATE HISTORY – NEW ZEALAND
Copyright 2013 OBJECTIVES Identify foram species indicative of foraminiferal provinces (ocean climate regions) Use graphs of species percentages to determine foraminiferal provinces for several samples from a single ocean core Determine how ocean climate changed during the time period represented by the samples, and examine possible causes
Copyright 2013 Transitional FORAMINIFERAL PROVINCES Foraminiferal Provinces
Copyright 2010 Location of Core Ocean sediment core
Copyright 2010 OCEAN SEDIMENT CORE SOUTHEAST OF NEW ZEALAND’S NORTH ISLAND Layer 1 10,000 ybp Layer 2 15,000 ybp Layer 3 20,000 ybp USE FORAMS TO FIND THE OCEAN CLIMATE HISTORY IN THIS AREA ybp = years before present
Copyright 2010
EACH “SLICE” OF THE PIE CHART = 5%
Copyright 2010 Subtropical THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE !! YOUR ACTUAL NUMBERS & PIE CHART WILL PROBABLY BE DIFFERENT !!
Copyright 2010 ACTIVITY CHESAPEAKE BAY: BENTHIC FORAMS AS ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS
Copyright 2010 OBJECTIVES Identify key benthic foram species in several samples from a core of Chesapeake Bay sediment Calculate species percentages in each sample Determine trends in environmental conditions in the Bay’s watershed during the time period represented by the samples and examine possible causes
Copyright 2010 EUTROPHICATION Nutrient pollution fuels the growth of algae blooms that block sunlight from reaching bay grasses and rob the water of oxygen needed by the Bay’s living organisms Photo: US EPA Chesapeake Bay Program
Copyright 2010 EUTROPHICATION Image Credit:
Copyright 2010 BENTHIC FORAMS AS ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS Presence of certain “opportunistic” species that are tolerant of “stressed” environmental conditions (low dissolved oxygen, change in salinity, heavy metals & other pollutants) – will become abundant in the stressed ecosystem Some species exposed to extreme pollution or other extreme environmental stressors may produce deformed tests
Copyright 2010 West Virginia Virginia Maryland Pennsylvania D.C. Delaware New York Chesapeake Bay Watershed CORE SAMPLE FROM TIDAL PATUXENT RIVER
Copyright 2013 SEDIMENT CORE TIDAL PATUXENT RIVER, MARYLAND BENTHIC FORAMS AS CLUES TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES IN THE CHESAPEAKE BAY WATERSHED FORAM SAMPLES FROM CORE LAYERS CALENDAR YEAR DATES OF SAMPLED LAYERS
Copyright 2013
210
Copyright 2013
BALDCYPRESS TREE RINGS BLACKWATER RIVER SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA Photo: