Participation in IODP Expedition 397 (Iberian Paleoclimate)

Lead Research Organisation: UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
Department Name: Earth Sciences

Abstract

IODP Expedition 397 will take place on the SW Iberian margin off Portugal later this year (06 Oct - 06 Dec 2022) where rapidly accumulating sediments preserve a high-fidelity record of past climate change. This proposal requests funding (travel and salary) for Prof. D. Hodell to participate in IODP Expedition 397 (Iberian Paleoclimate) as co-chief scientist and for postcruise research during the sample moratorium period following the expedition. Cores from all holes at two of the proposed sites (SHACK-04C and -11B) will be analyzed by core scanning X-ray fluorescence (XRF) at 1 cm spatial resolution. This is a non-destructive method that semi-quantitatively estimates elemental ratios of sediment composition from the split core surface. These data will be used to accurately correlate from hole-to-hole and construct a composite spliced section that is needed to ensure a complete stratigraphic section. We will also produce a low-resolution oxygen isotope record and construct and orbitally-tuned age model so scientists working on these sites can place their data into a robust stratigraphic and chronologic framework. The proposed research will further the overall objective of Expedition 397 which is to provide present and future generations of paleoceanographers with the raw material needed to reconstruct the North Atlantic climate at high temporal resolution for the last 5 million years.
 
Description The PI served as co-chief scientist on International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 397 (From 11 October to 11 December 2022,) which took place off the coast of Portugal southwest of Lisbon. The main objective was to recover the exceptional sedimentary archive preserved beneath the seafloor on the Iberian margin to study past climate change at high temporal resolution. During the expedition, which carried 26 international scientists, four sites were drilled, recovering 6.2 km of marine sediments that accumulated rapidly, thereby providing a high-fidelity record of past climate change on timescales of hundreds to thousands of years and extending back millions of years ago. Climate signals contained in these marine sediment cores will be correlated precisely to polar ice cores from both hemispheres and with European pollen records, providing a rare opportunity to link oceanic, atmospheric, and terrestrial climate and environmental changes. The four drill sites are located at different water depths (1339, 2591, 3479, and 4692 m below sea level), permitting scientists to study how deepocean circulation and chemistry changed in the past, including its role in deep-sea carbon storage and atmospheric CO2 changes. The sediment cores recovered during Expedition 397 will provide benchmark records of North Atlantic climate change at high temporal resolution from the late Miocene (about 8 million years ago) to present. This period includes the last 3 million years when changes in the Earth's orbit resulted in the growth and decay of large ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere and a warmer world before this time when atmospheric CO2 was similar to today. All cores recovered show strong changes in physical properties (such as color) that represent a response to known cyclic changes in Earth's orbit, which will aid in accurately dating the sediment. Many years of research will be needed to extract the detailed climatic signals from the kilometers of core recovered during Expedition 397, but the records to be produced will be vital for testing numerical climate models and understanding how the climate system works and how it might change in the future.
Exploitation Route The sediment cores recovered during IODP Expedition 397 will provide the raw material needed by scientists to study past climate change for the last 8 million years for decades to come.
Sectors Education

Environment
URL http://publications.iodp.org/preliminary_report/397/
 
Description Outreach during Expedition 397 was highly productive, reaching a record number of students and the general public across the world through several diverse platforms, including live ship-to-shore events, webinars, social media, videos, radio pieces, blog posts, and in-person activities. 
Form Of Engagement Activity A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press)
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact Lve ship-to-shore video tours of the JOIDES Resolution were hosted over Zoom to interact with formal and informal groups all over the world. These events introduced students and
members of the general public to the goals, methods, and scientific findings of Expedition 397 and the broader history and significance of scientific ocean drilling. Over the course of the expedition, the onboard Education and Outreach officer facilitated 86
Zoom tours to 64 different institutions, including primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities, conferences, museums, after school programs, informal public groups, and some special productions such as the IODP Germany annual Geo Show. Student audiences ranged from Pre-K to graduate university level.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022