NSF Org:	AGS Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences
Recipient:	THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK
Initial Amendment Date:	August 15, 2011
Latest Amendment Date:	August 15, 2011
Award Number:	1103466
Award Instrument:	Standard Grant
Program Manager:	David Verardo AGS  Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences GEO  Directorate for Geosciences
Start Date:	September 1, 2011
End Date:	December 31, 2013 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount:	$79,617.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date:	$79,617.00
Funds Obligated to Date:	FY 2011 = $57,327.00
History of Investigator:	Sharon Hoffmann (Principal Investigator) hoffmanns@uncw.edu Jerry McManus (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office:	Columbia University 615 W 131ST ST NEW YORK NY  US  10027-7922 (212)854-6851
Sponsor Congressional District:	13
Primary Place of Performance:	Columbia University Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory Rt 9W Palisades NY  US  10964
Primary Place of Performance Congressional District:	17
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI):	F4N1QNPB95M4
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s):	Paleoclimate
Primary Program Source:	01001112DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s):	1304, EGCH
Program Element Code(s):	153000
Award Agency Code:	4900
Fund Agency Code:	4900
Assistance Listing Number(s):	47.050

ABSTRACT

The aim of this collaborative project is to reconstruct long-term and short-term changes in the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) using high-growth rate, precisely dated speleothems from caves in Borneo. Using the speleothems, the researchers would produce 150- to 300-year time series of changes in delta 18-Oxygen for five key time periods during the Holocene.

The research addresses several science questions, such as: 1) Was ENSO absent or just weaker in the early Holocene? 2) Did the frequency or magnitude of El Nino events change on centennial time scales during the late Holocene? 3) Were low-frequency changes in western equatorial Pacific precipitation driven by ENSO or by migration of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)? and 4) Can the impact of ENSO on tropical rain forest productivity be detected using speleotherm stable isotopic records?

The broader impacts include the training off a female postdoctoral researcher and the mentoring of undergraduates involved with the research project. Data would be archived at the National Climatic Data Center.

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