| NSF Org: |
AGS Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | April 16, 2021 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | August 3, 2021 |
| Award Number: | 2103092 |
| Award Instrument: | Continuing Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Mea S. Cook
mcook@nsf.gov (703)292-7306 AGS Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | May 1, 2021 |
| End Date: | April 30, 2025 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $1,150,800.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $1,150,800.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
110 INNER CAMPUS DR AUSTIN TX US 78712-1139 (512)471-6424 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
10100 Burnet Rd., Bldg. 196/ROC Austin TX US 78758-4445 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Paleoclimate |
| Primary Program Source: |
01002223DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01002324DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
The research team aims to reconstruct changes in variability of the El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) during the last deglacial period by measuring coral delta O-18 on previously collected samples from Vanuatu in the tropical southwestern Pacific Ocean. Modern coral delta O-18records from Vanuatu and pseudoproxy experiments show a high degree of skill in capturing changes in ENSO variability, providing confidence that the resulting records can be used to reconstruct past ENSO variability. The researchers will compare the reconstructions to climate model output of ENSO during previous glacial times when Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) was both vigorous and sluggish.
The research team?s current hypotheses, based on climate model output, is that ENSO was reduced during glacial times, relative to modern, and that ENSO was more active when AMOC was shutdown, relative to contemporaneous glacial times when AMOC was active.
The team will conduct hosing model experiments under glacial boundary conditions to test the sensitivity of ENSO and AMOC changes to background conditions. The research will also investigate how non-stationarity of ENSO may affect the skills of Vanuatu corals by using an ensemble of climate models run under different climate boundary conditions.
The project may help shed light on the sensitivity of ENSO to external forcing, a highly critical issue given that climate models used for future climate projections do not agree if ENSO will strengthen or weaken as the Earth warms.
The potential Broader Impacts include a deeper understanding of ENSO variability, development of a new drilling system for field research, involvement of graduate and undergraduate students in the research including undergraduates at a primarily undergraduate teaching institution.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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