UMass Amherst Geoscientists to Host One of 11 Exhibits at the National Science Foundation Open House Feb. 4

Jan. 30, 2008

Contact:

Julie Brigham-Grette 413/545-4840

AMHERST, Mass. – Geoscientists Julie Brigham-Grette and Robert Deconto of the University of Massachusetts Amherst have been invited to host one of 11 exhibits at the National Science Foundation Open House on Monday, Feb. 4 in Arlington, Va. The team will represent an international group of scientists recovering a complete 3.6 million-year record of the arctic climate from a remote Siberian lake.

“This is one of thousands of grants supported by the National Science Foundation, and the only geosciences and climate change exhibit chosen for the event,” says Brigham-Grette, chief U.S. scientist for the project. “It is an honor to be included and an indicator of the importance of this research.”

This is the second year the NSF will showcase science and engineering research and education programs. Over 1,000 attendees are expected at the open house, including students, congressional staff and representatives from the media, professional societies and corporations.

“The Thrill to Drill in the Chill – Climate History of the Arctic from Meteorite Crater Lake El’gygytgyn” will present the findings from preliminary drilling in 1998, 2001 and 2003, which obtained cores of sediment from the lake. Analysis of these cores confirmed that the lake is the only location in the terrestrial arctic that contains a continuous, 3.6 million-year climate record. “This record is required to fully understand the Arctic’s role in global climate dynamics,” says Brigham-Grette. “Of primary interest is determining why and how the arctic climate system evolved from a warm, forested ecosystem to a cold, permafrost ecosystem between two and three million years ago.”

Geologists are also interested in studying the volcanic rocks at the base of the sediments, since they contain a well-preserved record of how they were changed during the meteor impact that formed the lake. El’gygytgyn Crater Lake is the perfect analog to craters on Mars that were once filled with water, and may provide insight into how the Martian craters formed.

The exhibit will include posters geared to nonscientists with photographs of the field work and a high-resolution elevation map of the lake. Drill bits used to take sediment cores will be on display alongside sample cores that show the layering studied by scientists. A display of rocks from the Chesapeake Bay area, which is also an impact crater, is planned to illustrate the features found in rocks hit by meteors. Slide shows, brochures and handouts highlighting climate change research at UMass Amherst and a round monitor that can be attached to a computer to show oceanic and atmospheric circulation patterns will complete the exhibit.

Drilling at the lake will be completed during a four-month period starting in January 2009, eventually recovering four 400, meter sediment cores. “The climate record recovered will become a landmark in understanding how our climate system works and how sensitive it is to change,” says Brigham-Grette. Rock cores will be taken from the base of the lake for the impact science.

Brigham-Grette is also participating in a new National Science Foundation project called “Conversations with Scientists.” The NSF with partners at Columbia University will travel to UMass Amherst to tape a video interview with Brigham-Grette that will be featured on the NSF Web site and the National Science Digital Library.

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