Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

The Arctic phosphogenic province: its origin and phosphorus reservoir  (PHOSARCTIC)

Outline
Sedimentary basins surrounding the Arctic Ocean focused deposition of phosphatic, organic carbon-rich facies during the Triassic, which resulted in the formation of a widespread phosphogenic province stretching from Alaska through the Arctic Canada and the Barents shelf to East Siberia. The poor understanding of the origin and scale of this Arctic phosphogenic province impedes a proper evaluation of its role in the global phosphorus cycle during the Phanerozoic history of Earth. The Triassic sequence in Svalbard, which is a part of depositional system of the NW Barents shelf, represents the best known geologically setting of the phosphogenic province. This project aims towards a study of the mechanisms and processes that governed the development of phosphorus and organic carbon sinks in the Svalbard basin during the Triassic phosphogenic event. The study will be carried out in an attempt to recognize oceanic, tectonic, biological, and geochemical processes that led to allocation of the phosphorus overload at margins of the paleo-Arctic basins directly after the biological crisis associated with the Paleozoic/Mesozoic boundary. In order to evaluate these processes good examples of the Triassic sequence in Svalbard need to be studied in detail, with special emphasis placed on the nature of the phosphorus and organic carbon association in different paleoenvironmental settings of the basin. Geological material collected during the filed work will be analyzed by means of petrographic, geochemical and micropaleontological methods in order to reconstruct sedimentary and biogeochemical regimes of the Triassic phosphogenic environments. Geochemical data will be used to provide first estimate of the phosphorus reservoir of the Svalbard’s part of the phosphogenic province.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
The Arctic region may provide crucial information on the nature of the phosphorus cycle during the Phanerozoic history of Earth. Sedimentary basins surrounding the Arctic Ocean seem to have focused deposition and geological immobilization of phosphorus in the Triassic, thus forming a widespread phosphogenic province that fills the postulated Early Mesozoic phosphorus minimum in the World’s sedimentary record. Reconstruction of processes responsible for the formation of the Arctic phosphogenic province, based on the detailed research in the Svalbard basin, will aid to understand global interactions between ocean dynamics, productivity, and climate evolution after the biosphere crisis at the Paleozoic/Mesozoic boundary.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
The project will be realised in scientific collaboration with Dr. Atle Mork, Senior Scientist at SINTEF Petroleum Research, Trondheim, Norway.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
The field work will be done on onland rock exposures in Svalbard, including Spitsbergen, SW Nordaustlandet, Wilhelmoya, Barentsoya, Edgeoya, and Sorkappoya.

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: 07/2007 – 09/2007      07/2008 – 09/2008      
Antarctic: n/a

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
The Polish ice strengthened research ship will be used for transportation within the research area during field seasons 2007 and 2008. The ship may share facilities among scientific teams involved in national and international research programmes related to the 4th IPY.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
No infrastructure will be constructed by the project.

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?
Own national polar operator

The project will use Polish research ship to secure required logistics during the field seasons.

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
The project has been accepted by the Polish National Committee for the 4th IPY 2007-2008.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STRUCTURE

Is the project a short-term expansion (over the IPY 2007-2008 timeframe) of an existing plan, programme or initiative or is it a new autonomous proposal?
Exp

The project is included in the Arctic and Antarctic Research Programme of Poland for 2002-2010.

How will the project be organised and managed?
The project will be organised by three research institutions of the Polish Academy of Sciences: the Institute of Geological Sciences, the Institute of Paleobiology, and the Centre for Ecological Research. It will be self managed, through under general co-ordination of the Polish National Committee for 4-IPY 2007-2008.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
PhD students of the Polish Academy of Sciences will be involved in research activity related to the project. Selected scientific problems within the general topic of the project will be elaborated in the form of PhD dissertations in sedimentary petrology, geochemistry, and micropaleontology.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
The geochemical and micropaleontological data obtained during the realisation of the project will be available on Web pages of the research institutions of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
The project will be financed through the funding from Polish scientific agencies, either as a grant of the Ministry of Scientific Research and Information Technology or as a part of governmental funding of the national scientific activity related to the 4th IPY 2007-2008.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
The project is open for collaboration with scientific activities dealing with the Triassic sequences of the Arctic phosphogenic province in other geographical locations, i.e. the Alaska N Slope, the Sverdrup Basin in Arctic Canada, and the East Siberia.

PROPOSER DETAILS

Dr Krzysztof Krajewski
Twarda 51/55
Warsaw
00-818
Poland

Tel: +4822 6978726
Mobile: +48 609585229
Fax: +4822 6206223
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation