# Collaborative Research: Seasonal and century-scale climatic and ocean response to deglacial Mississippi River outflow due to Laurentide meltwater

> **NSF 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT** · University of Massachusetts Boston (MA) · $275,001

## Abstract

The last deglaciation occurred from approximately 20,000 to 11,700 years ago when rising atmospheric temperatures caused Earth’s main ice sheets to melt. Vast amounts of water from the vanishing Laurentide Ice Sheet flowed through the Mississippi River system into the marine environment. The mixing of fresh meltwater with saline ocean water on such a mass scale triggered abrupt changes in regional climate, ocean circulation, and ecosystems. This project seeks to understand how environmental systems responded to these freshwater inputs on seasonal and century timescales. By improving our understanding of the short- and long-term effects of past ice sheet melt, the research will help scientists and the public anticipate the potential consequences of modern ice sheet melting and freshwater input on marine ecosystems. The project will support student research and training and engage broad audiences through public-facing data visualizations and educational outreach.

This research will develop a refined and detailed understanding of climatic and oceanographic changes across Earth’s last deglaciation due to the meltwater released from the Laurentide Ice Sheet. The project will generate new high-resolution reconstructions of ocean-atmospheric and biogeochemical variability from strategically located marine sediment cores (already collected) and integrate these with existing paleoclimate data. The cores derive from the Garrison Basin offshore Texas, where deposited sediment capture

## Key facts

- **NSF award ID:** 2503849
- **Awardee organization:** University of Massachusetts Boston (MA)
- **SAM.gov UEI:** CGCDJ24JJLZ1
- **PI:** Jesse R Farmer
- **Primary program:** 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
- **All programs:** MARINE GEOLOGY AND GEOPHYSICS, Marine Nitrogen Cycle
- **Estimated total:** $275,001
- **Funds obligated:** $275,001
- **Transaction type:** Standard Grant
- **Period:** 09/01/2025 → 08/31/2028

## Primary source

NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2503849

## Citation

> US National Science Foundation, Award 2503849, Collaborative Research: Seasonal and century-scale climatic and ocean response to deglacial Mississippi River outflow due to Laurentide meltwater. Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-08 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nsf/2503849. Licensed CC0.

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