Data Compilation of the Research Vessel METEOR (1964)

In 2008, the 50th anniversary of the IGY (International Geophysical Year), WDCMARE presents with this CD publication 3632 data sets in Open Access as part of the most important results from 73 cruises of the research vessel METEOR between 1964 and 1985. The archive is a coherent organized collection of published and unpublished data sets produced by scientists of all marine research disciplines who participated in Meteor expeditions, measured environmental parameters during cruises and investigated sample material post cruise in the labs of the participating institutions. In most cases, the data was gathered from the Meteor Forschungsergebnisse, published by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). A second important data source are time series and radiosonde ascensions of more than 20 years of ships weather observations, which were provided by the Deutscher Wetterdienst, Hamburg. The final inclusion of all data into the PANGAEA information system ensures secure archiving, future updates, widespread distribution in electronic, machine-readable form with longterm access via the Internet. To produce this publication, all data sets with metadata were extracted from PANGAEA and organized in a directory structure on a CD together with a search capability.

Late Pleistocene sediment record of the Maldives carbonate platform

A piston core from the Maldives carbonate platform was investigated for carbonate mineralogy, grain-size distributions, calcium carbonate content and organic carbon. The sedimentary record was linked to Late Pleistocene sea-level variations, using an age model based on oxygen isotopes obtained from planktonic foramanifera, nannofossil biostratigraphy and 14C age determinations. The correlation between the sedimentary record and Late Pleistocene sea-level showed that variations in aragonite and mud during the past 150 000 years were clearly related to flooding and sea floor exposure of the main lagoons of the atolls of the Maldives carbonate platform. Platform flooding events were characterized by strongly increased deposition of aragonite and mud within the Inner Sea of the Maldives. Exposure events, in contrast, can be recognized by rapid decreases in the values of both proxy records. The results show that sediments on the Maldives carbonate platform contain a continuous record of Pleistocene sea-level variations. These sediments may, therefore, contribute to a better understanding of regional and even global sea-level changes, and yield new insights into the interplay between ocean currents and carbonate platform morphology.