My work involves the open-source Paleobiology
database, a very user-friendly and easily accessible collection of locations
and information on a wide variety of fossils. While information on the fossils
themselves tends to be detailed and well researched, there is a significant
lack of information on what the environment was like when the bones began to
fossilize. Without this information there is no context- only bones. Studying
what exactly the ocean was like around these animals when they lived helps researchers
better understand their behaviors and adaptations. I got involved with this
work by asking around about what opportunities there were for paleontological
research. Though my interests primarily concern early reptile evolution, I was
excited for any opportunity to research fossils. I hope to attend graduate
school and continue to study paleontology, so this work should help me get a
head start on research.
Every week, I set aside a few hours and use the
GeoRef database (and/or the USGS Geolex, depending on the locality) to find
information on the depositional environments of specific formations the
mysticeti fossils were found in. This can be very easy, with the information I
need available directly in the abstract. However, a number of complications can
also arise. Sometimes the information on a given formation is extremely scarce,
to the point that there is no actual information to be found online. For some
non-United States formations, this information may be in a different language
that cannot be easily translated (such as Japanese, which is frequently the
case). Thus, I need to carefully manage what information was found and where,
so that my mentors (Dr. Mark Uhen and Carlos Peredo) can look over the data
later.
This week, I found out that the area in Oregon
near the California border used to have warmer water than it does now. This
isn’t exactly crazy shocking information, but it does have interesting
implications about what today’s very cold North Pacific current was like during
the Miocene (23 to 5 million years ago).
