One of the overarching goals of the MARGINS Source-to-Sink (S2S) program in the Waipaoa focus area is to elucidate the Late Quaternary evolution of the shelf and slope, and to quantify the rates and distributions of sediment dispersal in response to climate- and human- induced changes in supply, as well as sea-level changes. Realizing this objective is key to the overall success of S2S in New Zealand because the shelf and slope off the Waipaoa represent major repositories (sink) of the recent geologic history for this focus area.

An important opportunity to advance the MARGINS Waipaoa program has recently emerged with the French R/V Marion Dufresne II in New Zealand waters during January-Feburary, 2006. US MARGINS researchers, in collaboration with French and New Zealand scientists, collected 5 long cores (up to 30-m length) from the shelf and slope off the Waipaoa which contain high-resolution records of the Late Quaternary. These cores are currently in cold storage at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), Wellington, NZ.

For more details contact either of the following:
Clark Alexander (clark.alexander@skio.usg.edu)
Steven A. Kuehl (kuehl@vims.edu)