Research Projects

The research project aims to study the Glacial/Interglacial Oxygen Minima Zone and Hydrographic variability in the eastern Arabian Sea (Laxmi basin) during the Quaternary using sediment cores collected during the IODP 355 "Arabian Sea Monsoon" Expedition. The project will utilize marine sediment records, micropaleontological expertise, and facilities available at the Department of Geology, BHU, and a newly established high-end instrumentation facility for geochemical measurement at the Central Discovery Centre (CDC). Planktic foraminifera are widely used proxies for reconstructing past changes in upper water column conditions. The study will use various parameters of planktic foraminiferal assemblages to reconstruct past history of upper ocean structure changes and understand its relationship to seasonal monsoon strength variation. The potentiality of benthic foraminifera in deciphering past changes in sea floor oceanographic conditions is recognized. Deep sea benthic foraminifera of the Quaternary sediment from the Laxmi Basin will be extensively studied for reconstructing paleoceanographic evolution of the Laxmi Basin. The proposed IODP Site U1457, located within the Laxmi Basin in the eastern Arabian Sea, is situated approximately 490 km west of the Indian coast and 760 km south from the present-day mouth of the Indus River. The cored section at Site U1457 includes expanded upper Miocene to recent strata punctuated by some hiatuses or condensed sections.

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