Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Aksu's research program has two main focuses: the Pleistocene-Holocene evolution of the Marmara Sea Gateway and Miocene-Recent tectonic and sedimentary evolution of the eastern Mediterranean. During the next DG cycle Aksu will co-supervise 14 existing and 9 new HQP. The study identified as ""the Pleistocene-Holocene evolution of the Marmara Sea Gateway"" aims to delineate the water-mass history of the Black Sea, and its communication with the eastern Mediterranean Sea, using high resolution seismic reflection profiles, multibeam mosaics and multiproxy data in cores. Six existing HQP will continue work on various aspects of the paleoceanography of the Black Sea, Marmara Sea and the Aegean Sea. In 2011, 1013 and 2015, Aksu and collaborator Richard Hiscott will carry out three cruises to collect additional sedimentary and geophysical data from the gateway. These data will form the basis for four new HQP to be co-supervised by Aksu and Hiscott. The study identified as ""the Miocene-Recent tectonic and sedimentary evolution of the eastern Mediterranean"" aims to determine and map the areal distribution of strain through time, and its degree of partitioning among compression, horizontal shear and extension, across the complicated junction between the Hellenic and Cyprus Arcs, using multichannel seismic reflection profiles. Seven existing HQP will continue work on the Miocene to Recent tectonic evolution of the various regions the eastern Mediterranean Sea. In 2012 and 2014 Aksu and collaborator Jeremy Hall will carry out two cruises to collect additional multichannel seismic reflection data, which will constitute the basis for five new HQP, to be co-supervised by Aksu and Hall.