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Journal Article

Sedimentary Geochemistry and Paleoenvironments Project

Working Group Leaders: Una Farrell (Trinity College, Dublin), Kim Lau (Penn State University), Noah Planavsky (Yale University), David Johnston (Harvard University), Erik Sperling (Stanford University)

This paper serves as an introduction to the SGP and represents the citable reference for the SGP Phase 1 data product, accessible via sgp-search.io

Abstract: Geobiology explores how Earth’s system has changed over the course of geologic history and how living organisms on this planet are affected by or are indeed affecting these changes. For decades, geologists, paleontologists, and geochemists have generated data to investigate these topics. Foundational efforts in sedimentary geochemistry utilized spreadsheets for data storage and analysis, suitable for several thousand samples, but not practical or scalable for larger, more complex datasets. As results have accumulated, researchers have increasingly gravitated towards larger compilations and statistical tools. New data frameworks have become necessary to handle larger sample sets and encourage more sophisticated or even standardized statistical analyses. In this paper we describe the Sedimentary Geochemistry and Paleoenvironments Project (SGP), which is an open, community-oriented, database-driven research consortium. The goals of SGP are to a) create a relational database tailored to the needs of the deep time (millions to billions of years) sedimentary geochemical research community, including assembling and curating published and associated unpublished data, b) create a website where data can be retrieved in a flexible way, and c) build a collaborative consortium, where researchers are incentivized to contribute data by giving them priority access and the opportunity to work on exciting questions, as well as participating on collaborative papers. Finally, and more idealistically, the goal is to establish a culture of modern data management and data analysis in sedimentary geochemistry.

Status: Published at Geobiology.

Document(s):
Journal Name
Geobiology
Publication Date
June 5, 2021
DOI
10.1111/gbi.12462