| Author | Farrell, Ú C ;
Samawi, R; Anjanappa, S; Klykov, R; Adeboye, O O; Agic, H; Ahm,
A -S C; Boag, T H; Bowyer, F; Brocks, J J; Brunoir, T N;
Canfield, D E; Chen, X; Cheng, M; Clarkson, M O; Cole, D B; Cordie, D R; Crockford, P W; Cui, H; Dahl, T W; Mouro, L D;
Dewing, K; Dornbos, S Q; Drabon, N; Dumoulin, J A; Emmings, J
F; Endriga, C R; Fraser, T A; Gaines, R R; Gaschnig, R M; Gibson, T M; Gilleaudeau, G J; Gill, B C; Goldberg, K; Guilbaud, R; Halverson, G P; Hammarlund, E U; Hantsoo, K G; Henderson, M A; Hodgskiss, M S W; Horner, T J; Husson, J M; Johnson, B; Kabanov, P; Brenhin Keller, C; Kimmig, J; Kipp, M A; Knoll, A H; Kreitsmann, T; Kunzmann, M; Kurzweil, F; LeRoy, M A; Li, C; Lipp, A G; Loydell, D K; Lu, X; Macdonald, F A; Magnall, J M; Mänd, K; Mehra, A; Melchin, M J; Miller, A J; Mills, N T; Mwinde, C N; O'Connell, B; Och, L M; Ossa Ossa, F; Pagès, A; Paiste, K; Partin, C A; Peters, S E; Petrov, P; Playter, T L; Plaza-Torres, S; Porter, S M; Poulton, S W; Pruss, S B; Richoz, S; Ritzer, S R; Rooney, A D; Sahoo, S K; Schoepfer, S D; Sclafani, J A; Shen, Y; Shorttle, O; Slotznick, S P;
Smith, E F; Spinks, S; Stockey, R G; Strauss, J V; Stüeken, E E; Tecklenburg, S; Thomson, D; Tosca, N J; Uhlein, G J; Vizcaíno, M N; Wang, H; White, T; Wilby, P R; Woltz, C R; Wood, R A; Xiang, L; Yurchenko, I A; Zhang, T; Planavsky, N J; Lau, K V;
Johnston, D T; Sperling, E A |
| Abstract | (unpublished)
Geobiology explores how Earth's system has changed over the course of geologic history and how living organisms on this planet are impacted by or are indeed causing 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 toward 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 (1) 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; (2) create a website where data can be retrieved in a flexible way; and (3) build a collaborative consortium where researchers are incentivized to contribute data by giving them priority access and the opportunity to work on
exciting questions in group papers. Finally, and more idealistically, the goal was to establish a culture of modern data management and data analysis in sedimentary geochemistry. Relative to many other fields, the main emphasis in our field has been
on instrument measurement of sedimentary geochemical data rather than data analysis (compared with fields like ecology, for instance, where the post-experiment ANOVA (analysis of variance) is customary). Thus, the longer-term goal was to build a
collaborative environment where geobiologists and geologists can work and learn together to assess changes in geochemical signatures through Earth history. |
| Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published)
Geobiology explores how Earth's system has changed over the course of geologic history and how living organisms on this planet are impacted by or are
indeed causing 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 toward 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 (1) 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; (2) create a website where data can be retrieved in a flexible way; and (3) build a collaborative consortium where researchers are incentivized to contribute data by giving them priority access and the
opportunity to work on exciting questions in group papers. Finally, and more idealistically, the goal was to establish a culture of modern data management and data analysis in sedimentary geochemistry. Relative to many other fields, the main emphasis
in our field has been on instrument measurement of sedimentary geochemical data rather than data analysis (compared with fields like ecology, for instance, where the post-experiment ANOVA (analysis of variance) is customary). Thus, the longer-term
goal was to build a collaborative environment where geobiologists and geologists can work and learn together to assess changes in geochemical signatures through Earth history. |