It was named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (2006) after Professor Michael L. Bender at the Department of Geosciences (Geochemistry), Princeton University (earlier at the Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island), whose paleoclimate research from 1984 centered on the glacial-interglacial climate change and the global carbon cycle.
It was named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (2006) after Edward J. Brook, Professor of Geosciences, Oregon State University; U.S. Antarctic Project investigator of Antarctic paleoclimate in numerous field seasons from 1988; Chair, U.S. National Ice Core Working Group for use of Antarctic ice cores for research purposes, 2004–05.
In 1995, Hodell, Curtis and Brenner published a paleoclimate record from Lake Chichancanab on the Yucatán Peninsula that showed an intense, protracted drought occurred in the 9th century AD and coincided with the Classic Maya collapse.
Dr. D.P. Agrawal, chairman of the Paleoclimate Group and founder of Carbon-14 testing facilities in India stated in an article in Frontline Magazine that the piece was dated twice, at separate laboratories.