My research interests revolve mainly around the use of radiogenic isotopes as a means of elucidating earth processes, but the focus of my current research is on neodymium isotopes and their use as an oceanographic/paleoceanographic tracer. Qualitative assessments of Nd isotope ratios in modern seawater and in marine archives has lead many researchers to treat this element like a conservative tracer. My thesis involves the direct measurements of seawater as well as the use of oceanographic computer models to better understand the degree to which Nd can be thought of as a conservative tracer in the modern ocean. In addition I am also conducting an experiment where we directly compare modern seawater with Holocene sediments, which will allow us to directly determine how well marine sediments in our study area record the Nd isotopes of seawater.

Some of my projects include:

• Modeling the Distribution of Neodymium in the Oceans with an OGCM
• Neodymium isotopes in seawater and coretop sediments from the South African Margin
• Provenance of Holocene North Atlantic terrigenous sediments