I use deep-sea sediments as archives of past climate change. Ocean sediments accumulate slowly but continuously and provide records of past changes in Earth climate and ocean circulation over a wide range of timescales, from centuries to millions of years.

I’m a marine geologist and geochemist who uses stable isotopic and trace metal analyses of microfossil shells (foraminifera) to understand how and why past climates have changed. Two timescales interest me: Climate records spanning the past few millennia to understand natural climate variability. Over longer timescales I’m also interested in the evolution of ocean temperature gradients and terrestrial climate  associated with the Pliocene epoch 3-4 million years ago, the last time atmospheric CO2 levels were similar to contemporary values.

               

LDEO Center for Climate and Life

April 19-20, 2012 Symposium at Lamont:

“Did Climate Change Shape Human Evolution?”

Lectures on YouTube