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Robert F. Anderson
Ewing Lamont Research Professor
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Geochemistry
Adjunct Professor
Earth and Environmental Sciences
231 Comer
61 Route 9W - PO Box 1000
Palisades
NY
10964-8000
US
Phone: 
(845) 365-8508
Fax: 
(845) 365-8155
boba@ldeo.columbia.edu

linebreak

Fields of interest: 
Chemical Oceanography, Marine Biogeochemistry, Paleoclimatology

CHEMICAL OCEANOGRAPHY, I am involved in planning an international program to study the marine biogeochemical cycles of trace elements and isotopes, known as GEOTRACES. GEOTRACES will study trace elements that serve as essential micronutrients for marine organisms, trace elements and isotopes that serve as proxies for past ocean conditions, and radionuclides that allow us to derive rates of processes of interest to oceanographers, such as fluxes of particulate oganic carbon exported from surface waters.

MARINE BIOGEOCHEMISTRY, I am interested in the ocean carbon cycle and its sensitivity to global change. This interest spans a range of topics, from climate-related changes in the ocean's carbon cycle in the past, associated with changes in ocean circulation and marine ecosystems, to understanding the fluxes of carbon in the modern ocean, to predicting the ocean's response to anticipated global warming, and the implications for the ocean's uptake of fossil fuel CO2. Of particular interest is the Southern Ocean, around Antarctica, where deep waters exchange carbon dioxide andother gases with the atmosphere, and where ecosystems are particularly sensitive to perturbations in ways that may impact the ocean's carbon cycle.

PALEOCLIMATOLOGY, My interest in paleoclimate is, in a way, an application of the principles learned through the study of modern ocean processes. My main interests are in understanding climate related changes in ocean circulation and in marine ecosystems (both ecosystem structure and biological productivity) across glacial-interglacial cycles, as well as during events of shorter duration (i.e., abrupt climate change). Much of my effort is focused on developing, testing and validating (or rejecting!) methods used in paleoceanography.

 

PDF files of three recent papers that discuss the end of the last ice age can be downloaded here:

Anderson et al., Deglacial CO2, Science, 2009

Denton et al., The last glacial termination, Science 2010

Uncorking the Southern Ocean's Vintage CO2provides a brief comparison to two leading hypotheses to expain the ocean's release of vast quantities of carbon dioxide as the last ice age ended.  These hypotheses involve changes in ocean circulation (bipolar seewaw) and changes in global wind patterns (the "wind hypothesis").  

Education
List of degrees from highest to lowest:
Ph.D. Chemical Oceanography
Massachusetts Institute of Technology/ Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
1981
B.S. Oceanography and Chemistry (double major)
University of Washington
1975
Honors & Awards: 
2003 LDEO, Excellence in Mentoring Award
2003 LDEO, Director’s Award for Research Excellence
2005 Fellow of the American Geophysical Union
2005 A.G. Huntsman Award for Excellence in the Marine Sciences by the A.G. Huntsman Foundation, Dalhousie University, and the Bedford Institute of Oceanography
2010 Sverdrup Lecture, Ocean Sciences Section of the American Geophysical Union, presented at the Ocean Sciences meeting, Portland, Oregon, 23 February
2010 C. C. Patterson Medal, Geochemical Society (environmental geochemistry)
2014 Fellow of the Geochemical Society

Lamont Projects:

GEOTRACES
Educational Activities: 
W4885 Chemical Oceanography - course taught
W4926 Chemistry of Continental Waters - course taught
Lamont/DEES Student List: 
Frank Pavia
Sebastian M. Vivancos
Christopher Hayes (PhD 2013)

Referenced in the Following News Items:

Lamont’s Robin Bell Chosen as AGU President-Elect
Geochemists Team Up with Biologists for a New Approach to Ocean Research
Iron Fertilization Won't Work in Equatorial Pacific, Study Suggests
In the Southern Ocean, a Carbon-Dioxide Mystery Comes Clear
With Climate, Fertilizing Oceans Could Be Zero-Sum Game
Study Adds New Clue to How Last Ice Age Ended
Answer to What Ended the Last Ice Age May Be Blowing in the Winds, Paper Says

Selected Publications:

Using the natural spatial pattern of marine productivity in the Subarctic North Pacific to evaluate paleoproductivity proxies Serno, S.; Winckler, G; Anderson, R.F.; Hayes, C.T.; Ren, H.; Gersonde, R.; Haug, G.H. Paleoceanography Volume: 29 Issue: 5 p.: 438-453 (2014) 10.1002/2013PA002594
Eolian dust input to the Subarctic North Pacific Serno, S.; Winckler, G.; Anderson, R.F.; Hayes, C.T.; McGee, D.; Machalett, B.; Ren, H.; Straub, S.M.; Gersonde, R.; Haug, G.H. Earth and Planetary Science Letters Volume: 387 p.: 252-263 (2014)
Biogeography in Pa-231/Th-230 ratios and a balanced Pa-231 budget for the Pacific Ocean Hayes, C.T.; Anderson, R.F.; Fleisher, M.Q.; Serno, S.; Winckler, G.; Gersonde, R. Earth and Planetary Science Letters Volume: 391 p.: 307-318 (2014)
GEOTRACES: Changing the way we explore ocean chemistry Anderson, R F; Mawji, E; Cutter G A; Measures C I; Jeandel C. Oceanography Volume: 27 p.: 50-61 (2014)
Deep ocean carbonate chemistry and glacial-interglacial atmospheric CO2 changes Yu, J; Anderson, R F; Rohling, E. Oceanography Volume: 27 p.: 16-25 (2014)
Iron fertilization of the Subantarctic Ocean during the Last Ice Age Martinez-Garcia, A; Sigman, D M; Ren, H; Anderson, R F; Straub, M; Hodell, D A; Jaccard, S L; Eglinton, T I; Haug, G H. Science Volume: 343 p.: 1347-1350 (2014)
Two Modes of Change in Southern Ocean Productivity Over the Past Million Years Jaccard, S. L.; Hayes, C. T.; Martinez-Garcia, A.; Hodell, D. A.; Anderson, R. F.; Sigman, D. M.; Haug, G. H. Science Volume: 339 (2013) 10.1126/science.1227545
Quantifying lithogenic inputs to the North Pacific Ocean using the long-lived thorium isotopes Hayes, C.T.; Anderson, R.F.; Fleisher, M.Q.; Serno, S.; Winckler, G.; Gersonde, R. Earth and Planetary Science Letters Volume: 383 p.: 16-25 (2013)
A new perspective on boundary scavenging in the North Pacific Ocean Hayes, C T; Anderson, R F; Jaccard, S L; François, R; Fleisher, M Q; Soon, M; Gersonde, R. Earth and Planetary Science Letters Volume: 369-370 p.: 86-97 (2013)
Responses of the deep ocean carbonate system to carbon reorganization during the Last Glacial interglacial cycle Yu, J; Anderson, R F; Jin, Z; Rae, J W B; Opdyke, B N; Eggins, S M. Quaternary Science Reviews Volume: 76 p.: 39-52 (2013)
Analysis of 232Th, 230Th and 231Pa in seawater: Lessons learned during GEOTRACES Intercalibration Auro, M; Robinson, L F; Burke, A; Bradtmiller, L I; Fleisher, M Q; Anderson, R F. Limnology and Oceanography: Methods Volume: 10 p.: 464-474 (2012)
The mystery of the missing deglacial carbonate preservation maximum Mekik, F A; Anderson, R F; Loubere, P; François, R; Richaud, M Quaternary Science Reviews Volume: 39 p.: 60-72 (2012)
GEOTRACES Intercalibration of 230Th, 232Th, 231Pa and prospects for 10Be Anderson, R F; Fleisher, M Q; Robinson, L F; Edwards, R L; Hoff, J A; Moran, S B; Rutgers van der Loeff, M; Thomas, A L; Roy-Barman, M; François, R. Limnology and Oceanography: Methods (2012)
The Zn abundance and isotopic composition of diatom frustules, a proxy for Zn availability in ocean surface seawater Andersen, M. B.; Vance, D.; Archer, C.; Anderson, R. F.; Ellwood, M. J.; Allen, C. S. Earth and Planetary Science Letters Volume: 301 p.: 137-145 (2011)
Opal accumulation rates in the equatorial Pacific and mechanisms of deglaciation Hayes, C T; Anderson, R F; Fleisher; M Q . Paleoceanography Volume: 25 p.: PA1207 doi:101029/2010PA002008 (2011)
The last glacial termination Denton, G. H.; Anderson, R. F.; Toggweiler, J. R.; Edwards, R. L.; Schaefer, J. M.; Putnam, A. E Science Volume: 328 p.: 1652-1656 (2010)
A deeper respired carbon pool in the glacial equatorial Pacific Ocean Bradtmiller, L. I.; Anderson, R. F.; Sachs, J. P.; Fleisher, M. Q. Earth and Planetary Science Letters Volume: 299 p.: 417-425 (2010)
Sedimentary opal records in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific: It’s not all about leakage Dubois, N.; Kienast, M.; Kienast, S.; Calvert, S. E.; Francois, R.; Anderson, R. F. Global Biogeochemical Cycles Volume: 24 (2010) GB4020 doi:10.1029/2010GB003821
Uncorking the Southern Ocean’s Vintage CO2 Anderson, R. F.; Carr, M-E Science 05/2010 Volume: 328 p.: 1117-1118 (2010)
Wind-Driven Upwelling in the Southern Ocean and the Deglacial Rise in Atmospheric CO2 Anderson, R. F.; Ali, S.; Bradtmiller, L. I.; Nielsen, S. H. H.; Fleisher, M. Q.; Anderson, B. E.; Burckle, L. H. Science Mar 13 Volume: 323 Issue: 5920 p.: 1443-1448 (2009) DOI 10.1126/science.1167441
Comparing glacial and Holocene opal fluxes in the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean Bradtmiller, L I; Anderson, R F; Fleisher, M Q; Burckle, L H Paleoceanography Volume: 24 p.: PA2214, doi (2009)
Covariant glacial-interglacial dust fluxes in the equatorial Pacific and Antarctica Winckler, G.; Anderson, R. F.; Fleisher, M. Q.; McGee, D.; Mahowald, N. Science Apr 4 Volume: 320 Issue: 5872 p.: 93-96 (2008) DOI 10.1126/science.1150595
Modeling the particle flux effect on distribution of 230Th in the equatorial Pacific Siddall, M.; Anderson, R.F.; Winkler, G.; Henderson, G.M.; Bradtmiller, L.I.; McGee, D.; Franzese, A.; Stocker, T.F.; Müller, S.A. Paleoceanography Volume: 23 Issue: PA2208 (2008) 10:1020/2007PA001556
Modern CaCO3 preservation in equatorial Pacific sediments in the context of late-Pleistocene glacial cycles Anderson, R. F.; Fleisher, M. Q.; Lao, Y.; Winckler, G. Marine Chemistry Aug 16 Volume: 111 Issue: 1-2 p.: 30-46 (2008) DOI 10.1016/j.marchem.2007.11.011
Comment on "Do geochemical estimates of sediment focusing pass the sediment test in the equatorial Pacific?' by M. Lyle et al. Francois, R.; Frank, M.; van der Loeff, M. R.; Bacon, M. P.; Geibert, W.; Kienast, S.; Anderson, R. F.; Bradtmiller, L.; Chase, Z.; Henderson, G.; Marcantonio, F.; Allen, S. E. Paleoceanography Mar 6 Volume: 22 Issue: 1 p.: - (2007) Doi 10.1029/2005pa001235
Opal burial in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean over the last 30 ka: Implications for glacial-interglacial changes in the ocean silicon cycle Bradtmiller, L. I.; Anderson, R. F.; Fleisher, M. Q.; Burckle, L. H. Paleoceanography Dec 19 Volume: 22 Issue: 4 p.: - (2007) Doi 10.1029/2007pa001443
Diatom productivity in the equatorial Pacific Ocean from the last glacial period to the present: A test of the silicic acid leakage hypothesis Bradtmiller, L. I.; Anderson, R. F.; Fleisher, M. Q.; Burckle, L. H. Paleoceanography Oct 13 Volume: 21 Issue: 4 p.: - (2006) Doi 10.1029/2006pa001282
Glacial-interglacial variability in the delivery of dust to the central equatorial Pacific Ocean Anderson, R. F.; Fleisher, M. Q.; Lao, Y. Earth and Planetary Science Letters Feb 28 Volume: 242 Issue: 3-4 p.: 406-414 (2006) DOI 10.1016/j.epsl.2005.11.061
Reduced Agulhas Leakage during the Last Glacial Maximum inferred from an integrated provenance and flux study Franzese, A. M.; Hemming, S. R.; Goldstein, S. L.; Anderson, R. F. Earth and Planetary Science Letters Oct 15 Volume: 250 Issue: 1-2 p.: 72-88 (2006) DOI 10.1016/j.epsl.2006.07.002
Equatorial Pacific productivity and dust flux during the mid-Pleistocene climate transition Winckler, G.; Anderson, R. F.; Schlosser, P. Paleoceanography Dec 17 Volume: 20 Issue: 4 p.: - (2005) Doi 10.1029/2005pa001177
Increased productivity in the subantarctic ocean during Heinrich events Sachs, J. P.; Anderson, R. F. Nature Apr 28 Volume: 434 Issue: 7037 p.: 1118-1121 (2005) Doi 10.1038/Nature03544
Problems with paleoproductivity proxies Anderson, R. F.; Winckler, G. Paleoceanography Sep 20 Volume: 20 Issue: 3 p.: - (2005) Doi 10.1029/2004pa001107
Role of marine biology in glacial-interglacial CO2 cycles Kohfeld, K. E.; Le Quere, C.; Harrison, S. P.; Anderson, R. F. Science Apr 1 Volume: 308 Issue: 5718 p.: 74-78 (2005) DOI 10.1126/science.1105375
Sr isotope evidence for sources of terrigenous sediment in the southeast Atlantic Ocean: Is there increased available Fe for enhanced glacial productivity? Rutberg, R. L.; Goldstein, S. L.; Hemming, S. R.; Anderson, R. F. Paleoceanography Mar 30 Volume: 20 Issue: 1 p.: - (2005) Doi 10.1029/2003pa000999
Comment on "On the importance of opal, carbonate, and lithogenic clays in scavenging and fractionating Th-230, Pa-231 and Be-10 in the ocean" by S. Luo and T.-L. Ku Chase, Z.; Anderson, R. F. Earth and Planetary Science Letters Mar 30 Volume: 220 Issue: 1-2 p.: 213-222 (2004) Doi 10.1016/S0012-821x(04)00028-7
Does interplanetary dust control 100 kyr glacial cycles? Winckler, G.; Anderson, R. F.; Stute, M.; Schlosser, P. Quaternary Science Reviews Oct Volume: 23 Issue: 18-19 p.: 1873-1878 (2004) DOI 10.1016/j.quascirev.2004.05.007
Radiocarbon dating of diatom-bound organic compounds Ingalls, A. E.; Anderson, R. F.; Pearson, A. Marine Chemistry Dec 1 Volume: 92 Issue: 1-4 p.: 91-105 (2004) DOI 10.1016/j.marchem.2004.06.019
Accumulation of biogenic and lithogenic material in the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean during the past 40,000 years Chase, Z.; Anderson, R. F.; Fleisher, M. Q.; Kubik, P. W. Deep-Sea Research Part Ii-Topical Studies in Oceanography Volume: 50 Issue: 3-4 p.: 799-832 (2003) Pii S0967-0645(02)00595-7
Assessing the collection efficiency of Ross Sea sediment traps using Th-230 and Pa-231 Fleisher, M. Q.; Anderson, R. F. Deep-Sea Research Part Ii-Topical Studies in Oceanography Volume: 50 Issue: 3-4 p.: 693-712 (2003) Pii S0967-0645(02)00591-X
Fidelity of alkenone paleotemperatures in southern Cape Basin sediment drifts Sachs, J. P.; Anderson, R. F. Paleoceanography Oct 15 Volume: 18 Issue: 4 p.: - (2003) Doi 10.1029/2002pa000862
Scavenging of Th-230 Pa-231 and Be-10 in the Southern Ocean (SW Pacific sector): the importance of particle flux, particle composition and advection Chase, Z.; Anderson, R. F.; Fleisher, M. Q.; Kubik, P. W. Deep-Sea Research Part Ii-Topical Studies in Oceanography Volume: 50 Issue: 3-4 p.: 739-768 (2003) Pii S0967-0645(02)00593-3
The U-series toolbox for paleoceanography Henderson, G. M.; Anderson, R. F. Uranium-Series Geochemistry Volume: 52 p.: 493-531 (2003)
Challenges in radiocarbon dating organic carbon in opal-rich marine sediments Zheng, Y.; Anderson, R. F.; Froelich, P. N.; Beck, W.; McNichol, A. P.; Guilderson, T. Radiocarbon Volume: 44 Issue: 1 p.: 123-136 (2002)
The influence of particle composition and particle flux on scavenging of Th, Pa and Be in the ocean Chase, Z.; Anderson, R. F.; Fleisher, M. Q.; Kubik, P. W. Earth and Planetary Science Letters Nov 30 Volume: 204 Issue: 1-2 p.: 215-229 (2002) Pii S0012-821x(02)00984-6
Preservation of particulate non-lithogenic uranium in marine sediments Zheng, Y.; Anderson, R. F.; Van Geen, A.; Fleisher, M. Q. Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta Sep Volume: 66 Issue: 17 p.: 3085-3092 (2002) Pii S0016-7037(01)00632-9
Remobilization of authigenic uranium in marine sediments by bioturbation Zheng, Y.; Anderson, R. F.; Van Geen, A.; Fleisher, M. Q. Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta May Volume: 66 Issue: 10 p.: 1759-1772 (2002) Pii S0016-7037(00)00886-9
Sediment focusing creates 100-ka cycles in interplanetary dust accumulation on the Ontong Java Plateau Higgins, S. M.; Anderson, R. F.; Marcantonio, F.; Schlosser, P.; Stute, M. Earth and Planetary Science Letters Oct 15 Volume: 203 Issue: 1 p.: 383-397 (2002) Pii S0012-821x(02)00864-6
Vertical budgets for organic carbon and biogenic silica in the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean, 1996-1998 Nelson, D. M.; Anderson, R. F.; Barber, R. T.; Brzezinski, M. A.; Buesseler, K. O.; Chase, Z.; Collier, R. W.; Dickson, M. L.; Francois, R.; Hiscock, M. R.; Honjo, S.; Marra, J.; Martin, W. R.; Sambrotto, R. N.; Sayles, F. L.; Sigmon, D. E. Deep-Sea Research Part Ii-Topical Studies in Oceanography Volume: 49 Issue: 9-10 p.: 1645-1674 (2002) Pii S0967-0645(02)00005-X
The Southern Ocean's biological pump during the Last Glacial Maximum Anderson, R. F.; Chase, Z.; Fleisher, M. Q.; Sachs, J. Deep-Sea Research Part Ii-Topical Studies in Oceanography Volume: 49 p.: 1909-1938 (2002)
Abrupt intensification of the SW Indian Ocean monsoon during the last deglaciation: constraints from Th, Pa, and He isotopes Marcantonio, F.; Anderson, R. F.; Higgins, S.; Fleisher, M. Q.; Stute, M.; Schlosser, P. Earth and Planetary Science Letters Jan 15 Volume: 184 Issue: 2 p.: 505-514 (2001)
Benthic remineralization and burial of biogenic SiO2, CaCO3, organic carbon, and detrital material in the Southern Ocean along a transect at 170 degrees West Sayles, F. L.; Martin, W. R.; Chase, Z.; Anderson, R. F. Deep-Sea Research Part Ii-Topical Studies in Oceanography Volume: 48 Issue: 19-20 p.: 4323-4383 (2001)
Evidence from authigenic uranium for increased productivity of the glacial Subantarctic Ocean Chase, Z.; Anderson, R. F.; Fleisher, M. Q. Paleoceanography Oct Volume: 16 Issue: 5 p.: 468-478 (2001)
Glacial surface temperatures of the southeast Atlantic Ocean Sachs, J. P.; Anderson, R. F.; Lehman, S. J. Science Sep 14 Volume: 293 Issue: 5537 p.: 2077-2079 (2001)
Record of seafloor CaCO3 dissolution in the central equatorial Pacific Broecker, W. S.; Anderson, R.; Clark, E.; Fleisher, M. Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems Jun 28 Volume: 2 p.: art. no.-2000GC000151 (2001)
Sediment focusing in the central equatorial Pacific Ocean Marcantonio, F.; Anderson, R. F.; Higgins, S.; Stute, M.; Schlosser, P.; Kubik, P. Paleoceanography Jun Volume: 16 Issue: 3 p.: 260-267 (2001)
Similar glacial and Holocene Southern Ocean hydrography Matsumoto, K.; Lynch-Stieglitz, J.; Anderson, R. F. Paleoceanography Oct Volume: 16 Issue: 5 p.: 445-454 (2001)
The US Southern Ocean Joint Global Ocean Flux Study: Volume two Anderson, R. F.; Smith, W. O. Deep-Sea Research Part Ii-Topical Studies in Oceanography Volume: 48 Issue: 19-20 p.: 3883-3889 (2001)
Authigenic molybdenum formation in marine sediments: A link to pore water sulfide in the Santa Barbara Basin Zheng, Y.; Anderson, R. F.; van Geen, A.; Kuwabara, J. Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta Dec Volume: 64 Issue: 24 p.: 4165-4178 (2000)
Carbon isotopic disequilibrium in polar planktonic foraminifera and its impact on modern and Last Glacial Maximum reconstructions Kohfeld, K. E.; Anderson, R. F.; Lynch-Stieglitz, J. Paleoceanography Feb Volume: 15 Issue: 1 p.: 53-64 (2000)
Intensification of the northeast Pacific oxygen minimum zone during the Bolling-Allerod warm period Zheng, Y.; van Geen, A.; Anderson, R. F.; Gardner, J. V.; Dean, W. E. Paleoceanography Oct Volume: 15 Issue: 5 p.: 528-536 (2000)
Recent warming in a 500-year palaeotemperature record from varved sediments, Upper Soper Lake, Baffin Island, Canada Hughen, K. A.; Overpeck, J. T.; Anderson, R. F. Holocene Jan Volume: 10 Issue: 1 p.: 9-19 (2000)
A review of the Si cycle in the modem ocean: recent progress and missing gaps in the application of biogenic opal as a paleoproductivity proxy Ragueneau, O.; Treguer, P.; Leynaert, A.; Anderson, R. F.; Brzezinski, M. A.; DeMaster, D. J.; Dugdale, R. C.; Dymond, J.; Fischer, G.; Francois, R.; Heinze, C.; Maier-Reimer, E.; Martin-Jezequel, V.; Nelson, D. M.; Queguiner, B. Global and Planetary Change Dec 15 Volume: 26 Issue: 4 p.: 317-365 (2000)
The US Southern Ocean Joint Global Ocean Flux Study: an introduction to AESOPS Smith, W. O.; Anderson, R. F.; Moore, J. K.; Codispoti, L. A.; Morrison, J. M. Deep-Sea Research Part Ii-Topical Studies in Oceanography Volume: 47 Issue: 15-16 p.: 3073-3093 (2000)