schaefer

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Joerg M. Schaefer
Lamont Research Professor
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Geochemistry
409 Comer
61 Route 9W - PO Box 1000
Palisades
NY
10964-8000
US
Phone: 
(845) 365-8703
Fax: 
(845) 365-8155
schaefer@ldeo.columbia.edu
View Website
CV: 
PDF icon Schaefer_April_2017.pdf

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I am a climate geochemist interested in the response of ice on earth to climate change. My research group is centered around a laboratory specialized in extracting and analyzing cosmogenic nuclides from rocks, sediments, water and ice. These cosmogenic nuclides are monitors of exposure of the sample to open sky (and to bombardment of the sample surface by cosmic ray particles -neutrons and myons- that produce characteristic isotopes in the surfaces). These techniques have advanced our abilities to quantify earth surface processes in general, and are particularly powerful in the field of glacier and ice-sheet dynamics and their coupling to climate change.

Our main focus has become to improve our estimates of contributions to sea level rise by melting ice sheets and mountain glaciers, one of the most pressing questions of sciences and societies.

Lamont Projects:

Cosmogenic Nuclide Group
Snow On Ice
What Can Island Isostasy Tell Us About Hotspot Dynamics?

Research Blogs:

The Future of Snow on Ice

Referenced in the Following News Items:

Greenland’s Green Past
Announcing the 2017 Center for Climate and Life Senior Fellows
The Glaciers Are Going
Most of Greenland Ice Melted to Bedrock in Recent Geologic Past, Study Says
Joanne Johnson and Lamont-Doherty, Collaborating on Glacial Research
Key Talks from the American Geophysical Union's Annual Meeting
American Geophysical Union Dec. 3-7: Key Talks From the Earth Institute
Shrinking Glaciers: A Chronology of Climate Change
In Himalayas, Assessing Climate Threats to Water
Swiss Glacier Finely Tuned to Climate Changes
Study Adds New Clue to How Last Ice Age Ended
Glaciers Have Moved Together in Far-Flung Regions
Lamont Scientists Develop New Technique to Study Long-Term Changes to the Earth's Surface
New Study of Glacial Retreat Shows that Much of the World Emerged from Last Ice Age at Nearly the Same Time

Featured in the Following Videos:

Shrinking Glaciers: A Chronology of Climate Change
To See a World in a Single Particle

Selected Publications:

Greenland was nearly ice-free for extended periods during the Pleistocene Schaefer, Joerg M.; Finkel, Robert C.; Balco, Greg; Alley, Richard B.; Caffee, Marc C.; Briner, Jason P.; Young, Nicolas E.; Gow, Anthony J.; Schwartz, Roseanne Nature December 8, 2016 Volume: 540 p.: 252-255 (2016) doi:10.1038/nature20146
Do phreatomagmatic eruptions at Ubehebe Crater (Death Valley, California) relate to a wetter than present hydro-climate? Sasnett, P.; Goehring, B.M.; Christie-Blick, N.; and Schaefer, J.M. Geophysical Research Letters 01/2012 Volume: 39 (2012) 10.1029/2011GL050130
Terrestrial exposure-age record of Holocene ice sheet and ice shelf change in the northeast Antarctic Peninsula Balco, Greg; Schaefer, Joerg M.; LARISSA group Quaternary Science Reviews (2012)
Estimating the Age of Glacial Features and Magnitude of Subglacial Erosion Using Beryllium-10 Depth Profiles: Results from Scoresby Sund, Greenland Goehring, B.M.; Kelly, M.A.; Schaefer, J.M.; Lowell, T.V.; Finkel, R.M. Journal of Geophysical Research-Earth Surface (2010)
Changing influence of Antarctic and Greenlandic temperature records on sea-level over the last glacial cycle Siddall, M.; Kaplan, M.R.; Schaefer, J.M.; Putnam, A.; Kelly, M.A.; Goehring, B. Quaternary Science Reviews Volume: 29 Issue: 3-4 p.: 410-423 (2010) 10.1016/j.quascirev.2009.11.007
A reevaluation of in situ cosmogenic 3He production rates Goehring, B.M.; Kurz, M.D.; Balco, G.; Schaefer, J.M.; Licciardi; J; Lifton, N. Quaternary Geochronology (2010)
A beryllium-10 production-rate for the Southern Hemisphere middle latitudes Putnam, A E; Schaefer, J M; Vandergoes, M; Barrell, D; Kaplan, M; Goehring, B; Schwartz, R; Finkel, R; Kelley, S; Denton, G H Journal of Quaternary Geochronology (2010)
The bipolar switch - changing influence of Antarctic and Greenland temperature records on sea level over the last glacial cycle Sidall, M; Kaplan, MR; Schaefer, JM; Putnam, A; Kelly, MA; Goehring, B Quaternary Science Reviews Volume: 29 p.: 410-423 (2010)
A high precision 10Be production rate calibration in New Zealand's Southern Alps Putnam, A; Schaefer, J M; Barrell, D; Kaplan, M; Denton, G H; Vandergoes, M; Schwartz, R; Finkel, R C; Goehring, B; Kelley, S M Quaternary Geochronology (2010)
A glacier advance in the Peruvian Andes during the late glacial period constrained with cosmogenic He-3 Bromley, G R M; Hall, B; Schaefer, J M; Winckler, G; Todd, C E; Rademacher, K M Journal of Quaternary Science (2010)
Glacier retreat in New Zealand during the Younger Dryas stadial Kaplan, M. R.; Schaefer, J.M., Denton, G.H.; Barrell, D.J.A.; Chinn, T.J.H.; Putnam, A.E.; Andersen, B.G.; Finkel, R.C.; Schwartz, R.; Doughty, A. Nature (2010)
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)
Glacier Retreat in New Zealand During the Younger Dryas Stadial Kaplan, M. R.; Schaefer, J.M., Denton, G.H.; Barrell, D.J.A.; Chinn, T.J.H.; Putnam, A.E.; Andersen, B.G.; Finkel, R.C.; Schwartz, R.; Doughty, A. Nature (2010)
Regional beryllium-10 production rate calibration for late-glacial northeastern North America Balco, G.; Briner, J.; Finkel, R. C.; Rayburn, J. A.; Ridge, J. C.; Schaefer, J. M. Quaternary Geochronology Apr Volume: 4 Issue: 2 p.: 93-107 (2009) DOI 10.1016/j.quageo.2008.09.001
Precise Be-10 production rate calibration in New Zealand's Southern Alps for the Holocene and Last Glacial Maximum periods, Putnam, A.; Schaefer, J. M.; Vandergoes, M.; Barrell, D.; Kaplan, M.; Finkel, R.; Goehring, B.; Schwartz, R.; Denton, G. Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta Jun Volume: 73 Issue: 13 p.: A1061-A1061 (2009)
High-Frequency Holocene Glacier Fluctuations in New Zealand Differ from the Northern Signature Schaefer, J. M.; Denton, G. H.; Kaplan, M.; Putnam, A.; Finkel, R. C.; Barrell, D. J. A.; Andersen, B. G.; Schwartz, R.; Mackintosh, A.; Chinn, T.; Schluchter, C. Science May 1 Volume: 324 Issue: 5927 p.: 622-625 (2009) DOI 10.1126/science.1169312
Holocene Glacier Fluctuations in the Peruvian Andes Indicate Northern Climate Linkages Licciardi, J M; Schaefer, J M; Taggart, J R; Lund, D C Science Volume: 325 p.: 1677 (2009)
Relative timing of last glacial maximum and late-glacial events in the central tropical Andes Bromley, G R M; Schaefer, J M; Winckler, G; Hall, B L; Todd, C E; Rademaker, K M Quaternary Science Reviews Volume: 28 p.: 2514 (2009)
High-Frequency Holocene Glacier Fluctuations in New Zealand Differ from the Northern Signature Schaefer, J. M.; Denton, G. H.; Kaplan, M.; Putnam, A.; Finkel, R. C.; Barrell, D. J. A.; Andersen, B. G.; Schwartz, R.; Mackintosh, A.; Chinn, T.; Schluchter, C. Science (2009)
A Be-10 chronology of lateglacial and Holocene mountain glaciation in the Scoresby Sund region, east Greenland: implications for seasonality during lateglacial time Kelly, M. A.; Lowell, T. V.; Hall, B. L.; Schaefer, J. M.; Finkel, R. C.; Goehring, B. M.; Alley, R. B.; Denton, G. H. Quaternary Science Reviews Dec Volume: 27 Issue: 25-26 p.: 2273-2282 (2008) DOI 10.1016/j.quascirev.2008.08.004
Cosmogenic beryllium-10 and neon-21 dating of late Pleistocene glaciations in Nyalam, monsoonal Himalayas Schaefer, J. M.; Oberholzer, P.; Zhao, Z.; Ivy-Ochs, S.; Wieler, R.; Baur, H.; Kubik, P. W.; Schluchter, C. Quaternary Science Reviews Feb Volume: 27 Issue: 3-4 p.: 295-311 (2008) DOI 10.1016/j.quascirev.2007.10.014
The production rate of cosmogenic Ar-38 from calcium in terrestrial pyroxene Niedermann, S.; Schaefer, J. M.; Wieler, R.; Naumann, R. Earth and Planetary Science Letters May 30 Volume: 257 Issue: 3-4 p.: 596-608 (2007) DOI 10.1016/j.epsl.2007.03.020
Cosmogenic-nuclide and varve chronologies for the deglaciation of southern New England Balco, G.; Schaefer, J. M. Quaternary Geochronology Feb Volume: 1 Issue: 1 p.: 15-28 (2006) DOI 10.1016/j.quageo.2006.06.014
Near-synchronous interhemispheric termination of the last glacial maximum in mid-latitudes Schaefer, J. M.; Denton, G. H.; Barrell, D. J. A.; Ivy-Ochs, S.; Kubik, P. W.; Andersen, B. G.; Phillips, F. M.; Lowell, T. V.; Schluchter, C. Science Jun 9 Volume: 312 Issue: 5779 p.: 1510-1513 (2006) DOI 10.1126/science.1122872
Terrestrial manganese-53 - A new monitor of Earth surface processes Schaefer, J. M.; Faestern-Iann, T.; Herzog, G. F.; Knie, K.; Korschinek, G.; Masarik, J.; Meier, A.; PoutivtseV, M.; Rugel, G.; Schluchter, C. Earth and Planetary Science Letters Nov 15 Volume: 251 Issue: 3-4 p.: 334-345 (2006) DOI 10.1016/j.epsl.2006.09.016
Timing of deglaciation on the northern Alpine foreland (Switzerland) Ivy-Ochs, S.; Schaefer, J.; Kubik, P. W.; Synal, H. A.; Schluchter, C. Eclogae Geologicae Helvetiae Volume: 97 Issue: 1 p.: 47-55 (2004) DOI 10.1007/s00015-004-1110-0
Limited Pliocene/Pleistocene glaciation in Deep Freeze Range, northern Victoria Land, Antarctica, derived from in situ cosmogenic nuclides Oberholzer, P.; Baroni, C.; Schaefer, J. M.; Orombelli, G.; Ochs, S. I.; Kubik, P. W.; Baur, H.; Wieler, R. Antarctic Science Dec Volume: 15 Issue: 4 p.: 493-502 (2003) Doi 10.1017/S0954102003001603