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I am fascinated by past climate changes and how they relate to landscapes and ecosystems over years to millennia. I am interested in temperature and moisture variability. To understand these changes, I use geologic archives like the placement of landforms, stratigraphic sections, the shapes of lake basins, and lake sediments to interpret records of past environmental changes. I use a mixture of geologic mapping, sonar imaging, remote sensing, geologic sampling, and laboratory techniques to develop records of Earth's history. I apply geologic dating techniques like U-Th, 14C, and 10Be dating to determine the timing of events. Understanding the timing and magnitude of climate change events at individual locations is vital for expanding the network of records needed for hypothesis testing of climate change mechanisms and for testing our most advanced climate models.
My research locations are wide ranging. In the high Peruvian Andes, I am studying changes in the Quelccaya Ice Cap to understand temperature and precipitation conditions from the last glaciation to present. In Searles Valley California, I am developing climate records of past drought conditions extending back more than 200,000 years. In central New York, I am working to understand the evolution of rare wetland systems that have developed after deglaciation and the influences of recent human activity. In the Canadian North, I have worked to understand the evolution of the Laurentide Ice Sheet during its final retreat and its potential role in causing abrupt climate change events.
To me, the landscape is an amazing puzzle containing different geologic archives that allow us a window into the past. They are the only means of understanding our Earth's history. Past climate changes and their mechanisms place current and future conditions in context. They give us tools for understanding our future and our role in determining its direction.