I specialize in paleoclimatology, using tools from sedimentology, stratigraphy, micropaleontology, and geochemistry to reconstruct past climate, glacial, and ocean mass changes. My field areas are based in Antarctica and the Gulf of Mexico.
My research is driven by the impacts of recent climate change; I strive to better understand historic observations within a geologic context. My primary field area is in marine basins of Antarctica, where I reconstruct the behavior of tidewater glaciers, ice shelves, and ice streams from sediment cores, microfossils, isotopes, and geophysical data.
I am also interested in flooding history and storm impacts in the Gulf of Mexico region, and specifically how climate and land-use changes affect coastal environments. Sedimentology, algal bloom records, and geochemical signatures of sediment cores collected from bays that drain major metropolitan areas are used to identify and compare post-industrial vs. natural Holocene flooding history.
I study glacial response to climate variability and oceanographic changes during the Holocene. Specifically, I use diatom and foraminifera microfossil proxies for sea ice concentration and ocean masses in West Antarctica as well as multi-proxy analyses to evaluate the impacts of sea level rise, climate, and storms on coastal estuaries.
Research Areas
- Marine Geology and Geophysics
- Paleontology, Paleoclimatology, and Paleoecology
- Energy
Research Areas
- Glacial Stability of West Antarctica
- Storm Impacts and Ecosystem Change in the Gulf Coast
- Cretaceous-Paleogene Mapping of Central Alabama
- Cretaceous Marine Reptile Paleobiology
Subject areas:
- Energy
- Marine Geology and Geophysics
- Paleo3
My research is driven by the impacts of historic climate change; I strive to better understand recent observations within a geologic context. My primary field area is in marine basins of Antarctica, reconstructing glacial behavior in response to ocean and climate changes using sediment cores, microfossils, and geophysical data. I also study coastal evolution of the northern Gulf of Mexico to investigate Holocene flooding history, storm impacts, and ecological feedbacks.
Skills and Expertise
- Climate Variability
- Climate Science
- Geochemistry
- Sedimentology
- Isotope Geochemistry
- Environment
- Climate Reconstruction
- Quaternary Geology
- Climate
- Climate Change
