Projects
Holocene Tropical Sea Surface Temperature and Climate
We are interested in reconstructing tropical temperatures and climate of the late Holocene. In order to understand mechanisms of climate change, better reconstructions of past tropical SSTs are needed.
Indonesian Throughflow
The Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) refers to the transfer of upper ocean waters from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean through the Indonesian Seas. ITF flow varies seasonally in response to the monsoons, and is also correlated with interannual variations in the Pacific (El Nino/Southern Oscillation).
Australasian Monsoons
We use stable isotopes and Mg/Ca of planktonic foraminifera to reconstruct changes in surface temperature and the oxygen isotope composition of sea water. We also use organic geochemistry to infer changes regional convection.
Modeling the Hydrologic Cycle
Our first study focused on the tropical Pacific. We compared differences in two runs, the "6k" mid Holocene run and the pre-Industrial control run to paleoceanographic data. Existing data suggested large regional salinity changes in the tropical Pacific, and our goal was to understand the mechanisms causing them.
The Deep Ocean-Climate Link
Considerable evidence suggests that the strength of the Atlantic Ocean overturning has varied in the past, and that these variations were linked to large climatic changes in the North Atlantic region.
Interglacial Climates
Studies of the duration and stability of previous interglacials provide insight into recent climate trends and the future of our current interglacial.