Terrestrial Paleoclimate and Earth Systems Research

Understanding interactions between the biosphere, atmosphere and lithosphere through time

Our research is focused on on understanding how earth's climate and ecosystems have changed through time. We seek to understand the links and feedbacks between the biosphere, atmosphere, and lithosphere to examine how earth's past can help inform its future. We use a combination of organic molecular biomarker and stable isotope measurements, coupled with field studies, and numerical models in order to build an understanding of the Earth system. We are particularly focused on studying past climates to understand how the Earth’s climate may behave in the future as greenhouse gases increase in our atmosphere. Field sites include western North America, east Asia, and South America.